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AHL Syracuse Crunch

Crunch Weekly

November 12, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Syracuse Crunch News Release


LAST WEEK

Fri., Nov. 7 - Crunch vs. Norfolk - OTL, 4-3

Sat., Nov. 8 - Crunch vs. Norfolk - W, 5-4

Sun., Nov. 9 - Crunch at W-B/Scranton - OTL, 5-4

THIS WEEK

Wed., Nov. 12 - Crunch at Albany - 7 p.m.

Fri., Nov. 14 - Crunch vs. Hershey - 7 p.m.

Sat., Nov. 15 - Crunch at W-B/Scranton - 7:05 p.m.

NEED TO KNOW

- Syracuse (5-4-3-0) has points in four consecutive games, earning four of a possible six points in Week 5.

- Dalton Smith has posted consecutive two-goal games, the first of his career, and leads Syracuse with six goals.

- Forward Kevin Lynch was signed to a PTO Wednesday and is slated to make his AHL debut at Albany.

TRANSACTIONS

- 11/12/2014 Kevin Lynch (F) ADD Signed to PTO

- 11/11/2014 Jeff Costello (LW) DEL Returned on loan to Florida (ECHL)

Smith rockets up goal-scoring leaderboard

Dalton Smith's big weekend, four goals in two games, moved him to the team lead for goals, six. It started Saturday night with two third-period goals in the Crunch's come-from-behind, 5-4 win against Norfolk. He followed up with two more goals in Wilkes-Barre, including the game-tying, power-play goal to force overtime.

Saturday night marked his first career multi-point and multi-goal game, and Sunday's repeat outburst moved him within three goals of the AHL lead.

Smith already has more goals this season than either of his first two as a pro. The 2010 second-round pick has the same number of goals his first nine games of this season that he had the previous two seasons combined (2g in 2013-14, 4g in 2012-13) in 69 games played.

Center Lynch signed to tryout contract

The Crunch got deeper at the center position Wednesday with the addition of Kevin Lynch, a 2013 University of Michigan graduate, who signed a professional tryout contract with Syracuse. Lynch, who will wear jersey No. 12, will be available to play for the Crunch Wednesday in Albany.

Lynch, a second-year pro, has six points (1g, 5a) in nine games for ECHL-Florida. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound forward joined the Everblades after totaling 35 points in 63 ECHL games with Toledo and Evansville in 2013-14.

Lynch, 23, appeared in 168 games over four years at Michigan totaling 72 points (35g, 37a). The Grosse Pointe, Michigan native was a second-round selection, 56th overall, of Columbus in 2009.

With Cedric Paquette on Tampa Bay's roster, the centermen on Syracuse's roster are Mike Angelidis, Cody Kunyk, Tanner Richard and Lynch.

WEEK IN REVIEW

Game 10: Norfolk battles back for 4-3 OT win at Syracuse

Norfolk came from behind to defeat Syracuse, 4-3 in overtime, Friday at the War Memorial. Syracuse gave up leads of 2-0 and 3-2 in the loss, and served 44 penalty minutes, the most in one game for the Crunch since 58 against Springfield Oct. 11. Andrei Vasilevskiy had 29 saves in the overtime loss.

Mike Angelidis provided his first multi-point game of the season (1g, 1a), his first since April 12 against Toronto, a 6-3 Crunch victory. The captain has seven multi-point games in his Syracuse career.

With a goal, an assist and a fight against Mat Clark, Angelidis completed a Gordie Howe hat trick, the fifth in the AHL this season. This was Angelidis's first Gordie Howe impression since Nov. 23, 2011, vs. Charlotte, when he played for Norfolk. Cedric Paquette recorded the most recent Gordie Howe hat trick for the Crunch, Dec. 10, 2013, vs. St. John's.

Game 11: Crunch rally for 5-4 win in rematch with Admirals

Syracuse erased a three-goal third-period deficit and stormed back to defeat the Admirals, 5-4, in the second of consecutive meetings with Norfolk at the War Memorial.

