AHL Syracuse Crunch

Crunch Weekly

Published on October 29, 2014 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Syracuse Crunch News Release


NEED TO KNOW

- The Crunch lost the last two games of a three-in-three road trip and are 3-3-1-0 this season, 11th in the East.

- Jonathan Marchessault made his Tampa Bay debut Saturday and leads Syracuse with seven points.

- Syracuse's Week 4 schedule features Rochester at the War Memorial Friday and a visit to Binghamton Saturday.

TRANSACTIONS

- 10/27/2014 Danick Gauthier (LW) DEL Reassigned by Tampa Bay (NHL) to Florida (ECHL)

- 10/26/2014 Jonathan Marchessault (RW) ADD Returned on loan from Tampa Bay (NHL)

- 10/26/2014 Mike Blunden (RW) ADD Returned on loan from Tampa Bay (NHL)

- 10/25/2014 Danick Gauthier (LW) ADD Reassigned by Tampa Bay (NHL) from Florida (ECHL)

- 10/25/2014 Jeff Costello (LW) ADD Recalled from loan to Florida (ECHL)

- 10/25/2014 Jonathan Marchessault (RW) DEL Recalled from loan by Tampa Bay (NHL)

- 10/25/2014 Mike Blunden (RW) DEL Recalled from loan by Tampa Bay (NHL)

- 10/24/2014 Cedric Paquette (C) DEL Recalled from loan by Tampa Bay (NHL)

- 10/24/2014 Mike Blunden (RW) ADD Returned on loan from Tampa Bay (NHL)

- 10/23/2014 Luke Witkowski (D) ADD Returned on loan from Tampa Bay (NHL)

- 10/21/2014 Mike Blunden (RW) DEL Recalled from loan by Tampa Bay (NHL)

WEEK IN REVIEW

Promotions and debuts

Jonathan Marchessault made his Lightning debut Saturday in Tampa Bay's 7-2 loss at Minnesota. He totaled 12:33 time on ice, but less than 24 hours on Tampa Bay's roster. He was back with the Crunch for Sunday's 5-1 loss in Springfield. Despite the NHL interlude, Marchessault managed to extend his AHL scoring streak to five games (2g, 5a), the second longest streak in the league. Marchessault's previous NHL experience was two games with Columbus, Jan. 31 and Feb. 2, 2013.

Mike Blunden jumped to the NHL and back twice last week, playing his first Lightning games Tuesday in Calgary and Saturday in Minnesota. He also played for Syracuse Friday in Worcester and Sunday in Springfield. The two Lightning contests bring his NHL total to 104 games played, including Chicago (10), Columbus (41) and Montreal (51). His assist Sunday in Springfield gives him four points on the season (2g, 2a).

Luke Witkowski was returned to the Crunch Thursday after spending four days on Tampa Bay's roster; he did not make an appearance.

Cedric Paquette joined the Lightning Friday, is minus-1 in two games and remains on Tampa Bay's active roster.

Special teams report

After a 1-for-12 power play effort during its three-game road trip, Syracuse ranks 28th in the league at 2-for-28 on the man advantage (7.1%). Tanner Richard and Nikita Nesterov are the team's only power-play goal scorers.

The Crunch's penalty kill surrendered two goals in 10 times shorthanded in Week 3, dropping to 23rd in the league at 21-for-26 (80.8%).

With two shorthanded goals Saturday in Portland, the Crunch have given up the most shorthanded goals in the league this season, three.

Game 5: Syracuse escapes Worcester in overtime, 3-2

Dalton Smith, Mike Angelidis and Nikita Nesterov potted their first goals of the season Friday in Worcester, as the Crunch defeated the Sharks, 3-2, in overtime. Smith, a healthy scratch the previous three games, batted in a rebound 33 seconds after a Worcester power-play goal; Jerome Samson had the assist, his second of the year. Angelidis put the Crunch ahead with his 100th career AHL goal halfway through the second after a centering pass from Philippe Paradis.

In the final moments of regulation, the Sharks tied the score with the goalie pulled for an extra attacker. Nesterov's heroic overtime, power-play tally, his first career game-winning goal, was set up by Jonathan Marchessault whose fourth assist was his sixth point of the year, both team highs. Kristers Gudlevskis made 26 saves in his second win of the season.

