Opposing veteran player remembers Utica atmosphere

In the short time I've been covering the Utica Comets, I'm not sure I've heard the Utica Memorial Auditorium louder than I did Tuesday night, when the team rallied for a victory over North Division rival Rochester.

Heck, I've been to a good number of sporting events and there are maybe one or two other instances I can think of in which another venue was as loud as it was - or louder - than when Carter Bancks knocked in a rebound with 55.5 seconds left in the game to cap a three-goal third period to help the Comets win. The victory was crucial in the team's quest for a playoff berth for the second time in three seasons.

Comets head coach Travis Green said Tuesday's game had a playoff feel. New Hartford native Mike Zalewski, who scored a shorthanded goal in his return to the Comets' lineup after missing 11 games, said he also thought the Aud was the loudest he's heard it this season.

Comets players - whether they've been in Utica for a long or short time - will easily tell you how great the fans are and how much they appreciate the support. It's a hockey-crazy area, and the fans obviously respect the game and understand what it takes to play. The team has sold out 48 consecutive games dating back to last season.

The rabid support is not lost on visiting players, coaches and teams, either. At least one rival coach has mentioned this season how tough it can be to play in Utica. Sheldon Keefe, who is in his first season leading an excellent Toronto Marlies squad, said after a December game at the Aud that “the decibel level is not something you're accustomed to” in other arenas in the American Hockey League.

Perhaps the highest praise came courtesy of colorful hockey personality Paul Bissonnette in an ESPN.com interview published Tuesday. The 31-year-old Bissonnette, who helped the Manchester Monarchs win the Calder Cup title over the Comets last season, was asked about “interesting memories from (his) championship run” with the team, which has now relocated to Ontario, California.

Bissonnette, the veteran of more than 450 professional hockey games, mentioned the three games he and the Monarchs played last June at the Aud.

“They had a crazy atmosphere in Utica,” he said. “It was nuts. My parents were sitting behind a guy who had a prosthetic leg. When they would score, the guy behind him would fill it with beer and chug it out of the prosthetic leg. They were all over us. The most I've ever been intimidated (in) an opposing rink.”

If Utica and Mohawk Valley hockey fans weren't on the map before, they are now.

With nine games remaining in the regular season, the team will be ready - as they always seem to be playing under Green and assistants Paul Jerrard and Nolan Baumgartner. The Comets, who play Springfield on Friday at home, have a four-point lead on the rival Syracuse Crunch for the final guaranteed playoff spot in the division. Utica and Syracuse meet Sunday at the Aud and two more times in the final three games of the season.

Whatever happens, it is going to get loud.

Follow @OD_Birnell on Twitter or call him at 792-5032.