UTICA HEADS TO HARRISBURG FOR CRUCIAL DIVISIONAL BATTLE
Tonight’s Game: Utica City hits the road to square off against the Harrisburg Heat. Kickoff at PA Farm Show Arena is at 7:05 p.m.
Last Game: Utica City surrendered five unanswered goals as they fell 7-6 in overtime to the Kansas City Comets Sunday afternoon at the Adirondack Bank Center. Moises Gonzalez and Cristhian Segura scored twice while Momo and Nate Bourdeau each added a goal. Andrew Coughlin made nine saves on 16 shots.
Head to Head: This is the fourth matchup between Utica and Harrisburg this season. Utica leads the series 3-0, most recently winning 7-5 back on January 12. City has outscored the Heat 21-14 through three games.
Scouting the Heat: Harrisburg comes in with a record of 12-8 and sits in fifth place in the Eastern Division. They most recently fell 9-5 to the Baltimore Blast this past Saturday. Dominic Francis leads the way on offense with 39 points, followed by Daniel Villela with 33 points. William Banahene is the top goaltender with a record of 7-4, a 5.43 goals-against average, and .701 save percentage.
High Powered: Utica City’s power play has come alive over the last few games. City has scored at least one power play goal in three straight games, going 5-8 during that stretch. They are also 6-12 on the man advantage in the last seven games. Utica’s power play ranks seventh in the league at 44%.
Segura, Segura: Cristhian Segura is unstoppable. The midfielder’s incredible season rolls as he’s currently riding a five-game point streak, picking up 14 points (9-5-14) with four multi-point games. He also has 10 points in his last four road games. Segura has a career high 37 points (25-12-37) in 18 games.
Moi’s Our Boy: Moises Gonzalez continues to pile on points for Utica. Gonzalez is on an incredible eight-game point streak where he’s picked up 18 points (13-5-18). He also has five multi-point games during that stretch. The forward has 34 points (22-12-34) in 19 games this season.
Big Year: Jake Schindler is in the midst of a career season. With seven points (4-3-7) in his last four games, Schindler has achieved new career highs in goals, assists, and points. He also has recorded a point in four straight road games. The big defender has 18 points (10-8-18) in 17 games this year.
Next Game: Utica returns home to host the Dallas Sidekicks Saturday night at the Adirondack Bank Center. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. Tickets are still available at the Box Office, over the phone by calling (315) 790-9070, or online at www.empirestatetix.com. The game can be viewed on MASL.tv.