Pascal Pelletier scores in overtime as Utica Comets beat Abbotsford Heat 4-3

ABBOTSFORD, B.C. - Pascal Pelletier scored in overtime as the Utica Comets beat the Abbotsford Heat 4-3 Saturday night in American Hockey League action.

Pelletier one-timed a centring pass from Colin Stuart in the slot at 2:07 of the extra period, giving him five goals on the season and his fourth point in two games.

Stuart also had a goal for the Comets, while Kellan Lain scored twice for his first goals in 32 AHL games.

Joe Cannata made 33 saves to give him back-to-back victories. Utica (6-11-2) have now won four of their past five games, allowing them to crawl out of the AHL cellar.

Turner Elson, Josh Jooris and Ben Street scored for Abbotsford (17-6-2), who lost back-to-back games for the first time since Oct. 18 but hang on to first place in the league.

Joey MacDonald stopped 22 shots in net for the Heat.

The Heat drew first blood at 10:37 of the first. Elson pounced on the rebound of a Chad Billins point shot, beating Cannata high blocker side, for his second of the year and first since Oct. 11.

However, the Comets tied the game at 17:13. Yannick Weber's point shot was deflected by Lain, with Patrick Mullen also providing a screen, giving Weber four points in four games since being demoted to the Comets by the Vancouver Canucks.

The Comets took the lead at 16:24 of the second. Lain knocked Alex Biega's rebound past MacDonald.

The Heat had a goal disallowed with less than three minutes to play in the second. A Comets defenceman fell into Cannata, pushing the netminder with the puck across the goal-line. However it was ruled the player tripped on Jooris, who was driving past the net.

Jooris made amends at the 3:51 mark of the third period. He took a great cross-ice feed from Street and found a little room short side on Cannata, giving him his first goal since the season opener, a span of 20 games.

Stuart regained the Utica lead however less than two minutes later. He walked out of the left corner into the slot untouched and backhanded the puck over the sprawling netminder giving him five goals on the year.

Street scored his team-leading 12th of the season at 9:07, blazing down the left wing on a power play before unleashing a slapshot blocker side from the face-off dot.