AHL Syracuse Crunch

Crunch Head Into All-Star Break on Four-Game Point Streak

Published on January 24, 2009 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Syracuse Crunch News Release


Syracuse, NY - The Syracuse Crunch fell in overtime but earned a hard-fought point against first-place Manitoba, dropping a 3-2 overtime decision in front of 6,124 fans at the War Memorial at Oncenter tonight

Hoping to turn a three-game winning streak into four, and before a capacity crowd in front of its home fans, the Crunch wanted to use that to their advantage and get on the board early, but it was Manitoba who struck first 5:43 into the opening frame.

Dusty Collins took a pass from Maxime Fortunus and glided in down the left side as the Crunch was making a line change. Collins beat his man to the outside, cut to the middle and tucked a shot past the left pad of Dan LaCosta to put Manitoba up 1-0.

Crunch all-time wins leader and current Moose netminder Karl Goehring turned aside all five shots from Syracuse in the first frame, a season-low (tied) for the Crunch, while LaCosta stopped three of four shots.

After Manitoba's Michael Graber was called for hooking just three minutes into the second, Crunch blueliner Andrey Plekhanov negated his club's man-advantage when he was called for hooking just 1:05 into the power play.

With an abbreviated man-advantage, Jason Krog found Maxime Fortunus at the top of the crease and he buried his own rebound past LaCosta to make it 2-0 Manitoba at the 5:21 mark.

Almost exactly five minutes later, Derek MacKenzie took a feed from Grant Clitsome and took off down the right wing boards. MacKenzie let a shot go that fluttered, fooled Karl Goehring and found the back of the net to cut the Crunch's deficit to 2-1.

The score stayed that way until the final minute of the third period when the Crunch tied the game on the power play and with its goaltender pulled for the extra attacker. Craig MacDonald batted home a backhand past Goehring with a swarm of bodies in front of the net with 47 seconds remaining in regulation to knot the game at 2-2 and eventually send the game to overtime.

Manitoba notched the game-winner 2:25 into the extra session as his wrister found its way through LaCosta's pads.

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American Hockey League Stories from January 24, 2009


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