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AHL Syracuse Crunch

Syracuse Crunch Weekly

December 17, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Syracuse Crunch News Release


LAST WEEK

Wed., Dec. 10 - Crunch at Springfield - W, 2-0

Fri., Dec. 12 - Crunch vs. Hershey - W, 4-1

Sat., Dec. 13 - Crunch at Utica - W, 2-1 (OT)

THIS WEEK

Wed., Dec. 17 - Crunch at Rochester - 7:05 p.m.

Fri., Dec. 19 - Crunch at Hartford - 7 p.m.

Sat., Dec. 20 - Crunch vs. Albany - 7 p.m.

NEED TO KNOW

- Syracuse is two points shy of first place thanks to six-consecutive wins, the team's longest run since the 2013 postseason.

- Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy made his NHL debut Tuesday, making 23 saves in a 3-1 Bolts win at Philadelphia.

- Vasilevskiy was named CCM/AHL Player of the Week Monday going 2-0 with a shutout and .982 save percentage.

Transactions

12/16/2014 Allen York (G) - ADD Recalled from loan to Florida (ECHL)

12/16/2014 Andrei Vasilevskiy (G) - DEL Recalled from loan by Tampa Bay (NHL)

12/16/2014 Kevin Lynch (C) - DEL Released from PTO

12/16/2014 Kevin Lynch (C) - ADD Signed to SPC

12/16/2014 Kevin Lynch (C) - DEL Loaned to Florida (ECHL)

Epic week for Vasilevskiy

Andrei Vasilevskiy has five consecutive wins: four for the Crunch and one for the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 20-year-old netminder made his NHL debut Tuesday for the Bolts, making 23 saves in a 3-1 victory in Philadelphia. He is the 30th player to appear for Syracuse and Tampa Bay since the teams began an affiliation in 2012.

Vasilevskiy earned the promotion after being recognized as CCM/AHL Player of the Week Monday, having allowed one goal on 56 shots in two Week 10 games, both wins, for a 0.50 goals-against average and .982 save percentage. He posted his second-consecutive shutout Dec. 10 in Springfield, making 26 saves, before holding the Hershey Bears to one goal with 29 saves Friday.

Vasilevskiy has won his last four Crunch games, allowing only two goals in that span. With two wins in Week 10, he's 8-3-3 with a 2.34 goals-against average, 16th in the AHL and sixth among rookie goalies.

WEEK IN REVIEW

Game 24: Vasilevskiy sizzles as Syracuse stops Springfield

Andrei Vasilevskiy recorded his second consecutive shutout, 2-0, over Springfield Wednesday at MassMutual Center. The rookie stopped 26 shots and extended his streak to 143:16 without allowing a goal. The Crunch ran their win streak to four while snapping the Falcon's 11-game win streak, the longest in Springfield AHL history.

Nikita Nesterov scored the opening goal for Syracuse, a slap shot from the left circle. Mike Angelidisand Vladislav Namestnikov assisted on the game's first marker.

Namestnikov has six points in his first three games back with Syracuse, Angelidis tallied his 12th point of the season, and Nesterov scored his third goal and 12th point, most among defensemen.

Mike Blunden, who had a game-high five shots, scored an unassisted empty netter in the final minute in his first game since Nov. 12 when suffered an injury in Albany.

Game 25: Fans toss teddy bears, Crunch toss Hershey Bears, 4-1

Syracuse overcame a 1-0 first-period deficit to defeat Hershey, 4-1, Friday at the War Memorial. Mike Angelidis tied the game early in the second, his ninth, prompting the fans to begin the Tired Teddy Toss.

Impressive goaltending from the Bears' Philipp Grubauer (27 saves) and the Crunch's Andrei Vasilevskiy (29 saves) entertained the crowd for the rest of the second and much of the third, along with Matt Corrente fighting Steve Oleksy and Dalton Smith pummeling Liam O'Brien.

On a power play late in the third, Slater Koekkoek set up Dylan Blujus for a left-point blast that was tipped in by Joel Vermin to give Syracuse the lead, 2-1. Insurance goals from Dalton Smith and Henri Ikonen and strong defense ensured Vermin's seventh of the year would be his second game winner.

Ikonen recorded multiple points for the first time in his career, while Namestnikov extended his scoring streak to four games by leading a breakaway and setting up Smith for a goal. Marchessault had a helper, too, after zero points in the previous two games. Mike Blunden collected his second point in as many games since returning from injury, assisting on Angelidis's tally.

Game 26: Angelidis, Gourde pot clutch goals in Syracuse OT win

The Crunch won their sixth consecutive game Saturday, stunning the Utica Comets, 2-1 in overtime, at the Aud. The Crunch take the lead in the season series vs. Utica, 2-1, or four points to three.

