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AHL Syracuse Crunch

Syracuse Crunch Weekly

December 10, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Syracuse Crunch News Release


LAST WEEK

Fri., Dec. 5 - Crunch vs. Hartford - W, 6-5

Sat., Dec. 6 - Crunch vs. Rochester - W, 2-0

THIS WEEK

Wed., Dec. 10 - Crunch at Springfield - 7 p.m.

Fri., Dec. 12 - Crunch vs. Hershey - 7 p.m.

Sat., Dec. 13 - Crunch at Utica - 7 p.m.

NEED TO KNOW

- Syracuse has three straight wins, improving to 13-7-3-0, 29 points, second in the division and fourth in the conference.

- Reassigned to Syracuse by Tampa Bay in Week 9, Vladislav Namestnikov collected five points in two games.

- With a personal-best 34 saves Saturday, Andrei Vasilevskiy notched his first and the team's first shutout this year.

Namestnikov returns with a bang

Third-year center Vladislav Namestnikov was reassigned to the Syracuse Crunch by the Tampa Bay Lightning Dec. 3 and played his first two Crunch games of the season Friday and Saturday. In Friday's 6-5 win over Hartford he provided a power-play goal in the game's first minute and two assists later, featuring a helper on Mike Angelidis's game winner. Saturday vs. Rochester, he factored on both scores in a 2-0 Crunch win: the primary assist on Jerome Samson's tip-shot goal and a late empty-net marker to ensure victory. He's plus-3 with nine shots.

Five points in two games is Namestnikov's second-best, two-game effort as a pro; he collected six points Oct. 30-Nov. 1, 2013, vs. Albany (3a) and Rochester (1g, 2a). Five times has he recorded consecutive multi-point games.

Namestnikov's AHL production stands at 74 points (28g, 46a) in 102 regular season games. He has 19 AHL multi-point games- four of which are three-point performances- plus one in the postseason. He has yet to record a hat trick as a pro, but recorded one during his 131-game OHL career with the London Knights, Feb. 19, 2011.

Namestnikov has seven points in 24 games for Tampa Bay this year, including his first NHL goal Oct. 13 vs. Montreal. He played four games for the Lightning last season with zero points.

Vasilevskiy records first shutout

Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped all 34 Rochester shots for his first AHL shutout in Syracuse's 2-0 win Saturday. He eclipsed 30 saves for the first time and improved to 6-3-3 in 12 starts.

In 36 career KHL games he notched four shutouts while averaging 23 saves per game with a .923 save percentage and 2.21 goals-against average.

His AHL goals-against average has sunk from 3.06 to 2.64 in the last week as a result of allowing one goal in his last two starts. He has won five of his last six games and the Crunch have recorded points in seven of his last eight decisions, and nine of his 12 games this year.

WEEK IN REVIEW

Game 22: Hot start helps Syracuse handle Hartford, 6-5

Vladislav Namestnikov set the tone early in his Crunch season debut with a power-play goal 59 seconds into the game, and finished with three points. Syracuse followed with four more first-period goals and survived a Hartford comeback for a 6-5 win over the Wolf Pack Friday at the War Memorial.

Hartford closed the gap to 5-4, but Mike Angelidis stopped the bleeding and provided the eventual game winner, his second goal of the game and eighth of the year, to put the Crunch up, 6-4.

Six Crunch players had multiple points Friday: Namestnikov (1g, 2a), Angelidis (2g), Jonathan Marchessault (2a), Nikita Nesterov (2a), Tanner Richard (2a) and Yanni Gourde (1g, 1a).

Each side scored three power-play goals, the most scored and allowed by Syracuse this year. Eleven combined goals is the most for Syracuse since Apr. 5 vs. Utica, a 6-5 overtime win. Kristers Gudlevskis won his seventh game, stopping 30 of 35 shots. Cedrick Desjardins took the loss in relief, allowing the last three Crunch goals.

Five goals in a period are the most by Syracuse since Oct. 28, 2013, a 6-0 win against Bridgeport when five goals were scored in the second frame.

Game 23: Vasilevskiy stifles Amerks, Crunch win, 2-0

The Syracuse Crunch beat the Rochester Americans, 2-0, Saturday at the War Memorial as Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 34 shots in his first career shutout, and sixth win of the season. It was also the Crunch's first time holding an opponent scoreless this season.

Jerome Samson scored the game's first goal, his first of the season, late in the first period by redirecting a Vladislav Namestnikov shot; Cody Kunyk had the secondary assist. Namestnikov added an empty-net insurance marker late in the third period with Luke Witkowski earning an assist. Mike Angelidis and Philippe Paradis left the game early due to injury and Jake Dotchin missed the game after leaving the ice Friday after blocking a shot.

