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AHL Syracuse Crunch

Syracuse Crunch Weekly

February 25, 2015 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Syracuse Crunch News Release


LAST WEEK

Fri., Feb. 20 - Crunch vs. Albany -W, 3-1

Sat., Feb. 21 - Crunch vs. Binghamton - W, 5-3

Sun., Feb. 22 - Crunch at Rochester - W, 4-3

THIS WEEK

Wed., Feb. 25 - Crunch at Rochester - 7:05 p.m.

Fri., Feb. 27 - Crunch vs. Albany - 7 p.m. (TV)

Sat., Feb. 28 - Crunch vs. Utica - 7 p.m.

NEED TO KNOW

- Three wins in Week 20 propelled Syracuse to the best record in the AHL, 32-13-8-0, for 72 points in 53 games.

- Vladislav Namestnikov is the CCM/AHL Player of the Week with six points (3g, 3a) and plus-5 in three games.

- After facing Rochester and Albany, Syracuse hosts Utica Saturday for the first time since the Frozen Dome Classic.

Crunch hold top spot in AHL

For the second time this season, Syracuse owns the highest point total in the AHL. The Crunch and the Oklahoma City Barons, who won in overtime Tuesday, have 72 points apiece. The Crunch and Barons hold a one-point lead over Manchester and Hershey.

On Feb. 7, Syracuse gained a point with an overtime loss to the Springfield Falcons and moved ahead of the Oklahoma City Barons, 62-61, in the standings. After the Barons defeated Texas the next day, the Crunch were knocked back to second place.

Syracuse has held the Northeast Division lead since a Jan. 24 win against Hartford the top spot in the Eastern Conference since a Jan. 31 win in Hershey. The Crunch have been in the AHL's top five since Dec. 19.

Marchessault return fuels offensive boost

After missing six games due to injury, Jonathan Marchessault returned to the Crunch lineup last weekend and found his groove immediately. He scored early in the second period of his first game back, which would be the eventual game-winner over Albany. The next night, Marchessault assisted on a Joel Vermin goal in the early minutes of the second period, and finished the weekend with three points after an assist on Vladislav Namestnikov's second goal against Rochester.

Despite missing six games, Marchessault still leads the Crunch with 41 points (13g, 28a) and is tied for 17th in the league in points, a slight dip after ranking in the top-10 for most of the season. The three-game point streak he started this weekend is his fourth-longest of the season. His season-long streak was eight games Nov. 1-19

He's also posted two five-game point streaks. The All-Star has at least one point in 30 of his 46 games.

WEEK IN REVIEW

Game 51: Crunch cash in at home with 3-1 win over Devils

Syracuse snapped its five-game winless skid (0-2-3-0) with a 3-1 victory over Albany Friday. Jonathan Marchessault scored the eventual game-winning goal in his return from a six game injury absence.

Yanni Gourde opened the scoring with his team-leading 17th goal 13:03 into the first. Matt Correnteand Carter Ashton added the assists. The point was the first for Corrente since Jan. 24. Marchessault doubled the Crunch lead 1:42 into the second, with helpers from Namestnikov and Vermin. After Albany's Kelly Zajac cut the lead in half 9:16 into the second, Namestnikov put the game away for good 8:35 into the final frame. David Broll and J.P. Cote had the assists; Broll earned his first AHL point in 24 games this season and his first with the Crunch in three appearances.

Kristers Gudlevskis won for the first time in his last five starts, stopping 20 of 21 Albany shots. Scott Wedgewood lost his fourth start in a row, allowing three Syracuse goals on 24 shots. The Crunch and Devils face off again on Feb. 27 at the War Memorial.

Game 52: Ashton's first goal highlights 5-3 Syracuse win

The Syracuse Crunch won at home for the second consecutive night, downing the Binghamton Senators, 5-3, Saturday at the War Memorial Arena. Syracuse has four wins in six games against the Senators. Carter Ashton, who scored his first goal in a Crunch uniform late in the first, was one of three multi-point performers. Mike Angelidis and Yanni Gourde had a goal and two assists each.

