Crunch Defeat Phantoms, 3-2, in Shootout

December 21, 2018 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Syracuse Crunch News Release

ALLENTOWN, Pa. - Carter Verhaeghe scored the game-winner for the Syracuse Crunch in the fifth round of the shootout to defeat the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, 3-2, tonight at the PPL Center.

The win ends a two-game skid and advances the Crunch to 16-8-2-0 on the season. The team takes a 1-0 lead in the two-game season series against the Phantoms.

Connor Ingram made 40 saves and went 4-for-5 in the shootout in net for the Crunch. Alex Lyon turned aside 27-of-29 between the pipes for the Phantoms and stopped 3-of-5 shootout attempts. Both teams were 0-for-2 on the man-advantage.

The Phantoms opened scoring 4:34 into the second period. Colin McDonald got behind the Crunch defense, faked a shot in the right circle and threw the puck over Ingram after he went down. Assists went to Greg Carey and T.J. Brennan.

The Crunch evened the score at the 15:39 mark. Verhaeghe sent the puck to Dominik Masin at the point. His feed set up Cameron Gaunce for a one-timer from the top of the right circle.

Lehigh Valley regained the lead 5:02 into the third period off tic-tac-toe passing. Mark Friedman passed down to Connor Bunnaman for a quick cross-slot feed to give Carey a wide-open back door.

Just 11 seconds later, Syracuse knotted the game for a second time to eventually force overtime. Ross Colton jammed the puck in as he cut across the crease. Assists went to Troy Bourke and Ben Thomas.

After a scoreless overtime frame, the game went to a shootout. Taylor Leier immediately scored in the first round before Cory Conacher potted one in the third round to keep the shootout going. Verhaeghe roofed the game-winner in the fifth round to seal the victory.

The Crunch return home to host the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins tomorrow at 7 p.m.

Single game tickets and packages for the 2018-19 season are on sale now and can be purchased in person at the Crunch office located inside the War Memorial Arena at 800 S. State St. in Syracuse, by calling the office at 315-473-4444 or online through Ticketmaster. For the latest Crunch news, visit www.syracusecrunch.com or follow the club on Facebook (www.facebook.com/syracusecrunch), Twitter (@SyracuseCrunch) and Instagram (@syracusecrunch) using #SyrCrunch.

Crunchables: The Crunch are 2-2 when requiring extra time...The Crunch went 3-2 during this season-high five-game road trip.

American Hockey League Stories from December 21, 2018

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• Wolf Pack Double Americans, 4-2 - Hartford Wolf Pack
• Devils Score Four Unanswered in 6-3 Comeback Win over Bruins - Binghamton Devils
• Penguins Lose Close One to Bears, 3-2 - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
• Broadhurst Nets Hat Trick as Monsters Throttle Senators, 6-3 - Cleveland Monsters
• Checkers Fall to Sound Tigers 6-1 - Charlotte Checkers
• Crunch Defeat Phantoms, 3-2, in Shootout - Syracuse Crunch
• Late Charge Not Enough to Get T-Birds Past Comets - Springfield Thunderbirds
• Power Play Thrives, Bears Edge Penguins - Hershey Bears
• Sens Fall to Cleveland in First Ever Meeting - Belleville Senators
• Gignac's Hat-Trick Powers Devils over P-Bruins - Providence Bruins
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• Hogs to Host Blood Drive at the BMO Thursday, December 27 - Rockford IceHogs
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