AHL Syracuse Crunch

Crunch Topple First Place Penguins

Published on December 18, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Syracuse Crunch News Release


Syracuse, NY (December 18, 2010) - Trevor Smith tallied two goals and J.P. Levasseur stopped 42 of 43 shots to pick up his first home win and lift the Syracuse Crunch to a 3-1 victory over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins tonight at The Oncenter War Memorial Arena. The win marked the Crunch's second of the season over the AHL-leading Penguins. Dan Sexton, who was just assigned to the Crunch by Anaheim earlier today, scored the Crunch's only other goal.

The Crunch came out with jump in their legs to start the game after suffering a 7-0 loss to Binghamton on Friday night, but Wilkes-Barre/Scranton tallied the game's first goal on a broken play in front of the net five minutes into the game

Penguins center Ryan Craig was given credit for the score after the puck deflected in off the skate of Crunch captain Joe DiPenta and slid over the goal line to give Wilkes-Barre/Scranton the early 1-0 lead.

Despite ending the first 20 minutes down a goal, the Crunch were very physical, evidenced when Patrick Maroon and Brian Strait were given five minutes each for fighting at the 4:26 mark and Matt Beleskey and Zach Sill saw the same fate as they also were assessed five minutes each for dropping the gloves six minutes later.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton started the second period on the power play after Brett Festerling was whistled off for roughing at the 19:40 mark of the first, but the Crunch were able to kill off the penalty with a combination of aggressiveness and active sticks in passing lanes.

The Crunch continued to push back on the Penguins, and it finally paid off when Beleskey sent a cross-ice feed right on the tape of Sexton, and Sexton blasted a shot from the top of the left circle off the pad of John Curry and into the back of the net to tie the game at 1-1 at the 8:24 mark of the second.

The score stayed that way until halfway through the third period, when Stefan Chaput took his man out with a hit in the corner creating a turnover and he fed the puck to Smith at the right face-off dot. Smith snuck a wrister off the glove of Curry to give the Crunch a 2-1 advantage at the 9:58 mark.

Smith recorded his second of the game and seventh of the season just under two minutes later, when he corralled a pass from Eric Lampe in stride, skated in down the right wing and snapped the disk over the shoulder of Curry to give the Crunch some breathing room at 3-1.

The Crunch were able to dodge the oncoming Wilkes-Barre/Scranton train, including killing off a Chaput delay of game penalty with just under four minutes left in regulation.

CRUNCHABLES: Left wing Eric Lampe appeared in his first AHL game tonight and tallied his first AHL point, an assist.With tonight's win, the Crunch are now a perfect 4-0-0-0 against the East Division's first and second place teams (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Norfolk).Syracuse is now 10-4-0-2 when allowing three goals or less.Sexton tied a Crunch season-high with eight shots on goal tonight.In two games this season against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, J.P. Levasseur has stopped 84 of 88 shots (.955 SV%).

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American Hockey League Stories from December 18, 2010


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