After the Senators (22-25-5-1) scored on their first shot of the game defenseman Jake Dotchin tallied his fourth goal of the season, most among Crunch defensemen, from Mike Angelidis and Henri Ikonen. Carter Ashton put the Crunch ahead for good with 14 seconds remaining in the frame.

After Syracuse and Binghamton traded a goal each in the second period, the Crunch added a power-play insurance goal from Mike Angelidis, the captain's 16th marker of the season and fifth on the power play, at 7:53 of the third period for a 4-2 advantage. Gourde and Ashton assisted.

Gudlevskis helped fight off multiple chances in the final minutes from the Senators, and Gourde tallied the final goal, an empty netter with 23 seconds left, to ice the game, 5-3. A scuffle after the goal led to slew of penalties. Angelidis and Joey Mormina were each assessed fighting majors for altercations with Chris Wideman and Buddy Robinson. Angelidis and Wideman each earned game misconducts for a secondary altercation.

Game 53: Syracuse atop AHL after 4-3 win in Rochester

Syracuse took over the AHL's best record Sunday after a 4-3 win in Rochester, the team's third consecutive victory and 32nd of the season in 53 contests (32-13-8-0) for 72 points.

Vladislav Namestnikov provided two goals and one assist, his first three-point game since his Crunch season debut Dec. 5. His 11th goal of the year at 6:14 of the first period, set up by Slater Koekkoek's centering pass, put Syracuse in front, 1-0. Matt Corrente recorded his first multi-point game of the year with an assist on Namestnikov's first goal and scoring the team's second at 17:54 of the first. Yanni Gourde and Joey Mormina garnered assists on Corrente's first goal since Oct. 18, a right-circle wrister.

Dalton Smith fought Justin Kea at 3:30 of the second period before he extended Syracuse's lead to three goals 13 minutes later with his 11th goal of the year. Tanner Richard and Vlad Namestnikov collected the assists.

Syracuse made the lead 4-1 at 18:11 of the second when Jonathan Marchessault fed Namestnikov darting through the right circle. He ripped his 12th of the year inside the right post past Amerks netminder Andrey Makarov.

Rochester crept within one goal after Phil Varone and Jerry D'Amigo third-period goals, but Crunch netminder Allen York, making his third appearance and second start for Syracuse this year, shut the door making 26 stops. His first AHL win in exactly one year is the Crunch's 32nd of the season.

THE WEEK AHEAD

Crunch at Rochester- Wednesday, 7 p.m.

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

The Amerks captured a 5-1 victory Tuesday morning in Cleveland against the Lake Erie Monsters to snap a four-game winless streak. Syracuse dealt the Amerks a regulation loss Sunday at Blue Cross Arena, 4-3. Rochester remains last in the North Division and 13th in the Western Conference at 23-29-4-0.

Phil Varone leads the Amerks with 43 points (14g, 29a) in 51 games this season, including a goal and an assist Tuesday. Johan Larsson has the best points-per-game average on the team with 37 points in 41 games, but was called up by the Sabres Feb. 15, leaving Tim Schaller as the second-leading scorer with 38 points (15g, 23a).

Goalie Matt Hackett, who was reassigned from Buffalo on Dec. 27, has made 10 starts in the new year and has posted a 5-4-1 record. Hackett has played in seven of the last nine games for the Amerks. Andrei Makarov has been the stalwart in goal, winning 14 of 33 starts with a 3.04 goals-against average and two shutouts, one coming against Syracuse on Oct. 31.

Rochester's parent club Buffalo recently dealt prospects in a multi-player trade with Winnipeg, including Amerks winger Joel Armia who had 25 points (10g, 15a) in 33 games for Rochester this season. The Sabres made another call to the farm Sunday, recalling defensemen Jake McCabe and Mark Pysyk to the NHL. To fill the void, the Amerks have signed defenseman Nick Tuzzolino, a Buffalo native with 97 AHL games played, from the ECHL's Elmira Jackals.

Former Crunch winger Evan Rankin has four points in 12 games since joining Rochester, scoring his second goal Tuesday in Cleveland.

