Syracuse Crunch Weekly
February 21, 2023 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Syracuse Crunch News Release
CRUNCH CAP OFF WEEK WITH TWO WINS
The Crunch rebounded from a mid-week loss to secure back-to-back wins over their two in-state rivals in Week 19.
Syracuse opened the week with a 4-2 loss last Wednesday at Belleville, which ran the Crunch's losing streak to five games (0-4-1-0). They found their scoring touch Saturday in Utica and defeated the Comets, 8-5, to improve to 6-1-1-0 this season in the Galaxy Cup series. The Crunch made it a winning weekend with a 3-2 overtime win over the Rochester Americans Sunday afternoon.
By going 2-1-0-0 last week, the Crunch have moved into second place in the North Division with 53 points and a 23-18-4-3 record.
TOP PERFORMERS
Alex Barré-Boulet gobbled up points in each game last week to lead the team with six points (1g, 5a). After collecting an assist Wednesday, Barré-Boulet added three more Saturday and then netted one goal and one assist in the weekend finale Sunday. He has now notched a point in 11 straight road games, recording 18 points in that span.
Barré-Boulet is now tied for second in the AHL with 61 points (16g, 45a). He has pulled within three points of the league lead by rattling off 17 points (6g, 11a) in the last 10 games since Jan. 28.
***
Rookie forward Lucas Edmonds picked up his first career hat trick in Saturday's win at Utica. His three goal performance garnered him first star honors for the second time in Utica this season (also Feb. 1).
Edmonds now has six goals and 11 points in 29 games this season. He is the second Crunch player with a hat trick this season following Felix Robert's three-goal performance Oct. 22 vs. Rochester.
His is the Crunch's third hat trick in Utica, joining Adam Erne (Dec. 6, 2017) and Taylor Raddysh (May 5, 2021). Prior to Edmonds's performance, the last hat trick by a Crunch rookie was scored by Nikita Kucherov (Oct. 12, 2013).
***
Gage Goncalves shook off a partial scoring slump to produce four points-all assists-in three games last week. The second-year-pro picked up at least one assist in each game, and nabbed a pair in Saturday's win at Utica.
Goncalves is fifth on the Crunch this season with 36 points (9g, 27a). He has already passed his points total from his rookie season (32) in 22 fewer games played.
OVERTIME HERO
Darren Raddysh delivered the overtime game-winning goal to give the Crunch their first win in a game decided in the 3-on-3 overtime. The goal is his third overtime game-winner with the Crunch, and its the eighth of his AHL career, which is tied with T.J. Brennan for the most by a defensemen since 2004-05.
Raddysh is tied for the AHL lead among defensemen with his 13 goals. His 49 points are second on the Crunch and are tied for 10th in the league.
UPCOMING: W-B/SCRANTON|HARTFORD|TORONTO
The Crunch return home looking to snap a five-game home losing streak when they host the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The Penguins have slumped to last place in the Atlantic Division by going 2-6-0-2 in the last 10 games. Syracuse won, 3-2, against the Penguins last month.
Syracuse hosts the Hartford Wolf Pack for the only time this season on Saturday. The Wolf Pack are in seventh in the Atlantic Division with 51 points. The Crunch are 8-0-0-1 in the last nine games versus Hartford, including a 7-3 win four weeks ago.
The Crunch finish their three-in-three weekend Sunday afternoon in Toronto. It's the final game of the season series; the first place Marlies (35-13-2-1) have won three of the first five head-to-head. The Crunch won their last trip to Toronto, 3-1, Dec. 3.
WEEK 19 RESULTS
Wednesday, February 15 | Game 46 at Belleville | L, 4-2
Syracuse 0 2 0 - 2 Shots: 12-13-11-36 PP: 0/3
Belleville 2 1 1 - 4 Shots: 18-7-7-32 PP: 2/8
2nd Period-Walcott 9 (Goncalves, Koepke), 8:39. Myers 6 (Barré-Boulet, Dumont), 18:26 (SH). . . . Lagace 8-9-5 (31 shots-28 saves) A-1,644
Saturday, February 18 | Game 47 at Utica | W, 8-5
Syracuse 2 2 4 - 8 Shots: 11-11-15-37 PP: 3/3
Utica 1 2 2 - 5 Shots: 6-6-7-19 PP: 0/2
1st Period-Ryfors 18 (Raddysh, Balcers), 14:50 (PP). Carrick 7 (Goncalves, Barré-Boulet), 18:51. 2nd Period-Edmonds 4 (Walcott, Raddysh), 9:42. Dumont 13 (Barré-Boulet, Carrick), 19:34. 3rd Period-Ryfors 19 (Raddysh, Day), 6:28. Edmonds 5 (Walcott, Thompson), 9:03. Balcers 2 (Dumont, Barré-Boulet), 11:31 (PP). Edmonds 6 (Carrick, Goncalves), 17:38 (PP). . . . Lagace 9-9-5 (19 shots-14 saves) A-3,917
Sunday, February 19 | Game 48 at Rochester | W, 3-2 (OT)
Syracuse 1 1 0 1 - 3 Shots: 9-5-10-5-29 PP: 1/4
Rochester 0 1 1 0 - 2 Shots: 8-9-12-2-31 PP: 0/3
1st Period-Element 9 (Robert, Goncalves), 15:59 (PP). 2nd Period-Barré-Boulet 16 (Myers, Ryfors), 8:15. Overtime-Raddysh 13 (Barré-Boulet), 3:06. . . . Lagace 10-9-5 (31 shots-29 saves) A-8,352
Category Average/Total AHL Rank (Prev)
Power Play 19.4% (30-for-155) 15th (T-19th)
Penalty Kill 81.0% (158-for-195) 15th (T-16th)
Goals For 3.58 GFA (172) 4th (7th)
Goals Against 3.29 GAA (158) 21st (21st)
Shots For 31.81 SF/G (1527) 5th (6th)
Shots Against 30.27 SA/G (1453) 15th (16th)
Penalty Minutes 16.73 PIM/G (803) 3rd (3rd)
Category Leader
Points 61 Barré-Boulet
Goals 19 Ryfors
Assists 45 Barré-Boulet
PIM 89 Smith
Plus/Minus +21 Carlile|Raddysh
Wins 12 Alnefelt
GAA 2.33 Alnefelt
Save % .923 Alnefelt
North Division GP W L OTL SOL PTS PCT GF GA PIM HOME ROAD LAST 10 STREAK S/O
1. Toronto 51 35 13 2 1 73 0.716 179 156 654 16-7-0-1 19-6-2-0 6-3-1-0 2-0-0-0 3-1
2. Syracuse 48 23 18 4 3 53 0.552 172 158 803 10-8-4-1 13-10-0-2 5-4-1-0 2-0-0-0 2-3
3. Utica 50 23 20 5 2 53 0.530 144 154 592 12-9-2-2 11-11-3-0 2-7-0-1 0-4-0-0 1-2
4. Laval 50 21 20 7 2 51 0.510 182 179 603 12-5-5-2 9-15-2-0 5-2-3-0 1-0-1-0 1-2
5. Rochester 47 23 20 3 1 50 0.532 143 158 484 12-10-2-0 11-10-1-1 3-6-1-0 0-1-1-0 1-1
6. Cleveland 48 22 21 3 2 49 0.510 158 176 599 11-10-2-0 11-11-1-2 7-3-0-0 1-0-0-0 3-2
7. Belleville 50 20 25 4 1 45 0.450 162 190 814 13-12-1-1 7-13-3-0 4-5-1-0 0-1-0-0 4-1
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