Barons Take Down Comets In Sudden-Death Fourth Overtime

Curtis Hamilton scored the game-winning goal 16 seconds into the fourth sudden-death overtime period to lift the Oklahoma City Barons to a 2-1 win over the Utica Comets and a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference Semifinals series of the AHL's Calder Cup Playoffs Thursday night at the Utica Memorial Auditorium.

After a shot by Hamilton was knocked down by Comets goalie Jacob Markstrom, a Utica clearing attempt skidded to the left circle, where an unattended Hamilton grabbed the puck and fired a shot over Markstrom's glove side for the game's first goal in more than 95 minutes of play.

At 120:16, the game was the longest in Barons history and the sixth longest in AHL Calder Cup Playoffs history.

The teams combined for 124 shots on goal, with the Barons holding a 67-57 edge. After allowing a first period Utica score, Oklahoma City goalie Richard Bachman played the next 102:50 without surrendering a goal.

The loss was Markstrom's fourth career playoff overtime loss to Oklahoma City, with the goalie having dropped three in the 2012 Calder Cup playoffs while a member of the San Antonio Rampage. Markstrom has also now dropped five consecutive playoff starts against the Barons and is 1-5 all-time against Oklahoma City, dating back to the 2012 series.

Utica grabbed a 1-0 lead at 17:10 of the first period when Darren Arhibald found Kent Huskins in the high Oklahoma City slot, where Huskins wristed a shot into the OKC net through a screen in front of Bachman.

At 4:13 of the second period, Oklahoma City tied the score when Matt Ford sent a pass to Kellen Jones through two Utica defenders, creating a partial breakaway. Jones took Ford's pass with no one in front of him and promptly deposited a backhand shot past Markstrom, making the score 1-1.

Oklahoma City killed three penalties in the overtime periods, with all three coming in a span of a little more than 15 minutes of play between the second and third overtime periods, while Utica killed one in the first overtime and another in the third.

Hamilton's goal gave the Barons their third consecutive overtime win in the 2015 Calder Cup Playoffs. Oklahoma City is now 4-0 in the 2015 postseason.

The teams meet again in Game Two of the series on Friday, May 8, in a 6 p.m. CST start at Utica Memorial Auditorium.