SYRACUSE, N.Y. – After the two longest win streaks in the league clashed, the Syracuse Crunch came out victorious with a 5-3 defeat of the Providence Bruins tonight at the War Memorial Arena.
The victory puts the Crunch on a 10-game streak and ties the longest streak since affiliating with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2012. It is the second-longest in franchise history.
Michael Bournival tallied three points with a goal and two assists to lead the Crunch, while Adam Erne netted two of his own. Matthew Peca and Dominik Masin both contributed a pair of assists on the night to help the team put an end to the Bruin’s eight-game win streak and advance to 14-9-1-2 on the season. Syracuse also takes a 1-0 lead in the two-game season series against Providence.
Louis Domingue built on his success between the pipes, stopping 24-of-27 for the Crunch. Zane McIntyre turned aside 23-of-28 in net for the Bruins. Syracuse was unable to convert on four power play opportunities, but went a perfect 3-for-3 on the penalty kill.
The Bruins were first on the board with a shorthanded goal 2:13 into the game. Anton Blidh forced a turnover at the blue line, sped down the ice and beat Domingue five-hole.
The Crunch responded just over a minute later. Anthony Cirelli gained control of the puck at the end boards and backhanded a feed for Carter Verhaeghe to score from the left circle. Masin earned the secondary assist.
By the 3:39 mark, Providence was back on top, 2-1. Josh Hennessy netted a shot from the right circle after a give-and-go with Sena Acolatse.
Syracuse dominated the second half of the first period and put up three unanswered markers to build a two-goal lead. At 11:20, Erne skated the puck into the zone and threw a centering feed as he cut around the back of the cage. The puck deflected off a defender’s skate and into the back of the net. Mad Bodie earned the helper. Bournival then shoved in a rebound with the aid of Masin and Peca to steal the lead for Syracuse. With 4:33 remaining in the opening frame, Erne netted his second of the game during a 2-on-1 play with a one-timer from the slot. Peca and Bournival made it multi-point nights with the assists.
Five minutes into the third period Kevin Lynch potted his sixth of the season. Erik Cernak’s shot from the point was blocked, but Lynch got a stick on the rebound behind McIntyre and pushed it across the goal line. Bournival added another point on the play.
Zach Senyshyn brought the Bruins back within two late in the third, but the Crunch smothered a comeback effort to hang on for a league-high win streak.
Syracuse travels to face the Lehigh Valley Phantoms tomorrow at 7:05 p.m.
Single game tickets and packages are on sale now and can be purchased in person at the Crunch office located inside the War Memorial Arena at 800 S. State St. in Syracuse, by calling the office at 315-473-4444. For the latest Crunch news, visit www.syracusecrunch.com or follow the club on Facebook (www.facebook.com/syracusecrunch), Twitter (@SyracuseCrunch) and Instagram (@syracusecrunch) using #SyrCrunch.
Crunchables: Adam Erne is on a career-high six-game point streak with seven goals and three assists…Michael Bournival recorded his first three-point game since Dec. 6, 2014.
