Comets Home Games Will Be Televised Locally

The Utica Comets announced a television partnership with Nexstar Broadcasting on Wednesday, which will mean all home games for this upcoming "COVID" season will be on TV during the shortened 2020-21 season that is being played without fans due to COVID-19.

All 16 of the Comets home games, as well as any home post-season games will be televised on WPNY (Channel 12 on Spectrum Cable) in both standard and high definition, and will be available over-the-air on channel 20.2. WPNY is also available via the Spectrum streaming app. The station is owned and operated by Nexstar Inc. and is a sister station to WUTR and WFXV FOX 33, which simulcasts WIBX's Keeler Show each weekday morning. Games will also be available online through the American Hockey League.

The partnership comes during a unique season for the Utica Comets who open at home on Wednesday, February 17 against the Syracuse Crunch. In order to provide fans with a look into the Adirondack Bank Center, the Comets worked in tandem with Nexstar Inc. to develop a high caliber pregame show, hosted by Comets Broadcaster Jason Shaya, that will air just before each game. The pregame show will feature hockey analysis from Shaya, as well as support from local hockey figures.

“Unique situations create unique opportunities,” expressed Steve Ventura, General Manager of WFXV/WPNY. “The pandemic has put us all in an unusual place and as our community strives to get back to normal, we see this partnership with the Comets as a step in that direction.”

The partnership with Nexstar Inc. rounds out several options for fans to tune into Comets games until they are able to be here live. In addition to WPNY, fans can watch all Comets home and away contests on AHLTV, which can be streamed on any PC/Mac, iOS/Android, Apple TV, Roku, Android TV or Amazon Fire TV. Fans can also tune in to the radio broadcast where Michael Lehr will call Comets home games and select road games in tandem with Shaya. Finally, fans can tune in via the Comets live Twitter game day feed for up-to-the-minute game day statistics.

“It’s very exciting to have a television broadcast partner for the first time in team history and to expand the Comets brand into the homes of our fans, youth hockey families and locals,” said Comets President Robert Esche. “Our goal is to provide our community with a number of avenues to enjoy the Comets, and this partnership makes it increasingly easy for them to do so.”