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AHL Syracuse Crunch

There'll Be No Sister Kissing In the AHL This Season

by Ed Gonser
October 29, 2004 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Syracuse Crunch


Syracuse--The shootout is here in the American Hockey League and getting plenty of use by the Syracuse Crunch.

Syracuse was the first team along with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to test the shootout in the first preseason game of the season since then Syracuse might want to rename it the Crunch rule.

Eric Perrin puts the game-winner over Pascal Leclaire's right shoulder and into the top left corner in a shootout to lift the Hershey Bears to its first win of the season 1-0 over the Syracuse Crunch For the third time in only its sixth game this season Syracuse had to go into a shootout to determine the game's winner but for the first time it wasn't Syracuse getting the extra point in the standings.

Eric Perrin wiped the sister-kiss from the game's face and scored the game-winning goal to lift the Hershey Bears to a 1-0 win over the Syracuse Crunch Friday at the Onondaga County War Memorial at Oncenter.

Hershey goalie Peter Budaj and Syracuse goalie Pascal Leclaire each recorded a shutout after 65 minutes of scoreless action including a five minute overtime.

Syracuse forward Brandon Sugden misfires on an open net in that could have won the game for Syracuse in the third period It was the second shutout of the season for Leclaire and the first for Budaj.

Budaj was the busier of the two netminders turning aside 35 Syracuse shots including 15 in the third period and four in overtime. Leclaire stopped 21 Hershey shots.

In the shootout Syracuse (3-2-0-1) went ahead on a goal by Joe Motzko after Hershey's Mathieu Darche was unsuccessful on Leclaire.

Pascal Leclaire makes a stop late in the third to keep the game scoreless between the Syracuse Crunch and the Hershey Bears The former Crunch star now toils for the Bears along with 2003 season captain Darrel Scoville.

Budaj did not allow another Crunch shooter to score while Marek Svatos and Perrin followed Darche with goals. Hershey (1-3-1-0) won the shootout 2-1.

It was the first win of the season for the Bears.

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American Hockey League Stories from October 29, 2004


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