BINGHAMTON, NY – Nathan Bastian scored twice, including 57 seconds into the game on Teddy Bear Toss night, but the Devils fell to the visiting Syracuse Crunch, 5-2, at Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena on Friday.
Bastian scored 57 seconds into the game to put the Devils ahead 1-0 and set off the annual Teddy Bear Toss with assists from Tim Kennedy and John Quenneville. Quenneville sent the pick on net that eventually went off of Bastian and in for the lead.
Michael Kapla then fired a shot from the point that Bastian deflected by goaltender Louis Domingue for a 2-0 lead 16:46 into the game. The goal was Bastian’s second of the night and sixth of the year for the two-goal lead with helpers from Kapla on the shot and Josh Jacobs.
Syracuse answered with less that ten seconds left in the opening period. Mathieu Joseph slid the puck by the right leg pad of goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood for his fourth of the year to pull the Crunch within a goal at the end of the period. Assists were credited to Ben Thomas and Mat Bodie. Binghamton outshot Syracuse in the opening twenty minutes, 12-5.
The second period belonged all to the Crunch who scored four goals to take a three-goal lead heading into the third frame. Carter Verhaeghe tallied a power-play goal 3:09 into the second period to tie the game with his sixth of the year from Adam Erne and Bodie.
Just over one minute later, Alex Gallant picked up his first of the year at 4:45 to put the Crunch up for good, 3-2. Gallant’s goal was assisted by Dominik Masin and Anthony Cirelli.
Cirelli then cashed in with two goals of his own to extend the Crunch lead to four. His first of the night and fourth of the year came at 7:35 and the final goal of the night and fifth of the year went in with 2:41 left in the period. Cirelli had a three-point night through two periods and the Crunch help the 5-2 lead for the win.
Blackwood stopped 18 of 23 shots in the loss and at the other end of the ice, Domingue denied 21 of 23 for the victory.
The Binghamton Devils return home tomorrow night against the Charlotte Checkers at 7:05 p.m. Call the Devils’ front office at 607-733-7367 for more information.
