AHL Syracuse Crunch

Three-Goal Third Period Earns Crunch Hard Fought Point

Published on November 6, 2009 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Syracuse Crunch News Release


Rochester, NY - The Syracuse Crunch battled all the way back from a 3-0 deficit in the final 20 minutes to force overtime on Nick Holden's short-handed goal with 14 seconds left in regulation, but fell to the first-place Rochester Americans in overtime tonight, 4-3 in front of 6,035 fans at the Blue Cross Arena.

There was no feeling out process to start this game as the Crunch and Rochester went to battle against each other for the fourth time already on the young AHL season. Rochester had taken the first three meetings, as the Crunch managed just one point in an overtime loss to the Amerks back on October 24 at the War Memorial at Oncneter.

It took nine minutes and 15 seconds for the game's first goal to be scored, as Michael Duco cashed in the rebound of a blast from the point by Jason Garrison to put Rochester up by a 1-0 count.

Kevin Lalande was sharp for Syracuse in the first, allowing just Duco's goal while stopping 13 shots as the Crunch took four first period penalties.

One of those penalties was a slashing call on Jordan LaVallee-Smotherman at the 19:57 mark which carried over into the second stanza.

Rochester made sure to take advantage of starting the period with the man-advantage and scored to take a 2-0 lead on a mix-up behind the net between Lalande and defenseman Dylan Reese.

Not sure who was going to play the puck, Lalande rushed and moved the disk quickly, but pressure from Rochester caused a turnover with the Crunch netminder still behind the net.

Duco was able to get the puck to the front of the net, where it lied still in the crease for a split second before former Crunch winger Mike York tapped it into the vacated cage.

Jon Mirasty tried to light a spark under his team by battling Rochester's Jimmy Bonneau for the fourth time this season with about seven minutes left in the frame.

That did not seem to work, however, as the Amerks extended their lead to 3-0 just three minutes later.

Rochester backed in the Crunch defense and Evegeny Dadonov was able to slide the puck over to Graham Mink, who waited out a sliding Grant Clitsome and beat Lalande with a shot just inside the right post.

If the Crunch were looking for a sign of life, Pascal Pelletier gave it to them when he got into it with Duco behind the Rochester net at the 4:20 mark of the third period.

Shortly after that, the Crunch picked up some momentum and gained back a goal when Reese shuffled a puck towards the net that Alexander Salak had trouble handling. The rebound came right to the stick of Kevin Harvey, who buried the puck into the half-open net to make it 3-1.

Smelling a comeback, the Crunch made it a one-goal game with seven minutes to play when Trevor Frischmon found the puck down the right side, made a strong move to the net around former teammate Clay Wilson and beat Salak to cut it to 3-2.

Just when it looked like the Crunch's night might be over when Mathieu Roy took a hooking penalty at the 18:25 mark, Syracuse tallied a short-handed goal to tie the game with just 14 seconds left in regulation.

Some great work was done by Dan Fritsche to battle for the puck and shuffle it to Tom Sestito in the waning seconds. Sestito took the pass from Fritsche along the right wing boards and fed the puck to a streaking Nick Holden, coming down from the left point.

Holden worked the disk from his skate up to his stick and beat Salak with the Crunch's third short-handed marker of the year to tie the game at 3-3.

Both teams traded chances at the beginning of overtime, but once again penalties cost the Crunch the game when Holden was called for holding 2:09 into the extra session.

Chris Taylor took a cross-ice feed from Wilson that Lalande had no chance on for the game-winner.

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American Hockey League Stories from November 6, 2009


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