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

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

Syracuse welcomes division rival Albany to the War Memorial for the second time in seven days on Friday night. The Crunch defeated the Devils 3-1 last Friday night. Jonathan Marchessault's return to the lineup after a six-game injury absence highlighted the game. Syracuse's leading scorer had the eventual game-winning goal. The Crunch are 5-0 against Devils; the first four meetings were decided by one goal.

Albany comes into Friday's game losers in eight of the last ten games and seven of eight. The Devils' offense has struggled during the skid, failing to score above three goals in any of the ten games. Albany hasn't scored four goals in a game since Jan. 29 against Lehigh Valley, and has scored four goals in a game just four times in the new calendar year (23 games).

The Devils sit in fourth place in the Northeast Division with 55 points. Albany is tied for 11th in the Eastern Conference, seven points back of a playoff spot. The Devils have made the playoffs once in four seasons since relocating from Lowell, Massachusetts.

Paul Thompson (23g, 18a) and Joe Whitney (17g, 24a) lead the Devils in scoring with 41 points apiece. The pair has combined for just one goal this month. Thompson, a five-year AHL veteran in his first season with Albany, is tied for second in the AHL in goals. Whitney, who also boasts five years of AHL experience, has played four games with the New Jersey Devils this season. The Boston College alum scored his first NHL goal Dec. 31 against the Detroit Red Wings.

Scott Wedgewood and Scott Clemmensen share time in the Albany net. Wedgewood has seen the most time in the cage, posting a 2.89 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage in 26 games. Wedgewood took the loss against Syracuse Feb. 20, stopping 21 of 24 Crunch shots. Clemmensen has played 15 games this season, totaling a 2.75 goals-against-average and a .900 save percentage. Clemmensen started the final two games of last weekend for the Devils. The Des Moines, Iowa native earned the win against Utica Saturday, stopping 31 of 32 shots, and took the loss against Springfield Sunday, allowing four goals on 21 shots.

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

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

Syracuse hosts Utica for the first time since the Toyota Frozen Dome Classic Saturday. The Crunch emerged victorious, 2-1, Nov. 22 in front of 30,715 fans watching the first-ever hockey event at the Dome. The game set the record for the largest crowd to watch a hockey game indoors in the United States.

Syracuse has split the two meetings in Utica since, losing 5-4 on Nov. 26 and winning 2-1 in overtime on Dec. 13. Yanni Gourde has scored three times against the Comets this season, including the game winner in the Toyota Frozen Dome Classic and the OT winner Dec. 13.

Utica has eight wins in its last 11 games, including a 5-2 victory Tuesday over Hamilton. The Comets have 70 points on the campaign, first place in the North Division and second in the Western Conference, two points back of first-place Oklahoma City. The Comets missed the playoffs in their inaugural season in Utica last season.

Dustin Jeffrey leads Utica in scoring with 41 points (17g, 24a). The Sarnia, Ontario native has points in five consecutive games (3g, 4a), one off his season high. Jeffrey has spent parts of five seasons in the NHL, totaling 31 points (17g, 14a) in 124 career games with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Dallas Stars. Cal O'Reilly trails close behind Jeffrey with 38 points (5g, 33a). O'Reilly, an All-Star is tied for fourth in the AHL in assists, and has a goal and six assists in 10 games this month. The 28-year-old has 41 points (13g, 28a) in 113 career NHL games with the Nashville Predators and Phoenix Coyotes.

Utica boasts one of the top goaltending tandems in the league. Jacob Markstrom, an All-Star who ranks second in the AHL in goals-against-average (1.95) and third in save percentage (.932) in 26 games, was called up by Vancouver Monday. Joacim Eriksson has played in 27 games in the Comet cage this season, posting a 2.60 goals-against average and .908 save percentage. Eriksson allowed a season-high six goals Feb. 16, and has surrendered 17 goals in his last five starts. Former Crunch netminder Pat Nagle has been signed to a PTO to back up Eriksson while Markstrom is in the NHL.

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