AHL Syracuse Crunch

Crunch Nip Norfolk in Home Finale, 5-4

Published on April 9, 2011 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Syracuse Crunch News Release


Syracuse, NY - Josh Green notched three points (1g, 2a), Nicolas Deschamps chipped in two points (1g, 2a) and the Crunch scored twice on the power play and twice while shorthanded en route to a 5-4 win tonight over the Norfolk Admirals in their last home game of the 2010-11 season in front of a sold out crowd of 6,258 fans at The Oncenter War Memorial Arena.

The Crunch wrap up the 2010-11 campaign tomorrow in Hershey against the two-time defending Calder Cup champion Bears at 5 p.m.

Norfolk took control of the game early, but the Crunch had a perfect opportunity to score the game's first goal when Maxime Macenauer was hooked from behind on a breakaway and awarded a penalty shot at the 7:17 mark of the first.

Macenauer slowly skated in and deked to his backhand, then let go of his stick with one hand and tried to slide it by Dustin Tokarski, but Tokarski stayed with it and stuck out his left pad to make the save.

That save gave Norfolk the lift it needed as the Admirals scored the game's first goal just under four minutes later when Paul Szczechura came in down the right wing and a threw a pass to the front of the net that hit off the skate of Nate Guenin and came right to Johan Harju, who punched it past Igor Bobkov to make it a 1-0 game.

After a Troy Milam slashing penalty 2:14 into the second, the Crunch wasted no time on the power play as Rick Schofield won the face-off right back to Kyle Palmieri and Palmieri ripped a wrister inside the right post just three seconds into the man-advantage to tie the game at 1-1.

Alex Berry put Norfolk back in the lead at the 7:39 mark of the second and made it 2-1 when he beat Bobkov through the five-hole after being left alone in the slot.

The Crunch answered back just 14 seconds later to tie the score again at 2-2 after Green came in down the left side, faked a slapshot and slid a perfect pass over to Macenauer who finished the play past the outstretched Tokarski.

Syracuse took its first lead of the game at the 10:05 mark on a beautiful set up between Deschamps and Green off a shorthanded 2-on-1. Deschamps came in down the right side and floated a perfect saucer pass to Green, who quickly moved the puck to his backhand and flipped the on-edge disk over the shoulder of Tokarski for the 3-2 advantage.

Green returned the favor to Deschamps just over two minutes later when he sprung the rookie on a partial breakaway and Deschamps caught Tokarski moving to his left and whipped a shot against the grain off the right post and in to put the Crunch up 4-2.

Norfolk cut it to 4-3 just under seven minutes into the third when Harju jammed in a second effort rebound from the right side of the net.

Four minutes later, the Crunch re-took a two-tally lead on the power play when Patrick Maroon swatted home a loose puck in the crease past Tokarski to make it 5-3.

Mike Vernace got Norfolk back to within one when his slapper from the point found its way through a screen to make it 5-4 with 5:14 left in regulation, but the Crunch held on even after the Admirals pulled Tokarski for the extra attacker.

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American Hockey League Stories from April 9, 2011


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