AHL Syracuse Crunch

Iiro Impressive in Preseason

Published on October 10, 2011 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Syracuse Crunch News Release


IIRO IMPRESSIVE IN PRESEASON: Although it was just the preseason, Crunch goaltender Iiro Tarkki was very impressive in his combined 89 minutes of action. During those 89 minutes, he did not allow a single goal and stopped all 35 shots that came his way.

The Finnish-born netminder denied all 10 shots he faced, playing 29 minutes in relief of Timo Pielmeier on Sunday, October 5 against Toronto at the Trisan Centre in Schomberg, Ontario in a 4-1 victory. Tarkki gave Crunch fans their first glimpse of the 6-foot-3 puck stopper two nights later against the same Marlies club, this time playing the entire game and denying all 25 Toronto bids en route to being named the game's first star in a 4-0 shutout win.

A native of Rauma, Finland, the 26-year old Tarkki spent the last four seasons playing in the SM-Liga, Finland's elite league. Last season was arguably his best as a professional, appearing in 55 games while registering a 2.09 goals against average, .924 save percentage and five shutouts for Espoo. In addition, he appeared in 18 playoff contests for Espoo, posting a 2.19 goals against average and .924 save percentage while leading his club to the Finnish Elite League Finals. Tarkki was signed by Anaheim as a free agent on May 6, 2011.

MIRABITO OPENING NIGHT, SATURDAY OCTOBER 15: The Biggest Loser season 11 winner Olivia Ward, and her sister, runner-up Hannah Curlee, will appear at the Crunch's Mirabito Opening Night on Saturday, October 15 vs. Adirondack.

Ward, 35, won the 11th season of NBC's The Biggest Loser after dropping an astounding 129 pounds after starting the season at 261 pounds. A native of Pascagoula, Mississippi, Ward grew up in Houston, Texas and was motivated to go on the show after being diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and being told she would likely never have children if she didn't lose weight. In addition, she is an opera singer and felt like she lost roles to people who looked healthier.

Curlee, 32, was the runner-up on the 11th season of NBC's The Biggest Loser after falling just short to her sister, Olivia. Curlee lost 120 pounds after starting the season at 248 pounds. A native of Houston, Texas, Curlee was raised in Mobile, Alabama and went on the show after becoming tired of her weight controlling her life. Curlee gained weight after becoming depressed when emergency back surgery ended her collegiate sports career at the age of 20.

In addition to Ward and Curlee, the Crunch's very own Mark "Big Sexy" Hayes transformed from "Big Sexy" into "Slim Sexy" this summer, dropping 87 pounds with the help of Aspen Athletic Clubs. The Crunch and Aspen Athletic Clubs will be announcing a special contest later this week in conjunction with Ward and Curlee's guest appearance.

Season and single-game tickets are now on sale and can be purchased by calling the Crunch office at (315) 473-4444, or by stopping by the Crunch office in the War Memorial at Oncenter, located at 800 South State Street in downtown Syracuse. For the latest Crunch information, fans can visit the team's official website (www.syracusecrunch.com), or follow the club on Facebook (www.facebook.com/syracusecrunch) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/syracusecrunch).

UPCOMING GAMES:

BINGHAMTON SENATORS (OTTAWA SENATORS): The Crunch travel south on I-81 to open their 18th season on Friday and face a familiar foe in the defending Calder Cup Champion Binghamton Senators. The meeting will mark the first of eight between the two clubs this season and the Crunch will be looking for redemption after going 2-6-0-0 against the B-Sens in 2010-11. Patrick Maroon, who should be a key figure in the Crunch's offense this season, tied for the Crunch lead in scoring against Binghamton last year, with five points (3g, 2a) in five games. Returning sophomore Nick Bonino picked up five assists in five contests against the Senators, while Nicolas Deschamps tallied four points (3g, 1a) in eight games and Kyle Palmieri notched four points (1g, 3a) in five tilts. For Binghamton, Kaspars Daugavins will look to improve on his nine points (3g, 6a) in eight games against the Crunch last year and he is off to a good early start with two points (1g, 1a) in his first two games of the 2011-12 campaign. Goaltender and Calder Cup Playoff MVP Robin Lehner, and AHL veteran Mike McKenna are expected to form a solid 1-2 punch in between the pipes for the B-Sens.

ADIRONDACK PHANTOMS (PHILADELPHIA FLYERS): The Syracuse Crunch open up their home 2011-12 schedule on Mirabito Opening Night, Saturday, October 15 vs. the Adirondack Phantoms. The Crunch will look to break the Phantom curse from last season, as they picked up just one win in eight games against Adirondack in 2010-11. The Phantoms are 1-0-0-0 on the young season, notching a 6-3 win against the Connecticut Whale on Saturday, October 8 at the Glens Falls Civic Center on the strength of three points (1g, 2a) from veteran Denis Hamel and two points each from Mike Testwuide (1g, 1a), Oskars Bartulis (1g, 1a), rookie Brayden Schenn (0g, 2a) and Garrett Roe (0g, 2a). Former Crunch forwards Stefan Legein and Tom Sestito are on Adirondack's active roster, as is returning All-Star defenseman Erik Gustafsson and goaltender Michael Leighton. For the Crunch, Kyle Palmieri was a bright spot in games against the Phantoms last season, leading the club in scoring with seven points (3g, 4a) in seven games.

UPCOMING PROMOTIONS:

FIRST 1,500 FANS AT OCTOBER 15 HOME OPENER TO RECEIVE A MIRABITO HEADBAND: The Syracuse Crunch announced today that the first 1,500 fans at their home opener vs. Adirondack on Saturday, October 15 will receive a headband, courtesy of Mirabito. The elastic headbands are black and feature a white Crunch logo on the front and a Mirabito logo on the back.

CRUNCHABLES: Dan Sexton led the Crunch in scoring during the preseason with four points (1g, 3a) in two games.The Crunch finished off the 2010-11 season with a 15-5-0-0 record in their final 20 games.The Crunch are entering the second year of their affiliation with the Anaheim Ducks.Brad Lauer and Marty Wilford were hired as new Crunch assistant coaches during the offseason.

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American Hockey League Stories from October 10, 2011


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