UTICA HOSTS MISSISSAUGA IN SATURDAY NIGHT SHOWDOWN

Today’s Game: Utica City hosts the Mississauga MetroStars for the final time this season. Kickoff at the Adirondack Bank Center is at 7 p.m.

Last Game: Utica City rode multi-point efforts from five different players to a 7-5 win over the Harrisburg Heat Sunday evening at the PA Farm Show Arena. Mauricio Salles and Liam Callahan led the way with a pair of goals each, while Darren Toby, Lucio Gonzaga, and Nate Bourdeau also chipped in a goal apiece. Andrew Coughlin made five saves on 10 shots.

Head To Head: This is the sixth and final meeting between City and the MetroStars this season. Utica leads the season series 5-1 and won the most recent contest 6-1 last Friday. Utica has outscored Mississauga 36-23 through five games.

Scouting the MetroStars: Mississauga comes in with a record of 4-17 and sits in last place in the Eastern Division. They most recently fell to the Baltimore Blast 9-2 last Sunday. Molham Babouli leads the offense with 32 points, followed by Damion Graham with 26 points. Adrian Becic is the top goalkeeper with a record of 4-11, a 7.15 goals-against average, and .634 save percentage.

Nasty Nate: Nate Bourdeau has been on a tear offensively. Bourdeau is riding a four-game point streak, picking up six points (5-1-6) over that timespan. He has also registered at least one point in five consecutive home games. The midfielder has collected 21 points (11-10-21) in 21 games this season.

High Powered: Utica’s power play has been very good over the past seven games. City is 9-11 on the man advantage over the last seven games and has scored on nine of their last 10 power play opportunities. They have also scored a power play goal in seven straight games. Overall, Utica’s power play is ranked third in the league at 54.3%.

Spreading The Wealth: Utica has gotten offense from all over the lineup this season and it’s played a big role in their success. City has six players with 20 or more points, two with 30 or more and one with 40 points. Additionally, all but one player has registered at least one goal and one point this season.

Stepping Up: Freddy Moojen and Mauricio Salles have stepped up offensively with the recent rash of injuries. Moojen has four points (1-3-4) in his last two games and six points (2-4-6) in his last four, while Salles has four points (2-2-4) in his last two and seven points (4-3-7) in his last four games. Overall, Salles has 12 points (9-3-12) in 12 games this year and Moojen has recorded 19 points (9-10-19) in 14 total games this season. 

Next Game: Utica City is back in action tomorrow afternoon for a battle against the Baltimore Blast in a matchup that could determine the Eastern Division Champion. Kickoff at the Adirondack Bank Center is at 2pm. Tickets are available by calling the Box Office at (315) 790-9070 or by visiting www.empirestatetix.com.