AHL Syracuse Crunch

Crunch Crush Connecticut, 5-0

Published on December 19, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Syracuse Crunch News Release


Syracuse, NY (December 19, 2010) - Dan Sexton and Brett Festerling each tallied two goals, J.P. Levasseur stopped all 32 shots he faced and the Syracuse Crunch went into their Christmas break as winners of back-to-back games, shutting out the Connecticut Whale by a 5-0 score this afternoon at The Oncenter War Memorial Arena.

After a huge 3-1 win Friday night against the AHL-leading Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the Crunch came out with energy right from the start again even though they were playing in their third game in three days.

Syracuse controlled the action in the first period, outshooting Connecticut 13-11. The Whale was kept in the game with key saves from Chad Johnson.

The Crunch finally broke the scoreless tie just 1:34 into the second stanza, when Trevor Smith found Festerling who snuck in behind the defense, and Festerling beat Johnson with a shot along the ice to give Syracuse the 1-0 lead.

The Crunch would go up 2-0 before the second period was over on a highlight reel hook-up between Sexton and Matt Beleskey.

Sexton corralled the puck in the neutral zone and turned the jets on down the left wing boards, gaining a step on his man on the outside. He then found a streaking Beleskey and sailed a perfect backhand pass that Beleskey pinpointed just inside the left post past Johnson to extend the Crunch lead.

The Crunch took a 3-0 lead on a carry-over power play just 14 seconds into the third period, when Festerling tallied his second of the game and third of the season by rifling a one-time feed from the point past Johnson.

Syracuse made it a 4-0 game when Sexton again used his speed to create a goal when he broke up a point-to-point pass and went in all alone on a shorthanded breakaway. Sexton made no mistake and beat Johnson with a top shelf backhand deke with just under six minutes remaining in regulation.

Sexton then put the icing on the cake when he was re-paid from earlier in the game after being set-up by Beleskey in front of the cage to make it 5-0.

Levasseur stopped everything thrown his way to pick up his second straight win and second shutout of the season.

CRUNCHABLES: The Crunch penalty kill is 12-for-12 over the last two games.Dan Sexton became the fifth Crunch player to record three points in a game this season with his 2 goals and 1 assist...Before scoring his two goals tonight, Brett Festerling had four goals in 164 AHL games.

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American Hockey League Stories from December 19, 2010


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