Syracuse Crunch Weekly - Vol. 31, No. 2

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AHL Syracuse Crunch

Syracuse Crunch Weekly - Vol. 31, No. 2

October 22, 2024 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Syracuse Crunch News Release


CRUNCH NAVIGATE WEEKEND IN CANADA

The Crunch went north to Canada for a three-in-three weekend in Week 2, earning one win.

Syracuse started its trip with back-to-back games at Place Bell in Laval Friday and Saturday. The Rocket scored three goals in the third period to win their home opener, 5-2, over the Crunch on Friday. The next afternoon saw the Rocket prevail in a 1-0 goaltending duel between Brandon Halverson and Connor Hughes. The Crunch salvaged the weekend Sunday in Belleville with a four-goal third period en route to a 5-2 win over the Senators.

The Crunch's win Sunday kept the team above 0.500 through the first two weeks of the season. At 3-2-0-0, the Crunch are in third place in the North Division.

TOP PERFORMERS

Derrick Pouliot powered the Crunch to their win Sunday in Belleville. The veteran defenseman scored twice and added an assist for a three-point game in their 5-2 win. He gave the Crunch their first lead of the weekend with a 4-on-4 goal 1:14 into the third period and then tallied an insurance goal on the power play to make it 4-2 later in the third. It marked his fourth career two-goal game in the AHL.

Pouliot's three-point day gives him four points (2g, 2a), which is tied for the team lead. Last year with Texas, the former first round pick (2012) finished with a career-high 46 points (9g, 37a), which tied for fourth in the AHL among defensemen. The 30-year-old signed as a free agent with Tampa Bay on July 1.

***

Dylan Duke had the best game of his young career Sunday in Belleville. The rookie notched three points (1g, 2a) for his first career multi-point game. All three points came in the third period to help the Crunch knock off the Senators, 5-2. Duke earned the primary assists on the first two goals of the third period as the Crunch opened a 3-1 lead. He then iced the game with a shorthanded, empty-net goal.

The University of Michigan product is tied with Derrick Pouliot for the team lead with four points (2g, 2a). Duke was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the fourth round (#126) of the 2021 NHL Draft. He joined the Crunch at the tail end of last season and snagged two points in five Calder Cup Playoffs games.

***

Gabriel Szturc picked up his first two AHL points - a pair of assists - Sunday at Belleville. The rookie logged a helper on the Crunch's go-ahead goal early in the third period and then won a faceoff which led to their empty-net tally late in the game.

Szturc signed as an undrafted free agent with the Lightning in March. He made his AHL debut last season in the Calder Cup Playoffs.

UPCOMING WEEK

Friday, Oct. 25 vs. W-B/Scranton | 7 p.m.

The Crunch return for their second home contest of the season Friday against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. It's the opening game of a home-and-home between the clubs, who will rematch the next day in Pennsylvania. The teams split their four matches last season and both teams grabbed one win on the road. Syracuse is 8-2-0-0 in the last 10 home games against the Penguins.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is off to a 3-1-0-0 start this season, including a 2-0-0-0 mark on the road. The Penguins have won three straight after losing their season opener; they swept a home-and-home series with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms last week.

It's the Crunch's Pink in the Rink presented by Upstate Cancer Center.

Saturday, Oct. 26 at W-B/Scranton | 6:05 p.m.

The Crunch and Penguins take their two-game set to the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre Saturday night.

The game marks the return of Crunch assistant coach J.D. Forrest to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for the first time. Forrest was hired by the Crunch this summer after serving as head coach of the Penguins for four seasons from 2020 to 2024. He was an assistant for the Penguins the four years prior to that (2016-20).

Forrest compiled a 113-102-24-13 during his tenure as head coach and the Penguins qualified for the playoffs in two of the three seasons that playoffs were held.

Week 2 Results

Friday, Oct. 18 | Game 3 at Laval | L, 5-2

Syracuse 0 2 0 - 2 Shots: 11-7-9-27 PP: 0/3

Laval 1 1 3 - 5 Shots: 10-9-11-30 PP: 2/5

2nd Period-Svejkovsky 1 (Smith, Gill), 2:59. Dureau 1 (Ylonen), 15:59.. .. Tomkins 1-1-0 (30 shots-25 saves) A-10,243

Saturday, Oct. 19 | Game 4 at Laval | L, 1-0

Syracuse 0 0 0 - 0 Shots: 5-9-9-23 PP: 0/5

Laval 1 0 0 - 1 Shots: 5-10-5-20 PP: 0/5

Halverson 1-1-0 (20 shots-19 saves) A-9,875

Sunday, Oct. 20 | Game 5 at Belleville | W, 5-2

Syracuse 0 0 0 - 0 Shots: 5-9-9-23 PP: 0/5

Laval 1 0 0 - 1 Shots: 5-10-5-20 PP: 0/5

2nd Period-Teasdale 2 (Huuhtanen, Pouliot), 9:29 (PP). 3rd Period-Pouliot 1 (Duke, Szturc), 1:14. Edmonds 1 (Duke, Smith), 11:50 (PP). Pouliot 2 (Santini), 17:13 (PP). Duke 2 (Szturc), 19:34 (EN, SH).. .. Tomkins 2-1-0 (32 shots-30 saves) A-1,665

Category Average/Total AHL Rank (Prev)

Power Play 13.0% (3-for-23) T-19th (T-24th)

Penalty Kill 86.4% (19-for-22) T-11th (T-1st)

Goals For 2.80 GFA (14) 16th (12th)

Goals Against 1.80 GAA (9) 6th (1st)

Shots For 25.60 SF/G (128) 25th (21st)

Shots Against 27.80 SA/G (139) 13th (N/A)

Penalty Minutes 21.00 PIM/G (105) 4th (8th)

Category Leader

Points 4 Duke|Pouliot

Goals 2 Duke|Gill|Pouliot|Teasdale

Assists 3 Smith|Ylonen

PIM 24 Kessy

Plus/Minus +3 Duke|Dureau|Groshev

Wins 2 Tomkins

GAA 0.51 Halverson

Save % .978 Halverson

North Division GP W L OTL SOL PTS PCT GF GA PIM HOME ROAD LAST 10 STREAK S/O

1. Toronto 5 5 0 0 0 10 1.000 19 8 40 4-0-0-0 1-0-0-0 5-0-0-0 5-0-0-0 0-0

2. Laval 4 3 1 0 0 6 0.750 12 7 51 2-0-0-0 1-1-0-0 3-1-0-0 2-0-0-0 0-0

3. Syracuse 5 3 2 0 0 6 0.600 14 9 105 1-0-0-0 2-2-0-0 3-2-0-0 1-0-0-0 1-0

4. Belleville 4 2 1 0 1 5 0.625 11 13 91 1-1-0-0 1-0-0-1 2-1-0-1 0-1-0-0 0-1

5. Cleveland 4 2 2 0 0 4 0.500 15 17 60 0-0-0-0 2-2-0-0 2-2-0-0 1-0-0-0 0-0

6. Rochester 4 1 3 0 0 2 0.250 10 11 43 0-2-0-0 1-1-0-0 1-3-0-0 0-2-0-0 0-0

7. Utica 4 0 4 0 0 0 0.000 5 18 67 0-2-0-0 0-2-0-0 0-4-0-0 0-4-0-0 0-0

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