Game Notes: 1/16/08 v. Philadelphia Phantoms
Crunch Power Play Scares Off Phantoms
Syracuse, NY (January 16, 2008) – The Syracuse Crunch defeated the Philadelphia Phantoms tonight, 5-3 at the War Memorial at Oncenter on the strength of three power play goals.
The action in the opening period of this game did not take long to pick up. Philadelphia would get on the board first just under two minutes in. Former Crunch member Pete Zingoni put the Phantoms up 1-0 on a fluke play. Stefan Ruzicka’s shot caromed off the face of Crunch defenseman Brett Motherwell in front of the net. Zingoni found the loose puck and dumped it into the empty net past Crunch starter Adam Munro.
Despite having the first three power plays of the game, the Crunch could not break through. Finally they did, ironically short-handed at the 15:21 mark. A bad change by Philadelphia lead to a 3-on-1 breakout for Syracuse. Derek MacKenzie fed a pass over to a hard-charging Adam Pineault down the left wing and he buried it past Phantoms starter Brian Boucher to tie the game, 1-1.
Syracuse almost took the lead on another short-handed play, and it was again MacKenzie hooking up with Pineault on the opportunity. MacKenzie made a nifty pass through a defender to Pineault who got behind the defense. Pineault’s shot hit Boucher and ricocheted off the crossbar. Philadelphia’s Oskars Bartulis took a hooking penalty on the play to even things up 4-on-4.
The Crunch would take their first lead of the game on a carry-over power play just 28 seconds into the second period. Joakim Lindstrom found a rebound of an Aaron Rome shot in the left circle and muscled it from a sharp angle past Boucher for the 2-1 advantage.
Philadelphia tied the game three and a half minutes later on their own man-advantage. Frederik Cabana came down the right side, cut to the middle of the ice and threw a shot on net. Kyle Greentree got a stick on it and redirected it past Munro to tie the game, 2-2.
Syracuse regained the lead at the 8:07 mark, again on the power play. Derek MacKenzie sent a perfect cross-ice pass from the right half-wall to the waiting gun of Gilbert Brule. Brule rifled a slapshot over the left shoulder of Boucher and into the top corner to give the Crunch a 3-2 advantage.
The Crunch started to pour it on after that. Zenon Konopka put home a rebound of a David Cullen point shot at the 16:53 mark to make it 4-2. It was the Crunch’s third power play marker of the period.
MacKenzie and Brule found each other again on the Crunch’s fifth goal. Brule stole the puck at center ice and came in down the right wing. He sent a pass over to MacKenzie who one-timed it past Boucher to give Syracuse a 5-2 lead.
Scott Munroe replaced Boucher in between the pipes after the Crunch's fifth goal.
Philadelphia’s Triston Grant scored five minutes into the third period, but Syracuse’s lead held up and the Crunch skated away with a 5-3 win.
Three Stars
- Derek MacKenzie (1g, 2a +1)
- Gilbert Brule (1g, 1a)
- Aaron Rome (0g, 1a - 7 shots)
CRUNCHABLES: Adam Pineault’s short-handed first period goal was his fourth of that kind this season, tying him for third in the AHL in that category…Pineault’s short-handed goal was also the Crunch’s twelfth of the season, tying them for first in the AHL in that category...Joakim Lindstrom made his return and scored a goal after being assigned by Columbus yesterday…Brule’s goal in the second period was his fourth of the season in just six games…The Crunch matched a season-high with three power play goals tonight.