The last time Syracuse shut out an opponent was Mar. 23, against the Adirondack Phantoms, 3-0. The last time the Crunch blanked an opponent at the War Memorial was Feb. 28 vs. W-B/Scranton, 4-0.

THE WEEK AHEAD

Crunch at Springfield- Wednesday, 7 p.m.

ESPN Radio 97.7 FM & 1200 AM, Syracuse; 100.1 FM & 1440 AM, Oswego

The Crunch look to snap the Falcons' historic win streak when they travel to Springfield on Wednesday night. Springfield has won 11 straight games, a franchise record. The streak has catapulted the Falcons into first place in the Northeast Division and Eastern Conference, six points over the Crunch. The division rivals have already skated against each other three times this season; Springfield has won two of the three matchups.

Defenseman Austin Madaisky leads the Falcons in points with 22 (8g, 14a). He was a fifth-round pick of the Blue Jackets in 2010 and has spent parts of the last three years in Springfield. Forward Ryan Craig is tied for second in the AHL with five power-play goals. Goalie Anton Forsberg owns the league's most wins (11), and is tied for second in GAA (1.76) and save percentage (.937). The Falcons lead the AHL in first period goals (31) and have won a league-high 12 games when leading after one period.

Crunch vs. Hershey- Friday, 7 p.m.

ESPN Radio 97.7 FM & 1200 AM, Syracuse; 100.1 FM & 1440 AM, Oswego

On Tired Teddy Toss night the Crunch look to once again tame the Hershey Bears. The former East Division foes are meeting for the third of four times, the second and final matchup at the War Memorial Arena this regular season.

Hershey (13-9-1-1, 28pts) ranks second in the East Division and sixth in the Eastern conference. After winning six of eight October games, the Bears cooled off in November, posting a 5-6-1-1 mark that included two losses to Syracuse. On Nov. 14, the Crunch topped the Bears 5-1 utilizing five goals from five different players. On Nov. 29, Cody Kunyk's two-goal performance propelled the Crunch to a 4-1 win in Hershey.

Center Kris Newbury leads the Bears with 21 points (10g, 11a) and ranks 14th in AHL scoring. Newbury led the AHL in scoring when he netted Hershey's lone tally against the Crunch on Nov. 14, but he has not recorded a point since Nov. 19 (five games). The 12-year veteran spent the majority of the 2013-14 campaign with Adirondack (46 games), before concluding the year in Hershey (17 games). The Brampton, Ontario native has played for five different organizations, while appearing in 76 NHL games (4g, 6a).

Crunch at Utica- Saturday, 7 p.m.

ESPN Radio 97.7 FM & 1200 AM, Syracuse; 100.1 FM & 1440 AM, Oswego

Syracuse takes on I-90 rival Utica for the third time this season Saturday at Utica Memorial Auditorium. The Crunch took the first matchup, 2-1, in the record-setting Toyota Frozen Dome Classic on Nov. 22, and the Comets took the second meeting just four days later, 5-4, despite a third-period Syracuse comeback effort.

At 16-5-3-0, Utica sits in first place in the Western Conference with 35 points, tied with Springfield and Rockford for the highest point total in the AHL. The Comets won two overtime games in the Lone Star State last week, topping the Texas Stars, 4-3, and the San Antonio Rampage, 5-4. They host Rochester Wednesday and Toronto Friday before welcoming Syracuse Saturday.

Center Cal O'Reilly leads the Comets in points with 23 (3g, 20a). O'Reilly, an eighth-year AHL veteran, is tied for first in the league in assists. Brandon DeFazio leads the team in goals with eight. Goalies Jacob Markstrom and Joacim Eriksson have combined for all sixteen Utica wins on the season. Markstrom, who has spent parts of the last five seasons in the NHL, is third in the AHL in GAA (1.77) and save percentage (.937). He also leads the league with four shutouts.

Team Schedule

Wednesday, Dec. 10

7 p.m. Game at Springfield

Thursday, Dec. 11

TBD

Friday, Dec. 12

9:30 a.m. Morning skate War Memorial Arena, Syracuse, N.Y.

7 p.m. Game vs. Hershey War Memorial Arena, Syracuse, N.Y.

Saturday, Dec. 13

10 a.m. Morning skate War Memorial Arena, Syracuse, N.Y.

7 p.m. Game at Utica Utica Memorial Auditorium, Utica, N.Y.

Sunday, Dec. 14

Off

Monday, Dec. 15

11 a.m. Practice War Memorial Arena, Syracuse, N.Y.

Tuesday, Dec. 16

11 a.m. Practice War Memorial Arena, Syracuse, N.Y.

*Subject to change.

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