LAST WEEK
Wed., Dec. 20 – Crunch at Laval – L, 5-2
Fri., Dec. 22 – Crunch at Belleville – W, 8-2
Sat., Dec. 23 – Crunch vs. Utica – L, 2-1
THIS WEEK
Wed., Dec. 27 – Crunch vs. Toronto – 7 p.m.
Sat., Dec. 30 – Crunch vs. Utica – 7 p.m.
Sun., Dec. 31 – Crunch at Binghamton – 6:05 p.m.
Crunch alternate wins and losses in Week 12
Syracuse sandwiched a win with two losses during Week 12. The Crunch (15-12-1-2) picked up two out of six points in the week to remain in third place in the North Division with a 0.550 points percentage.
The Crunch began a two-game road trip to Canada with a 5-2 loss in Laval Wednesday. The Rocket scored three straight goals after the Crunch tied the game at two in the second period to blast past the Crunch. Friday the Crunch’s offense exploded to a season-high eight goals in an 8-2 drubbing of the Belleville Senators. It was Syracuse’s fourth win in five tries against the Sens this season. The Crunch then returned home and lost a tight game, 2-1, to the Utica Comets on Saturday to enter the holiday break.
Syracuse plays three games in Week 13, starting at home Wednesday against the Toronto Marlies. The Crunch then host Utica for a second straight Saturday before playing a New Year’s Eve match in Binghamton on Sunday.
Top Performers
Crunch captain Erik Condra returned to the Syracuse lineup Friday for the first time since Nov. 15. After missing 14 games with a lower body injury, the Trenton, Michigan native put up three points (1g, 2a) in his return. He then followed that by scoring the only Crunch goal Saturday.
Despite only playing in four games due to injury so far in 2017-18, Condra has five points (3g, 2a), with at least one point in three of his four games played.
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Forward Carter Verhaeghe had five assists in three games in Week 12, extending his point streak to a career-high nine games. He notched one assist Wednesday in Laval, picked up a career-high three Friday in Belleville and earned one Saturday against Utica. His nine-game point streak is a team high this season and matches the high from last season; Cory Conacher had a nine-game streak in the regular season and Conacher and Yanni Gourde replicated that in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
With 18 points (7g, 11a) in 17 games, Verhaeghe is one of two Crunch players (Condra) playing to better than a point per game.
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Matthew Peca extended his point streak to a career-high matching six games by adding his name to the scoresheet in all three games last week. He scored a goal Wednesday in Laval then posted three points (1g, 2a) Friday in Belleville. His assist Saturday extended the streak to six games (3g, 7a) and gives him a team-leading 23 points (6g, 17a).
Peca also scored goals in three straight games for the first time in his career. His last six-game point streak was Mar. 23-Apr. 3, 2015.
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In the Crunch’s 8-2 win over Belleville Friday night, there were seven different goal scorers. Only Mat Bodie scored twice in the game for the Crunch. It was Bodie’s second career multi-goal game; his first came for the Rochester Americans last season, Mar. 4 vs. Bridgeport.
In 14 games since Nov. 22, the fourth-year defenseman has 11 points (4g, 7a), which is tied with Dominik Masin for most among Crunch defensemen and is fifth overall on the team in that span. He’s played to a +11 in those games.
Upcoming: Toronto, Utica, Binghamton
The Crunch face three different North Division opponents in Week 13 to close out 2017.
Syracuse opens Wednesday against the North Division-leading Toronto Marlies (22-8-0-0) in the fifth matchup of their season series. The Crunch snapped Toronto’s seven-game winning streak in their last match Nov. 29, but the Marlies are 6-3-0-0 since then to remain in first place.
Saturday night features the Crunch and Comets for the second time in a week and fourth time this season. The road team has won all three games of the series thus far, including Utica’s 2-1 win in Syracuse last Saturday which snapped the Crunch’s six-game home winning streak. Utica’s two wins over the Crunch are by one goal, while Syracuse defeated the Comets, 6-1, in Utica.
The Crunch will spend New Year’s Eve in Binghamton against the Devils in their third match. The Crunch routed the Devils (9-15-4-1), 5-2, Dec. 8 with a four-goal second period. The 10-game series is tied 1-1 after two meetings.
Week 12 Results
Wednesday, December 20 | Game 28 at Laval | L, 5-2
Syracuse 1 1 0 – 2 Shots: 5-13-6-24 PP: 1/4
Laval 1 2 2 – 5 Shots: 9-4-12-25 PP: 1/9
1st Period-Peca 5 (McBain, Thomas), 17:06 (PP). 2nd Period-Joseph 5 (Verhaeghe), 15:55. . . . Domingue 7-3-0 (24 shots-20 saves). A-5,390
Friday, December 22 | Game 29 at Belleville | W, 8-2
Syracuse 4 3 1 – 8 Shots: 16-6-15-37 PP: 2/6
Belleville 1 1 0 – 2 Shots: 11-9-9-29 PP: 1/4
1st Period-Masin 5 (Peca, Verhaeghe), 5:42. Bournival 9 (Volkov, Condra), 11:27. Condra 3 (Joseph, Cirelli), 15:22. Bodie 3 (Peca, Volkov), 15:59. 2nd Period-Stephens 6 (Bournival, Volkov), 3:34. Joseph 6 (Masin, Condra), 11:56. Peca 6 (Verhaeghe, McBain), 17:41 (PP). 3rd Period-Bodie 4 (Verhaeghe, Joseph), 13:22. . . . Domingue 8-3-0 (29 shots-27 saves). A-3,433
Saturday, December 23 | Game 30 vs. Utica | L, 2-1
Utica 0 2 0 – 2 Shots: 9-9-7-25 PP: 0/6
Syracuse 0 1 0 – 1 Shots: 1-8-15-24 PP: 0/4
2nd Period-Condra 4 (Peca, Verhaeghe), 5:16. . . . Domingue 8-4-0 (25 shots-23 saves). A-5,566
Category Average/Total AHL Rank (Prev)
Power Play 14.7% (22-for-150) 24th (T-25th)
Penalty Kill 84.8% (145-for-171) 9th (9th)
Goals For 3.33 GFA (100) T-5th (8th)
Goals Against 2.97 GAA (89) T-11th (T-10th)
Shots For 29.20 SF/G (876) 22nd (22nd)
Shots Against 25.47 SA/G (764) 1st (1st)
Penalty Minutes 17.43 PIM/G (523) 4th (T-4th)
Category Leader
Points 22 Peca
Goals 9 Bournival
Assists 17 Peca
PIM 89 Gallant
Plus/Minus +16 Cernak
Wins 8 Domingue
GAA 2.26 Domingue
Save % 0.916 Domingue
