AHL Syracuse Crunch

Crunch Close Out Season with Win Over Rochester

Published on April 11, 2009 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Syracuse Crunch News Release


Syracuse, NY (April 11, 2009) - In their last regular season game of the 2008-09 campaign, the Syracuse Crunch went out on a positive note, defeating the Rochester Americans 4-2 for the twelfth straight time before 6,112 fans at the War Memorial at Oncenter.

With not much to play for except personal pride after being eliminated from Calder Cup playoff contention last night, the Crunch came out hungry and took control of the game early on, out-chancing the Amerks from the get-go.

The puck finally bounced Syracuse's way at the 14:44 mark of the first on the power play.

Grant Clitsome fired a shot from the point that Rochester starter David Shantz got a piece of, but couldn't keep the rebound. After forcing his way to the loose puck, Mike Blunden finally poked it in over the goal line to give Syracuse the 1-0 edge.

The Crunch went up by a 2-0 count before the first was over when newcomer Tim Miller scored his first professional goal in his first game with just over a minute and a half remaining.

Nick Holden fired a shot from the right point that Shantz couldn't hang on to. Going to the front of the net, Miller found the rebound and deposited it in the open left side.

Syracuse out-shot Rochester 14-10 in the first frame.

Continuing on their momentum built at the end of the first period, the Crunch struck again and went up 3-0 just nine seconds into the second stanza.

Mike York centered the puck from the right half-wall to Derek MacKenzie. MacKenzie got spun around, but stayed with the play and shoveled a backhand through Shantz for the three-goal lead.

The scored stayed that way until Rochester got one back at the 11:33 mark.

Karl Stewart found an open Jason Garrison in the slot and Garrison wired a slapper past Dan LaCosta to make it 3-1.

Amerks rookie leading scorer Michal Repik made the game interesting with a goal at the 16:49 mark of the third, but an empty-netter by Alexandre Picard with 27 seconds left iced the game.

LaCosta stopped 23 of 25 shots for the Crunch and picked up his first win since March 6 vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

CRUNCHABLES: Three Crunch players (Tim Filangieri, Matt Greer, Tim Miller) made their professional debut tonight...Nick St. Pierre picked up his first professional point with an assist on Alexandre Picard's empty-net goal...Picard finished the season with 20 goals in his last 22 games...With a goal tonight, Derek MacKenzie finished the season with at least a point in eight of his last nine games (2g, 7a)...The Crunch finished the season with 40 wins, the third highest total in franchise history...Trevor Frischmon was the only Crunch player to appear in all 80 games this season...Counting last year's playoffs and dating back to last year's regular season, Frischmon has now skated in 126 consecutive games, the most of any active Crunch player.

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American Hockey League Stories from April 11, 2009


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