Syracuse Crunch Defeat Belleville Senators, 5-3
AHL Syracuse Crunch

Syracuse Crunch Defeat Belleville Senators, 5-3

Published on October 19, 2025 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Syracuse Crunch News Release


Syracuse Crunch left wing Nick Abruzzese in front of the Belleville Senators net
Syracuse Crunch left wing Nick Abruzzese in front of the Belleville Senators net
(Syracuse Crunch, Credit: Jana Chytilova)

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The Syracuse Crunch defeated the Belleville Senators, 5-3, this afternoon at the CAA Arena.

The Crunch improve to 4-0-0-0 to start the season for the third time in franchise history. The two previous instances occurred in the 1995-96 and 1996-97 seasons.

Boris Katchouk led the Crunch in scoring with one goal and an assist while Wojciech Stachowiak added two helpers. Seven other Syracuse skaters registered a point this afternoon.

Ryan Fanti backstopped the Crunch to the win turning aside 21-of-24 shots faced. Leevi Meriläinen stopped 35-of-40 shots in net for the Senators.

The Crunch were first on the board nearly 13 minutes into the game. Nick Abruzzese stole the puck and sent a drop pass back to Dominic James in the slot where he fired it home. Wyatt Bongiovanni knotted the score at the 2:20 mark of the opening frame with a shot from the right circle.

Tristan Allard notched the second Syracuse goal of the afternoon 12:16 into the second period. He dished the puck beneath the goal line where Gabriel Szturc picked it up. Szturc sent it back to Allard in front of the crease where he ripped a one-timer past Meriläinen. With just over three minutes left in the frame, Lucas Mercuri potted a shorthanded goal to give the Crunch a 3-1 lead. Brendan Furry poked the puck loose along the left boards for Mercuri to drag to the middle and slide under the pads of Meriläinen.

The Senators found the back of the net to make it 3-2 at the 6:54 mark of the final frame when Cameron Crotty snapped in a wrister from between the hashes. Dylan Duke regained the two-goal lead for the Crunch just two minutes later. Wojciech Stachowiak picked up the rebound from his initial shot and dished the puck across the crease to the far post for Duke to tap in. Boris Katchouk extended the Crunch lead, 5-2, with 5:31 remaining in the third period. Stachowiak passed the puck forward to Katchouk who scored off his backhand on a breakaway. With just over a minute left, Lassi Thomson potted the puck with a snapshot from the top of the slot, but Belleville's comeback efforts ultimately fell short.

The Crunch are back in action on Wednesday as they travel to Rochester to face off against the Americans.

Ticket packages for the 2025-26 season are on sale now and can be purchased in person at the Crunch office located inside the Upstate Medical University Arena at Onondaga County War Memorial at 800 S. State St. in Syracuse, by calling the office at 315-473-4444 or online through Ticketmaster. For the latest Crunch news, visit www.syracusecrunch.com or follow the club on Facebook (www.facebook.com/syracusecrunch), X (@SyracuseCrunch) and Instagram (@syracusecrunch).

Crunchables: Dominic James has a four-game scoring streak (3g, 2a)...Lucas Mercuri scored his first pro goal.

Check out the Syracuse Crunch Statistics

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Images from this story

Syracuse Crunch left wing Nick Abruzzese in front of the Belleville Senators net
Syracuse Crunch left wing Nick Abruzzese in front of the Belleville Senators net
(Jana Chytilova)		   



American Hockey League Stories from October 19, 2025


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