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AHL Syracuse Crunch

Crunch Trapped by Rats

March 8, 2009 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Syracuse Crunch News Release


Glens Falls, NY (March 8, 2009) - The Syracuse Crunch let up four unanswered goals and dropped their fifth road contest in their last six road games, falling to the Albany River Rats by a 4-1 count in front of 5,151 fans tonight at the Glens Falls Civic Center.

Coming into their third game in three days and looking to possibly move within one point of the final playoff spot in the North Division, the Crunch wanted to take it to Albany and set the tone in the first period.

Both teams traded golden scoring opportunities in the first 10 minutes of the game. Just about five minutes in, Derek MacKenzie found Craig MacDonald up the middle, hit him with a pass and sent him in alone on Rats' starter Daniel Manzato.

MacDonald faked to his backhand but was denied by the left pad of Manzato to keep the game scoreless.

Dan LaCosta matched Manzato a few minutes later, robbing the Rats with a point blank sprawling left pad save of his own.

The Crunch started to control the play in the second half of the frame and got on the board first with a goal from Alexandre Picard at the 16:55 mark.

Andrey Plekhanov threw a shot towards the net that bounced around in traffic until Mike Blunden found it and chipped it up to Picard.

Picard swept a shot on goal that eluded Manzato to give the Crunch a 1-0 lead.

Shots were tied at 12 apiece after 20 minutes of play.

The River Rats came back to tie the game late in the second stanza.

Albany came down on a 3-on-2. Yannick Tifu dropped a pass to Jakub Petruzalek, who let a wrister go that beat LaCosta through a screen low to the glove side to make it 1-1 at the 17:12 mark.

Albany took their first lead of the game half way through the third period when Pat Dwyer's sharp angle shot from the bottom of the left circle snuck inside the post past LaCosta to make it 2-1.

The River Rats added to that total three minutes later when Aaron Clarke took advantage of a Crunch defenseman that fell down and made a strong move to the net from the right side.

LaCosta initially made the save, but the puck somehow trickled over the goal line to give Albany a 3-1 lead.

With the Crunch on the power play with one minute left in regulation and LaCosta pulled for the extra attacker, Dwyer had a step on Mike York, who pulled Dwyer down from behind.

Because Dwyer was in the clear and pulled down with an empty net, the automatic goal was awarded go give Dwyer his second of the contest and Albany a 4-1 win.

CRUNCHABLES: Tonight marked the third time in the last four games that the Crunch have given up 40 or more shots on goal...With a Toronto win, the Crunch are now five points behind the Marlies for the final playoff spot in the North Division...Defenseman Andrey Plekhanov left the game with an undisclosed injury and did not return...Syracuse has scored one goal in the last two games...Alexandre Picard has seven points (5g, 2a), in his last six games.

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American Hockey League Stories from March 8, 2009


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