Game 6: Pirates' shorthanded wizardry zaps Crunch, 2-1

Syracuse surrendered two shorthanded goals to the Pirates Saturday in Portland, both scored by Tobias Rieder, and lost a 2-1 decision. The lone Crunch goal came from Cody Kunyk in the third period, his first as a professional. Jerome Samson picked up the primary assist as Kunyk, an Alaska-Fairbanks alumnus, snuck a shot towards the net from the left wing half wall. Both Kunyk and Samson have three points on the season. Jake Dotchin had the secondary assist, the rookie defenseman's first pro point.

Andrei Vasilevskiy suffered the loss (1-1-1), stopping 30 of 32 Portland shots. The Crunch managed only 21 shots on Pirate Louis Domingue, Syracuse's smallest output of the season. Tanner Richard fought former Crunch defenseman Dylan Reese in the second period, Richard's second fight of the season. Jeff Costello, called up from ECHL-Florida Saturday, made his AHL debut, alongside Danick Gauthier and Eric Neilson who played in their first Crunch games of the season.

Game 7: Springfield steams Syracuse, 5-1

Syracuse finished its three-game road trip with a 5-1 loss Sunday in Springfield. The Falcons, who've taken two of three meetings against Syracuse this year, tied the Crunch with seven points, last in the Northeast Division.

The Falcons started hot, scoring three goals in the opening 8:32. Austin Madaisky, Sean Collins, and Kerby Rychel solved Kristers Gudlevskis, with Brian Gibbons notching two assists. T.J. Tynan extended the Springfield lead in the second, following up on an initial shot by Hubert Labrie.

Joel Vermin finally stopped the bleeding for Syracuse 2:32 into the third with his second goal of the season after a Jonathan Marchessault faceoff win and quick pass from Mike Blunden. Both Blunden and Marchessault made their return to the Crunch lineup after playing for Tampa Bay the previous night in Minnesota.

Springfield's Dominic Monardo finished the evening's scoring on a breakaway 7:19 into the final frame. Monardo leads Springfield with five goals and two vs. Syracuse.

Gudlevskis suffered the loss (2-2-0), stopping 25 of 30 shots; five goals against is Crunch worst this year. Oscar Dansk earned the victory for Springfield, stopping 35 of 36 shots. The teams next meet Dec. 10 in Springfield.

THE WEEK AHEAD

Crunch vs. Rochester-Friday, 7 p.m.

ESPN Radio 97.7 FM & 1200 AM, Syracuse; 100.1 FM & 1440 AM, Oswego

The Crunch renew their rivalry with the Rochester Americans for the first of eight times this season at the War Memorial Friday night. The Crunch split the season series 4-4-0-0 with the Amerks last year. Since Tampa Bay became the Crunch's affiliate prior to the start of the 2012-13 campaign, Syracuse is 7-9-1-1 against Rochester, 4-4-1-0 at home. Defenseman Nikita Nesterov had five of his sixteen points (1g, 4a) against the Amerks last season, the most of any current Crunch player against Rochester in 2013-14.

The Amerks, the Buffalo Sabres affiliate, are led by points leaders Johan Larsson (3g 5a) and Chad Ruhwedel (2g, 6a). Each has played against the Crunch in previous seasons. Larsson has three goals and an assist in eight career games over the past two seasons against the Crunch. Ruhwedel, a defenseman, had three assists in five games against Syracuse last season. He has at least a point in all six Amerks contests this season.

Crunch at Binghamton-Saturday, 7:05 p.m.

ESPN Radio 97.7 FM & 1200 AM, Syracuse; 100.1 FM & 1440 AM, Oswego

The Crunch visit the Senators Saturday at Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena. In an Oct. 18 meeting at the War Memorial, Syracuse captured a 4-2 win vs. Binghamton. Four players had multi-point nights: Cedric Paquette, Jonathan Drouin, Mike Blunden and Joel Vermin; only Blunden and Vermin are still on the active roster.

In the first game of the season series, goaltender Kristers Gudlevskis had 43 saves on 45 shots against the Sens, both the most shots Gudlevskis has faced and the most saves he has had in an AHL game. The 45 shots allowed were the most the Crunch had surrendered since the team gave up 47 in a 6-2 loss to St. John's Dec. 10, 2013. Syracuse had 44 shots on goal, the most the Crunch have had in a game since the team recorded 45 on net against the Portland Pirates in Game 3 of the first round of the 2013 Calder Cup Playoffs.

The Sens play Utica twice this week, once at home and once on the road, before Saturday's game against Syracuse.

Check out the Syracuse Crunch Statistics

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