Former Vernon Vipers forward Mike Zalewski & the Utica Cometsadvanced to the 2015 Calder Cup Finals Tuesday after a 2-0 victory over the Grand Rapids Griffins in Game 6 of the American Hockey League Western Conference Finals. The Comets will play Game 1 of the Calder Cup Finals Saturday vs the Eastern Conference champion Manchester Monarchs.
Zalewski is in his first season with the Comets attended the Vancouver Canucks Prospects development camp in early July, was also at the Canucks Training camp this year got into some exhibition games with the Canucks before being sent down to the American Hockey League. In 55 regular season games with Utica Zalewski picked up (3-goals-9-assists-12-points).
Zalewski left his third year at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) last season signing with the Canucks on March 17th 2014. Zalewski skated in his first NHL practice with the Canucks on March 21, 2014 before making his NHL debut on Saturday April 12 2014 in a 5-2 loss in Edmonton. Zalewski picked up his first career NHL point (assist) in a 5-1 win over the visiting Calgary Flames the following night. Zalewski played two season's in Vernon (2010-2012) In 106 regular season games with the Vipers Zalewski collected (50-goals-54-assists-104-points).
Mike Zalewski's Player Profile:
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=60363
This is posted on the AHL website:
Comets win Game 6, oust Griffins
June 3, 2015
Just 19 months after losing the first 10 games in franchise history, the Utica Comets are headed to the Calder Cup Finals.
Cory Conacher scored his third goal in the last four games and Jacob Markstrom made 21 saves as the Comets defeated Grand Rapids, 2-0, in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals before another capacity crowd at the Utica Memorial Auditorium on Tuesday night.
Despite two power plays for each team, the first period of Game 6 was scoreless, the third time in the last four contests that Utica and Grand Rapids were 0-0 through 20 minutes.
Shots on goal in the opening frame were 9-6 in favor of the home team.
Early in the second, Cal O'Reilly carried the puck out of the Comets end, through center ice and into the offensive zone before dishing it off to Conacher, who snapped a one-timer from the top of the right-wing circle that beat Tom McCollum to open the scoring.
Conacher’s third goal of the series and fourth of the playoffs made it 1-0 at the 3:16 mark of the second and would prove to be the only offense the Comets would need. The assist for O’Reilly was his league-leading 15th of the postseason.
The Griffins had two more power plays in the second period, but only managed four shots on goal in the frame. Shots were 22-10 for the Comets after 40 minutes.
With about 4:30 remaining in regulation, Markstrom made a point-blank stop on Teemu Pulkkinen, who scored a league-leading 14 goals in the playoffs but just one in six games against Utica.
McCollum went off for an extra attacker with just over two minutes left, but the Griffins could not gain control of the puck and Alexandre Grenier hit the empty net from center ice with 1:14 to play, making it a 2-0 final.
Markstrom (11-7), who also had a shutout in the Comets’ series-clinching win over Oklahoma City in the conference semifinals, made 11 of his 21 saves in the third period and finished the series with a 1.91 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage in six games against a Griffins offense that had averaged 3.70 goals per game through the first two playoff rounds.
McCollum (9-6) finished with 27 saves on 28 shots in Game 6.
Grand Rapids, 7-for-21 on the power play through the first five games of the series, went 0-for-4 in Game 6. Utica was 0-for-3.
Attendance was 3,835, the 10th consecutive playoff sellout at the Aud.
Western Conference Finals – Series “N” (best-of-7)
1-Utica Comets vs. 2-Grand Rapids Griffins
Game 1 – Sun., May 24 – UTICA 2, Grand Rapids 1
Game 2 – Mon., May 25 – Grand Rapids 4, UTICA 2
Game 3 – Thu., May 28 – Utica 4, GRAND RAPIDS 1
Game 4 – Fri., May 29 – GRAND RAPIDS 3, Utica 2 (OT)
Game 5 – Sun., May 31 – Utica 3, GRAND RAPIDS 2
Game 6 – Tue., June 2 – UTICA 2, Grand Rapids 0
This is posted on the Comets website:
FINAL: Comets 2 vs Griffins 0 (Series: 4-2 UTI)
By Mark Caswell Jr.
June 2, 2015
History was made Tuesday night as the Utica Comets advanced to the Calder Cup Finals after they silenced the Grand Rapids Griffins 2-0 in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals at the Utica Memorial Auditorium. In just their second year as a franchise, the Utica Comets have been awarded the Robert W. Clark trophy for being the 2015 Western Conference Champions.
Cory Conacher’s (1-0-1) game-winning second period goal ended up being all the Comets would need. From there the Griffins intensity couldn’t match up to the play that Jacob Markstrom provided in the crease with 21 saves as he recorded his second shutout of the postseason.
It took one whole period and a few minutes into the second period, but the Comets were fortunate to find their first of the night after a Cal O’Reilly pass met Conacher at the right circle. With a quick snap of the wrist, Conacher sniped the puck past McCollum on the short side to give the Comets the 1-0 lead at 3:16. Peter Andersson was credited with the secondary assist.
The Calder Cup Finals were all but a reality after the Griffins pulled their goaltender for the extra man with just a little less than two minutes left in the game. After multiple attempts to get the puck in the empty-net, Alexandre Grenier was finally able to put it away from center ice at 18:46 to give the Comets a two-goal lead with a little less than a minute left in regulation.
After taking a total of four penalties through the first two periods, the Comets withheld from taking any in the third to make their 2-0 all but certain.
The Calder Cup Finals begins this Saturday in Manchester, New Hampshire at 6 p.m. at the Verizon Wireless Arena.
Three Stars: 1. UTI – Jacob Markstrom (21 Saves, Win) 2. UTI – Cory Conacher (1 Goal) 3. UTI – Alexandre Grenier (1 Empty-Net Goal)
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