After 55 minutes of scoreless hockey, Brandon DeFazio put the Comets in the lead, 1-0. Three minutes later Mike Angelidis scores his 10th of the year, and second game-tying goal in as many nights, to force overtime. Yanni Gourde provided the heroics, set up by quick passing from Tanner Richard, with one minute left in the extra frame during three-on-three action.

Kristers Gudlevskis earned first-star honors with 28 saves on 29 Utica shots. The second-year pro improved to 8-4-0 while shrinking his goals-against average from 3.24 to 3.03 and boosting his save percentage from .892 to .898.

Other players recording points were Henri Ikonen and Mike Blunden on the Angelidis marker, andJoey Mormina on the Richard-to-Gourde winner. Gourde has three game-winning goals, the team lead. Blunden has points in each of three games since returning from injury while playing alongside Ikonen and Angelidis.

Both sides were 0-for 4 on the power play and recorded only eight penalty minutes each. The 16 combined penalty minutes is the smallest total for a Crunch game this season.

THE WEEK AHEAD

Crunch at Rochester- Wednesday, 7:05 p.m.

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

The Crunch and Amerks meet for the third time this season Wednesday at Blue Cross Arena. In the first two matchups, both at the War Memorial Arena, each side recorded a shutout: a 3-0 Amerks victory on Halloween and a 2-0 Crunch win Dec. 6.

The Amerks had lost six consecutive games until a 4-3 overtime win against Hamilton Saturday. Rochester is 13th in the Western Conference and last in the North Division at 10-16-1-0, 21 points, in 27 games. Only two AHL teams have worse records, Charlotte and Iowa.

Phil Varone is among the league's top scorers, tied for 10th at 24 points. He has seven goals and 17 assists. The team's leading goal scorer, Luke Adam, was traded by the Buffalo Sabres to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Jerry D'Amigo Tuesday. D'Amigo, a Binghamton native and former Maple Leafs prospect, has seven points in 28 games with Springfield this year and is expected to make his Amerks debut this week.

Nathan Lieuwen has suffered nine of the Amerks 16 losses, and hasn't earned a win since Oct. 22. Rookie Andrey Makarov, who started both of Rochester's games against Syracuse is 7-7-1 with a 2.79 goals-against average and .915 save percentage.

Wednesday's game is Rochester's second of eight in a row at home. The team is playing 12 of 13 games at home before an eight-game road trip.

Crunch at Hartford- Friday, 7 p.m.

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

Hartford has faced its new division rival Syracuse three times and has two of six possible points. The Wolf Pack topped the Crunch 4-3 in overtime Oct. 12 at the War Memorial, but Syracuse won games Nov. 9 in Hartford, 5-4, and Dec. 5 in Syracuse, 6-5.

Trailing the Crunch by two points and Springfield by four, the Wolf Pack are third in the Northeast Division and fifth in the Eastern Conference. The Pack has points in five straight games (4-0-0-1) eight of 10 (7-2-0-1).

Chris Bourque's 26 points lead the team and rank third in the AHL, and his 12 goals are tied for third in the league. Half of his goals are on the power play. Dylan McIlrath is the team's penalty minutes leader, 49, and his 17 minor infractions are third most among AHL defensemen.

Former Crunch goalie Cedrick Desjardins leads the club in victories at 7-3-1 with one shutout, but rookie Mackenzie Skapski has the superior goals-against average, 2.51, and save percentage, .914. The Crunch have forced both to be pulled in previous meetings this year.

Crunch vs. Albany- Saturday, 7 p.m.

ESPN Radio 97.7 FM & 1200 AM, Syracuse; 100.1 FM & 1440 AM, Oswego | Time Warner Cable Sports Channel (Ch. 19)

The second of eight meetings for the Crunch and Devils is Saturday at the War Memorial. The prior matchup was decided in a shootout Nov. 12 at Times Union Center, 3-2, the only Crunch shootout of the season. Albany is a league-worst 0-4 in shootouts.

The Devils snapped a three-game skid Sunday with a 4-3 home win against Lehigh Valley in overtime. They are fourth in the Northeast Division and eighth in the conference at 12-9-1-4, 29 points.

Joe Whitney is Albany's leading scorer at 22 points (10g, 12a), while Paul Thompson ranks second, 20 points, and holds the team lead in goals (11) and plus-minus (+10). Tim Sestito and Scott Timmins have the lone Albany goals against Syracuse this year.

Albany's top goalie, Keith Kinkaid (7-2-3), was recalled to New Jersey Dec. 9, leaving Albany with Scott Clemmensen (1-3-1) and Scott Wedgewood (4-4-1). Wedgewood, who has a 3.34 goals-against average, took the overtime loss when the Devils hosted the Crunch.

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