Ferriero scores winner, again, as Comets edge Heat in OT for second straight night

ABBOTSFORD, B.C. - Benn Ferriero scored the overtime goal for the second-straight night to lift the Utica Comets to a 4-3 win over the Abbotsford Heat in American Hockey League action Saturday.

Ferriero took advantage of Chris Breen's giveaway at the Abbotsford blue line, burst past the defender and buried a slap shot top corner on goalie Joey MacDonald.

The 26-year-old right-winger also scored the only goal in Friday's 1-0 win against the Heat and now has 15 goals on the season.

Alex Grenier scored twice for the Comets, while Barndon DeFazio had the other. Pascal Pelletier had two assists for Utica (15-20-5), which has won four straight.

Joacim Eriksson made 23 saves in the win.

Max Reinhart and Markus Granlund each had a goal and an assist for Abbotsford (26-14-4) and Brett Olson also scored.

MacDonald made 35 saves in the losing effort.

The Comets opened the scoring 2:05 into the game. After a lively dump into the Abbotsford zone, Jordan Schroeder chipped the puck to the front of the net where DeFazio swept it past MacDonald with a backhander for his fifth of the season.

Granlund, however, evened the score with a power-play goal at 7:42. He took a feed from Reinhart and beat Eriksson with a wrist shot glove side for his 17th of the year.

Despite failing to score on a two-man advantage earlier in the second period, the Comets regained the lead at 7:51. Pelletier chipped the puck in front, where Grenier turned and quickly beat MacDonald blocker side for his 14th of the season.

The Heat drew even at 10:52 while killing a penalty for too many men. Granlund fanned on his shot attempt on a two-on-two rush, but Reinhart redirected the puck past the Comets' netminder for his ninth of the season.

The two hooked up on another shorthanded rush early in the third period, but this time Eriksson foiled Reinhart's one-timer, keeping the game knotted at 2-2.

Olson scored at 7:18 to give the Heat their first lead of the night. Olson's forecheck pressured Yann Sauve into coughing up the puck at the face-off dot. Olson pounced, walked in on Eriksson and went short side for his seventh of the year and his first point in 14 games.

The Comets, however, evened the score at 11:13. Pelletier forced John Ramage to give it up behind the net and Grenier was there to bury his second of the game.