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AHL Syracuse Crunch

J.P. Feeling Stingy

November 15, 2010 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Syracuse Crunch News Release


Crunch goaltender J.P. Levasseur has played very well while flying a bit under the radar this season. He started both games for the Crunch this past week, going 1-1-0 with a 1.50 goals against average and .952 save percentage. Levasseur was outstanding on Friday night in Albany, stopping all 23 shots he faced while picking up the win in a 3-0 Crunch victory. The shutout was his first of the season first and as a member of the Crunch.

Levasseur was good again on Saturday night vs. Hershey, but turned out to be the hard-luck loser after making 37 saves on 40 shots in a 3-0 loss to the Bears. Levasseur has now appeared in four straight games for the Crunch, starting three of them. Over that span, he has gone 2-1-0 with a 2.09 goals against average and .941 save percentage. Levasseur has appeared in seven total games for the Crunch this season, going 2-3-1 with a 2.31 goals against average and .932 save percentage. A native of Victoriaville, Quebec, Levasseur was selected by Anaheim in the seventh round, 197th overall, in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

NEWCOMER CONTRIBUTIONS: When rookie forwards Nick Bonino and Kyle Palmieri were recalled within three days of each other on October 31 and November 2, they were co-leading the Crunch in scoring. While other players have stepped up in their absence, the Crunch got a huge offensive boost with the additions of Matt Beleskey and Dan Sexton, who were assigned to Syracuse by Anaheim on November 10. They both made an immediate impact in their Crunch debuts Friday night at Albany in a 3-0 win over the Devils. Sexton was named the game's first star after setting up the Crunch's first two goals on the power play, then capping the game with a goal of his own at the 7:46 mark of the third period.

The first goal he set up was to Beleskey, whose first attempt was blocked, but he found the puck and fired a hard wrister from the slot past Jeff Frazee to put the Crunch up 1-0 with five seconds remaining in the first period. Sexton then set up Nicolas Deschamps' seventh goal of the season with a perfect pass from the half-wall that was one-timed past Frazee to make it 2-0 just over a minute into the second stanza. Beleskey then returned the favor to Sexton, flipping a pass up along the right wing boards that Sexton fired while on edge and knuckled past the right shoulder of Frazee. The line of Beleskey and Sexton centered by Trevor Smith combined for seven points in Saturday's win.

UPCOMING GAMES:

BINGHAMTON SENATORS (OTTAWA SENATORS): The Crunch take on Binghamton on Wednesday, November 17 in the third of eight meetings between the I-81 rivals this season. Each club is 1-0-0-0 in the season series and won their respective home game. Binghamton won the most recent meeting by a 5-0 score on Sunday, November 7 at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena. Nicolas Deschamps and Brandon McMillan have the only two goals for the Crunch vs. Binghamton this year. The Senators are led by rookie Bobby Butler, who has four goals against the Crunch this season, including a hat trick in the last game. Corey Locke, who leads the AHL in scoring with 23 points (6g, 17a), has four assists against the Crunch in two games in 2010-11.

ALBANY DEVILS (NEW JERSEY DEVILS): The Crunch welcome in Albany to The Oncenter War Memorial Arena on Friday, November 19 for the third game of the season between these two clubs. The Crunch have posted wins in both of the first two contests, a 3-2 win on October 30 and a 3-0 shutout win on November 12 at the Times Union Center. Dan Sexton leads the Crunch in scoring in the season series with three points (1g, 2a), while five of his teammates have posted two points each against the Devils this year. J.P. Levasseur and Timo Pielmeier have combined to go 2-0-0 with a 1.00 goals against average and .962 save percentage vs. Albany. Mattias Tedenby and Vladimir Zharkov hav scored a goal each in the season series for Albany.

SPRINGFIELD FALCONS (COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS): The Crunch finish off their two-game series with the Springfield Falcons when they welcome many familiar faces to The Oncenter War Memorial Arena on Saturday, November 20. There are 13 players on Springfield's current roster that have at one time played for the Crunch, as Syracuse was Columbus' AHL affiliate up until the 2010-11 season. The Crunch earned a point in a 3-2 shootout loss back on November 5 in the first meeting of the season with the Falcons. Rob Bordson and Nicolas Deschamps scored for the Crunch, while Mike Blunden and Matt Calvert notched Springfield's regulation goals and Tomas Kubalik recorded the shootout game-winner.

ROCHESTER AMERICANS (FLORIDA PANTHERS): The Crunch make their first of five trips the Blue Cross Arena for the first of 10 overall contests against I-90 rival Rochester on Sunday, November 21. It seems as though each club has been taking turns dominating the season series each year over the past few seasons. Rochester had that distinction last season, going 9-1-0-0 against the Crunch, with Syracuse going 1-7-2-0. Over the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons combined, however, the Crunch put together an impressive 18-6-0-0 record against the Americans. Third-year pro Michal Repik leads Rochester in scoring with 21 points (4g, 17a) while Jacob Markstrom has seen most of the action in goal, going 6-7-0 with a 3.55 goals against average and .886 save percentage.

UPCOMING PROMOTIONS:

NOVEMBER 17 GAME VS. BINGHAMTON JUST $5 FOR SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN: All school-aged children ranging in age from 5 - 18 will have the opportunity to purchase a ticket for just $5 at the Crunch's November 17 game vs. Binghamton. The discounted tickets 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. This cannot be combined with any other offers.

JON MIRASTY, JAKE NEWTON AND LEIGH SALTERS TO SIGN AUTOGRAPHS AT TULLY'S GOOD TIMES ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22: Jon Mirasty, Jake Newton and Leigh Salters are scheduled to be at Tully's Good Times on Erie Blvd. to sign autographs on Monday, November 22. Mirasty, Newton and Salters will be signing autographs from 5 - 7 p.m. Tully's Good Times is located at 2943 Erie Blvd. For directions, please call 315-449-9339. Players are subject to change.

CRUNCH PLAYERS TO SIGN AUTOGRAPHS AT "HERB" PHILIPSON'S ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23: Brett Festerling, John Kurtz and Brandon McMillan will be at "Herb" Philipson's in the Western Lights Plaza on Tuesday, November 23. Festerling, Kurtz and McMillan will be signing autographs from 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. "Herb" Philipson's is located in the Western Lights Shopping Center at 4671 Onondaga Blvd. # 175. For directions, please call (315) 671-2200. Players are subject to change.

PRACTICE SCHEDULE: The Crunch's weekly schedule is as follows:

Tuesday, November 16 10:30 a.m. Practice at The Oncenter War Memorial Arena

Wednesday, November 17 10:00 a.m. Skate at The Oncenter War Memorial Arena

Game vs. Binghamton 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, November 18 10:30 a.m. Practice @ The Oncenter War Memorial Arena

Friday, November 19 10:00 a.m. Skate @ War Memorial at Oncenter

Game vs. Albany 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, November 20 10:00 a.m. Skate @ The Oncenter War Memorial Arena

Game vs. Springfield 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, November 21 Game @ Rochester 5:05 p.m.

CRUNCHABLES: The Crunch boast the best home penalty kill in the AHL (93.5%). Hershey's power play goal Saturday was only the second man-advantage marker the Crunch have given up at home this season.Saturday's game marked the first regulation loss for the Crunch at home this season.The Crunch have been shut out in two of their last three games and scored three goals over that span.Tonight marked the fourth time the Crunch have given up at least 40 shots in a game this season.

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