At the end of two periods, Syracuse trailed, 4-1, but four goals in 12 minutes turned the tide against the Admirals. Crunch forwards Dalton Smith and Yanni Gourde each had two goals in the third, their first multi-point and multi-goal games of the season. The first pair of goals were separated by 41 seconds, the second pair by 45 seconds later in the frame. Gourde's game winner was his first in 112 career AHL games. Tanner Richard assisted on both Gourde goals, his fifth career multi-point game and first of the year.

Jonathan Marchessault potted the Crunch's first goal on a penalty shot in the first, his first in the AHL on his second career attempt.

Goaltender Kristers Gudlevskis picked up his fifth win of the season with 23 saves.

Game 12: Penguins need overtime to vanquish Crunch, 5-4

Syracuse earned a point in its fourth-straight contest, but lost to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, 5-4 in overtime, Sunday afternoon. The Crunch took leads of 1-0 and 2-1, but fell behind 4-2 in the third. They rallied to force overtime, but dropped to 1-3 in overtime contests.

Five Crunch players provided multi-point efforts: Dalton Smith (2g), Tanner Richard (2g), Dylan Blujus (2a), Yanni Gourde (2a) and Nikita Nesterov (2a). The multi-point game for Blujus is his first as a pro.

Andrei Vasilevskiy made 30 stops, tied for the most saves he's had in a game this season, but surrendered a goal 3:21 into overtime to Jean-Sebastien Dea.

Smith has four goals his last two contests, the best back-to-back-game point stretch he has ever had in his three-year AHL career. He leads Syracuse with six goals.

THE WEEK AHEAD

Crunch at Albany-Wednesday, 7 p.m.

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

Syracuse plays its first weekday game of the season Wednesday against Albany at Times Union Center. The new Northeast Division foes face off eight times this season. The Devils won four of six against Syracuse last season, winning two of three home games vs. the Crunch.

Albany is 6-3-1-2 (15pts) and fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 4-3-0-2 record against Northeast Division opponents. In its most recent outing, Albany lost to Bridgeport, 4-3, the Devils' second shootout loss of the season.

Paul Thompson and Scott Timmins lead the Devils in points with 12 each. Thompson's nine goals are tied for most in the AHL with Rockford's Mark McNeill. Albany made a goalie switch Nov. 4, sending Keith Kincaid to New Jersey for Scott Clemmensen. In two starts since coming to Albany, Clemmensen is 0-1-1, losing his most recent start Sunday against Bridgeport. Scott Wedgewood (2-2-0), the other active goal on Albany's roster, has an .879 save percentage in four starts.

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

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

The Crunch host a former East Division foe, Hershey, for the first team this season Friday at the War Memorial. In eight meetings last season, the Crunch posted a 5-2-0-1 record against the Bears. The teams meet four times in 2014-15.

Hershey is second in the East and seventh in the Eastern Conference at 7-5-1-0. The Bears have lost four of five November contests after a six-win October. Both Hershey and Syracuse played three games last weekend with a Wednesday road game to follow; the Bears visit Lehigh Valley while the Crunch go to Albany.

Kris Newbury leads Hershey and the AHL in points (18). He scored his seventh and eighth goals of the season in a 4-2 win Saturday against Hartford, helping the Bears to a plus-11 goal differential.

Crunch at W-B/Scranton-Saturday, 7:05 p.m.

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

The Crunch visit the Penguins for the second time in a week and for the last time in the regular season. The teams face off in Syracuse Jan. 10 and March 20 to cap the four-game season series. In 2013-14, as division rivals, the Penguins were 7-2-0-1 against the Crunch.

In their meeting last week, Beau Bennett recorded four assists (an AHL individual best this year) in a 5-4 Penguins victory over the Crunch, the team's third consecutive win. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has points is six of the last seven games, paces the East Division at 8-5-1-0 and, by virtue of its division lead, is second in the Eastern Conference. The Pens visit Lehigh Valley Friday before taking on the Crunch Saturday and trekking to Hershey Sunday.

Bryan Rust leads in the AHL in goals among rookies with six. Jean-Sebastien Dea, another rookie, is tied for the Pens scoring lead with Andrew Ebbett with 10 points each. Eric Hartzell is 2-0-0 after his overtime win against Syracuse. Rookie Matt Murray is 4-2-1 with one shutout, a 2.28 goals-against average, 16th in the league.

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