Game Notes: 4/28/08 v. Manitoba Moose
Crunch Take Game Six to Move Past Moose
Syracuse, N.Y. (April 28, 2008) - “This is the start of the ride” Syracuse Crunch Captain Zenon Konopka said after the Crunch won its best of seven series with the Manitoba Moose 4 games to 2. “I hope everyone in the city enjoys this win tonight.”
So bring on the Toronto Marlies. In what could only be described as a war on ice, the Syracuse Crunch defeated the Manitoba Moose 3-2 in game six on an overtime goal by Trevor Frischmon.
So bring on the Toronto Marlies. In what could only be described as a war on ice, the Syracuse Crunch defeated the Manitoba Moose 3-2 in game six on an overtime goal by Trevor Frischmon.
Did you expect anything else? Five of the six games needed extra time to decide the game’s outcome and Syracuse took four of those, an AHL record for overtime wins in a single series.
Syracuse wins the North Division Semifinal and will meet the Toronto Marlies at the Ricoh Coliseum Friday. Toronto needed a goal by Bates Battaglia with 59 seconds left in the third to pull out a 2-1 game-seven win over the San Antonio Rampage.
The second game of the series will be in Toronto on Sunday before the series shifts back to Syracuse Tuesday and Wednesday, May 6th and 7th.
Frischmon found himself all alone to the left of Manitoba goalie Cory Schneider nearly nine minutes into the extra stanza. He had the puck courtesy of Derek Dorsett who was checking Moose defenseman Shaun Heshka. Heshka attempted to clear the puck up through center ice but his stick snapped in half leaving the disk for Dorsett to slide over to Frischmon. Frischmon needed a couple of whacks at the puck before he buried it in the net and was mobbed by his teammates.
Alexandre Picard thought he had given the Crunch the series game-winner earlier in the third period but Manitoba tied the game with four minutes left to force the fifth overtime of the series.
Brad Moran picked a corner on the power play to put the Moose on the board in the second period, but Syracuse answered before the end of the period on a goal by Derick Brassard.
3-Stars—No. 1, Frischmon, No. 2, Brassard, No. 3, Nate DiCasmirro.
They said It –
“It was a hard fought war by both teams. There are no words to express how tough this whole series was.” Trevor Frischmon.
“I’ve never been part of anything like this and for us to prevail for four of them is unbelievable.” Derek MacKenzie.
“Relief, that’s what we all felt when the puck went in. No one wanted to play another game against Manitoba. You have to give Manitoba credit they were a real competitive team. I’m just happy it’s over.” Marc Methot.
“It was great for a guy like Frischmon to score the game winner. It’s good for his confidence because he doesn’t score that many goals. He’s an awesome guy to have around and he’s one of the chemistry guys, the guys that help glue the team together. I couldn’t be happier for him.” Methot.
“It was two evenly matched teams. They played real physical. Because of that the taste of victory is that much sweeter. The city has been waiting for this and needs this. This is a hockey town. It’s a playoff hockey town. They are passionate about the game. They need winning hockey here and it’s fantastic to see this.” Zenon Konopka.
“The winning streak toward the end of the year gave us the confidence that we just knew someone would step up and find a way to win. Tonight it was only fitting that it was Frischmon. He’s a guy that doesn’t score many goals but is a big part of this team.” Head Coach Ross Yates.