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AHL Syracuse Crunch

Crunch Grounded by Aeros in Overtime

December 28, 2009 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Syracuse Crunch News Release


Houston, TX (December 28, 2009) - A season-high three power play goals and two tallies from Brendan Bell were not enough, as the Syracuse Crunch gave up three leads and eventually fell to the Houston Aeros in overtime tonight, 5-4, in front of 5,085 fans at the Toyota Center, extending the club's season-long winless streak to six games.

The Crunch outplayed Houston in the first half of the first period and broke through first on the power play at the 10:43 mark.

Derek MacKenzie took a pass along the right half-boards from Grant Clitsome and quickly moved the puck across the open lane to Brent Regner set up in the left slot.

Regner one-timed the disk and beat Houston starter Barry Brust on the short side to give the Crunch a 1-0 lead. The man-advantage tally was the Crunch's first in three games.

The Crunch lead lasted just over five minutes when Ryan Lannon stuffed home a rebound from a Robbie Earl shot on the right side past Dan LaCosta at the 15:27 mark. The game was tied at 1-1 and Houston outshot the Crunch by a 12-8 margin through the first 20 minutes of play.

Syracuse re-took the lead four and a half minutes into the second stanza when Bell's shot from the right point found its way through traffic and past a screened Brust to make it 2-1 in favor of the Crunch. The tally was Bell's first goal and point in eight games as a member of the Crunch.

Syracuse showed that they still have trouble playing with a lead and allowed Houston to get right back in the game just two and a half minutes later.

Andy Hilbert broke away from Dylan Reese in front of the net and re-directed a perfect feed from Chad Rau through LaCosta to knot the game once again at 2-2.

Houston kept plugging away and eventually took its first lead of the game on their sixth power play opportunity of the contest and third of the second period when Hilbert's shot caromed to the front of the net, off John DiSalvatore's skate and trickled past LaCosta to give the Aeros the 3-2 advantage.

The Crunch got their second power play opportunity of the game when Nathan Smith was called for tripping with just six seconds left in the second, giving Syracuse a carry-over man-advantage into the third period.

The Crunch took advantage of this and tied the game at 3-3 when Bell's wrister from the left point beat Brust for his second of the game just 44 seconds into the third.

Tomas Kana, playing on the top line tonight with MacKenzie and Bates Battaglia, put the Crunch in front once again just two minutes later when his shot from the top of the right circle beat Brust to give Syracuse the 4-3 lead.

The Crunch again let Houston right back in the game, this time just a minute and a half later when Jean-Michel Daoust took a centering feed from Hilbert after getting position on Jonathan Sigalet in front of the net and flipping the disk past LaCosta to deadlock the contest at 4-4.

The game stayed that way through the remainder of regulation until J.P. Testwuide's bid from the right wing ticked off LaCosta and found the back of the cage to give Houston the 5-4 win.

CRUNCHABLES: All three of Brent Regner's tallies this season have been first goals of the gameTonight was the first time in three games and twelfth time in 33 contests that the Crunch have scored firstGrant Clitsome recorded his third multiple-assist effort tonightThe Crunch got three goals in a game from defensemen for the second time this season.

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American Hockey League Stories from December 28, 2009


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