Syracuse Crunch Weekly - Vol. 32, No. 14
AHL Syracuse Crunch

Syracuse Crunch Weekly - Vol. 32, No. 14

Published on January 13, 2026 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Syracuse Crunch News Release


CRUNCH TO REACH HALFWAY POINT

The Syracuse Crunch grabbed a win in the final game of Week 14 to salvage a pair of points.

The Crunch lost their first two games of the week. They dropped a 3-2 home game on Wednesday against the Rochester Americans and then were shut out, 3-0, on the road against the Utica Comets on Friday. The Crunch overcame an early 2-0 deficit against the Laval Rocket on Saturday to score a 3-2 win to close out the week.

Syracuse is 19-13-2-1 this season and has 41 points to sit in second place in the North Division. The team reaches the halfway point of the season tomorrow in Rochester, and they officially begin the second half at home on Friday.

TOP PERFORMER

Mitchell Chaffee fueled the Crunch's comeback in their lone win of Week 14. The forward nabbed three points in the 3-2 victory over the Laval Rocket. With the Crunch down 2-0, Chaffee ripped a shorthanded goal for his ninth tally of the season. He then added primary assists on the final two goals of the game for his fourth career three-point game in the AHL.

Chaffee ranks fifth on the Crunch with 26 points (9g, 17a) in 26 games. He has registered at least one point in nine of the last 11 games since Dec. 13.

STACHOWIAK NAMED TO OLYMPIC ROSTER

Crunch forward Wojciech Stachowiak has been named to the 2026 German Winter Olympic roster. Stachowiak is in his first North American pro season and has 17 points (9g, 8a) in 33 games for the Crunch.

The last active Crunch player to leave mid-season to participate in the Olympic Games was goaltender Kristers Gudlevskis (Latvia) in 2014.

CURTIS DOUGLAS ASSIGNED FOR CONDITIONING

Curtis Douglas has joined the Crunch on a conditioning loan from the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 25-year-old has appeared in 27 games for the Lightning this season, logging two assists and 75 penalty minutes.

The 6-foot-9, 242-pound forward has skated in 261 career AHL games, notching 97 points and 508 penalty minutes. He was claimed off waivers by the Lightning from the Utah Mammoth prior to the season.

UPCOMING WEEK

Wednesday, January 14 at Rochester | 7:05 p.m.

The Crunch look to avenge their loss against the Rochester Americans last week with their midweek rematch at Blue Cross Arena. The teams hit the halfway point of their season series; Rochester has won two straight against the Crunch and are 3-2-0-0 in the series.

The Amerks enter the week one point behind the Crunch in the standings. They are 6-6-2-1 on home ice, including a 2-1-0-0 record versus the Crunch. Amerks leading scorer Zac Jones leads all AHL players with 29 assists. He was recalled to Buffalo on Saturday.

Friday, January 16 vs. Utica | 7 p.m.

The Crunch host the Utica Comets on Friday for the second game in a week between the clubs. The Comets earned a 3-0 win in Utica last Friday to score their second straight head-to-head win versus the Crunch. Syracuse has won five of the first seven games in the season series.

The Comets are 8-5-2-1 since the beginning of December. They are led by rookie Lenni Hämeenaho's 17 points (6g, 11a) over the 16 games in that span.

Saturday, January 17 at Lehigh Valley | 7:05 p.m.

The Crunch travel to face the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at the PPL Center Saturday night. It's the second meeting of the season between the clubs; Syracuse earned a 3-1 win over the Phantoms on Dec. 12.

Since the loss in Syracuse the Phantoms are 7-3-1-0 and are in third place in the Atlantic Division with 42 points (19-12-2-2).

Monday, January 19 vs. Rochester | 1 p.m.

The Crunch hold their annual Monday Matinee and host the Rochester Americans for a 1 p.m. puck drop. It marks the third meeting in 13 days between the clubs.

The Crunch's Martin Luther King Jr. Day matinee win streak was snapped last season versus Utica. The Crunch are 8-1-0-0 in the last nine games on the holiday dating to the 2015-16 season.

WEEK 14 RESULTS

Wednesday, Jan. 7 | Game 33 vs. Rochester | L, 3-2

Rochester 3 0 0 - 3 Shots: 17-6-7-30 PP: 0/1

Syracuse 0 1 1 - 2 Shots: 8-14-10-32 PP: 1/2

2nd Period-Duke 15 (Abruzzese, Chaffee), 19:53. 3rd Period-Pelletier 17 (Newpower), 1:48. Halverson 11-5-2 (30 shots-27 saves) A-3,963

Friday, Jan. 9 | Game 34 at Utica | L, 3-0

Syracuse 0 0 0 - 0 Shots: 3-3-9-15 PP: 0/2

Utica 0 1 2 - 3 Shots: 6-4-5-15 PP: 1/4

Fanti 6-8-1 (14 shots-12 saves) A-2,888

Saturday, Jan. 10 | Game 35 vs. Laval | W, 3-2

Laval 2 0 0 - 2 Shots: 8-5-4-17 PP: 0/5

Syracuse 2 0 1 - 3 Shots: 11-11-6-28 PP: 2/3

1st Period-Chaffee 9 (Unassisted), 7:15 (SH). Gauthier 3 (Chaffee, Duke), 14:39 (PP). 3rd Period-Duke 16 (Chaffee, Pelletier), 2:42. Halverson 12-5-2 (17 shots-15 saves) A-6,190

Category Average/Total AHL Rank (Prev)

Power Play 22.6% (30-for-133) 9th (10th)

Penalty Kill 82.2% (88-for-107) 12th (13th)

Goals For 3.26 GFA (114) 11th (4th)

Goals Against 2.63 GAA (92) 5th (6th)

Shots For 28.60 SF/G (1001) 17th (15th)

Shots Against 24.00 SA/G (840) 1st (1st)

Penalty Minutes 14.37 PIM/G (503) 9th (10th)

Category Leader

Points 37 Pelletier

Goals 17 Pelletier

Assists 24 Abruzzese

PIM 50 Tinordi

Plus/Minus +14 Pelletier|Pietroniro

Wins 12 Halverson

GAA 2.42 Fanti

Save % .901 Fanti

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

1. Laval 35 22 12 0 1 45 0.643 115 92 542 12-4-0-1 10-8-0-0 5-5-0-0 0-1-0-0 2-1

2. Syracuse 35 19 13 2 1 41 0.586 114 92 503 9-4-0-0 10-9-2-1 4-4-1-1 1-0-0-0 0-1

3. Toronto 37 19 15 1 2 41 0.554 115 125 528 10-6-0-2 9-9-1-0 6-3-0-1 0-1-0-0 2-2

4. Rochester 34 18 12 3 1 40 0.588 116 109 401 6-6-2-1 12-6-1-0 5-3-1-1 1-0-0-0 0-1

5. Cleveland 34 17 12 4 1 39 0.574 90 91 414 7-6-3-1 10-6-1-0 6-3-1-0 1-0-0-0 1-1

6. Belleville 38 14 18 6 0 34 0.447 123 141 520 7-11-3-0 7-7-3-0 3-4-3-0 1-0-1-0 2-0

7. Utica 33 10 17 4 2 26 0.394 78 105 406 6-9-1-2 4-8-3-0 5-3-1-1 0-1-0-0 1-2

Check out the Syracuse Crunch Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from January 13, 2026


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