AHL Syracuse Crunch

Week 11: Clark and Deschamps = Consistency

Published on December 12, 2011 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Syracuse Crunch News Release


THIS WEEK'S GAMES

Wednesday, December 14 @ Albany (12-10-2-1, 27 points, third place, Northeast Division)

Friday, December 16 vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (14-7-1-4, first place (tied), East Division)

Saturday, December 17 vs. Adirondack (14-9-1-1, 30 points, second place, Northeast Division)

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS

Tuesday, December 6 @ St. John's Crunch 3 ST. JOHN'S 4

Wednesday, December 7 @ St. John's Crunch 5 ST. JOHN'S 3

Saturday, December 10 vs. Hamilton CRUNCH 1 Hamilton 4

HOME TEAM IN CAPS

CONSISTENTLY HEALTHY: Nicolas Deschamps and Mat Clark are the current Ironmen of the Crunch, having played in 104 consecutive games in a Syracuse jersey, dating back to the start of last season. While they have the current longest streaks, four other players have played in all 24 games to start the 2011-12 season: Dan Sexton, Troy Bodie, Matt Kennedy and Rick Schofield. Kennedy's overall streak is at 60 games, including 25 to end last season. Schofield's streak is at 35, having joined the Crunch towards the end of last season. In addition, Peter Holland (20 games), Patrick Maroon (23) and Mathieu Carle (23) have played in at least 20 of the team's first 24 games. Last season, four players skated in the team's first 24 games.

A LOOK BACK AT THE STANLEY STEEMER TIRED TEDDY TOSS: Crunch fans had an opportunity to litter the ice with stuffed animals during Saturday's home game at the War Memorial Arena, and they did just that in a big way at the Stanley Steemer Tired Teddy Toss. A total of 2,567 stuffed animals made their way onto the arena ice. The furry fellows were quickly retrieved from the ice and delivered to Stanley Steemer, where they will be refurbished and donated to the Salvation Army. The Crunch would like to thank Stanley Steemer and the fans at the War Memorial Arena for all of their support.

TRANSACTIONS: Left wing J.F. Jacques has been returned to the Crunch by Anaheim. Jacques has 12 points (6g, 6a) in 16 games with the Crunch this season. He also played in three games with Anaheim, registering seven penalty minutes. The Ducks have reassigned Timo Pielmeier to their ECHL affiliate, the Elmira Jackals.The Crunch have also loaned left wing John Kurtz to Elmira. Kurtz was signed to a standard player contract on December 6. Kurtz has spent parts of the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons with the Crunch, recording seven points (5g, 2a) in 55 games. Pielmeier spent most of the 2010-11 season with the Crunch, going 15-17-1.

UPCOMING OPPONENTS:

ALBANY (NEW JERSEY DEVILS): The Crunch meet the Albany Devils for the second of 10 meetings this season on Wednesday. It's the first of five showdowns at the Times Union Center this season. In their first matchup, Jeff Frazee pitched a 1-0 shutout at the War Memorial Arena on November 12. Nathan Perkovich scored the lone goal of the game on the power play. The Devils have lost three out of their last four games, including their last two. Their latest defeat was a 4-1 contest in Toronto on Saturday. Matt Anderson leads the Devils in points with 16 (5g, 11a). Steve Zalewski and Joe Whitney lead the team in goals with six. Frazee and rookie Keith Kincaid have split time in goal this season.

WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON (PITTSBURGH PENGUINS): The Penguins visit the War Memorial Arena for the third time this season and take on the Crunch for the fourth time in 2011-12. The Crunch have gone 2-1 against their neighbors to the south, who are tied for first in the East Division with Norfolk and Hershey. In their latest meeting, the Crunch topped Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, 5-2, on home ice on December 3. Kyle Palmieri, Brandon McMillan, Troy Bodie, Patrick Maroon and Peter Holland all scored, while Iiro Tarkki earned the win, stopping 33 shots. Since their loss to the Crunch, the Penguins have won back-to-back games against Binghamton and Hershey. Bryan Lerg and Colin McDonald lead the way offensively with 20 points. Lerg and Eric Tangradi have 10 goals on the season.

ADIRONDACK (PHILADELPHIA FLYERS): On Saturday, the Crunch and Phantoms face-off for the fifth time this season. The two teams have split the first four matchups of the season. The Crunch won the first two, while Adirondack took the latest two contests. The last meeting was a 4-3 Phantoms win at the Glens Falls Civic Center on November 30. Since then, Adirondack has gone 2-2-1 to sit in second place in the Northeast Division, three points back of first-place Connecticut.

UPCOMING PROMOTIONS:

TOYS FOR TOTS TOY DRIVE: - The Syracuse Crunch and the Crunch Foundation, the club's charitable arm, announced today that they are teaming up with Toys for Tots and Stanley Steemer to make this holiday season brighter for area youth with a Crunch toy drive.

Fans are encouraged to bring their toy donations to the Crunch's December home games on Friday, December 16 vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Saturday, December 17 vs. Adirondack at the War Memorial Arena.

With the donation of a new and unwrapped toy, fans will receive a gift card for a $10 discount to Stanley Steemer.

Fans may drop off their toy donations at Roberts Office Furniture Concepts Guest Services on the 2nd floor and at either the South State Street or Montgomery Street entrance during the games. Fans may also bring toy donations to the Crunch offices during regular business hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. All toys collected will be donated to the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program for distribution to needy families in the Syracuse area.

CRUNCH BLOOD DRIVE: The Syracuse Crunch announced today that the Crunch Foundation, the club's charitable arm, will be teaming up with the American Red Cross to host a blood drive on Friday Dec. 16, 2011.

The blood drive will be held from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Memorial Hall at the War Memorial Arena.

Anyone who donates blood will receive one (1) complimentary ticket to that night's Crunch game versus the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Donors will also have the opportunity to purchase additional tickets for only $12 (normally $18) and will be entered in a drawing to win a Crunch prize pack. Dunkin' Donuts and Tops Friendly Markets will also be providing food and beverages free of charge.

CRUNCHABLES: With his game-winning goal on Wednesday in St. John's, Kyle Palmieri is tied for eighth all-time in Crunch history with Kent McDonnell with nine game-winning tallies. Palmieri also ranks third in the league with a plus-15 rating...Nick Bonino took over the team lead in assists with 16 when he added a helper in Saturday's game against Hamilton.

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