Islanders Hockey Club Takes Three At Home To Earn Four-Point Lead In New England

The Islanders Hockey Club took every opportunity to get back to No. 1 in the North, and did just that by earning three W’s against the visiting Utica Jr. Comets. The Islanders won 3-0, 5-1 and 3-2 over three successive days between Dec. 1-3. With that, they improved their record against Utica (and their Syracuse predecessors) to 15-7-1-1 all time. 

• Last weekend marked the first time since the 2019-20 season that the Islanders faced the same opponent in three straight games. The last time it happened, they actually played two consecutive home-and-home weekends against the South Shore Kings over Nov. 23-24 and Dec. 6 and 8, 2019. The Islanders won three of those matchups, but not in a row. 
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• In the 5-1 victory, Braxton Powers and Matthew Babineau both had shorthanded goals, making the Islanders the third team to score multiple shorties in one game. The Rockets Hockey Club (Oct. 6) and Northern Cyclones (Nov. 4) are the other two. They rank second in most SHG by a team this year, with five – one behind the league-leading Jersey Hitmen. 
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• The Islanders have the second best team defense in the NCDC, at 2.09. 
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• With six wins in a row, the Islanders have the second and third best winning streaks of the season. They won 10 in a row between Sept. 29 and Oct. 20, and their current winning streak started on Nov. 12. 
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• In Game 1 of the series, the Islanders scored all of their goals in the third period. They have never lost in regulation when tied after two periods, going 3-0-1-0. 
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• They were outshot in the third game, and their 4-2-1-1 record when being outshot is one of the league’s best. 
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• Frank Murphy tied with the P.A.L.’s Nick Bevilacqua for most shutouts when he registered his third on Dec. 1, stopping all 20 shots he faced. Murphy is second in save percentage (.941) and third in goals against average (1.91) and wins (11). 
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• Braxton Powers’ shorthanded goal on Dec. 2 was also the GWG, and he is tied for second in game-winning goals with five.