When: Wednesday, December 21 at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Giant Center
Radio: The Score 1260
Watch: AHL Live
 
Season Series: This is the fourth of six meetings between the Syracuse Crunch and the Hershey Bears. Syracuse has posted a 1-2-0 record so far this season against their division rivals. Hershey won the last meeting between the two teams, 4-1, December 2 at the War Memorial Arena. The Bears and Crunch traded first period goals, and seemed headed for a 1-1 tie after one period. But Tomas Kundratek broke that tie late, scoring with just 19 seconds left to give the Bears a 2-1 lead. They wouldn't look back, adding on two more goals in the win. Keith Aucoin led all skaters in points, recording three assists. Six other Bears skaters recorded at least one point. Patrick Maroon scored the lone Crunch goal, with Nick Schaus and Kyle Cumiskey tallying assists.
 
Maroon and Mathieu Carle lead all Crunch skaters in points against Hershey. They've both tallied two and have accounted for the three goals scored against the Bears this season. Five other skaters have one point. In three games against Hershey, Iiro Tarkki is 1-1-0 with a 3.32 goals-against average and .919 save percentage. He recorded his first pro shootout win over Hershey November 18.
 
Not many teams have stopped Aucoin, and the Crunch are no exception. The center has six points (1g, 5a) in three games, leading all scorers. Jacob Micflikier leads Hershey with two goals against Syracuse. Six skaters have three or more points in the season series, and 16 skaters have at least one point.
 
The Crunch are 31-46-12 all-time against Hershey.
 
Crunch At A Glance: The Adirondack Phantoms held off the Crunch, beating them, 4-3, at the War Memorial Arena Saturday night. The Phantoms twice jumped out to three goal leads, but the Crunch battled back to within one goal. J.F. Jacques recorded his first hat trick of the season, recording the third three-goal game for the Crunch this season. It was also the second hat trick against Adirondack. Maroon collected two assists in the loss. The Crunch fell to .500 for the first time since the start of the regular season, when the team had no record.
 
Maroon's two point night Saturday vaulted him into a tie for eighth place in the league in scoring. He enters tonight's game leading the team with 29 points (11g, 18a). He also leads the team in assists. The Syracuse power play is their strength, and has scored 28 goals so far this season. Dan Sexton leads all Crunch skaters in power-play points with 12 (3g, 9a).
 
Crunch Leaders
Goals: Kyle Palmieri - 17
Assists: Patrick Maroon - 18
Points: Patrick Maroon - 29
Plus/Minus: Kyle Palmieri - +15
PIM: Troy Bodie - 60
Wins: Iiro Tarkki - 8
GAA: Iiro Tarkki - 2.65
Save %: Iiro Tarkki - .921
Shutouts: Iiro Tarkki - 1
 
Recent Crunch Transactions
12/19/2011 Nate Guenin (D) Syracuse ADD Returned on loan from Anaheim (NHL)
12/17/2011 Maxime Macenauer (C) Syracuse ADD Loaned from Anaheim (NHL)
12/16/2011 Brandon McMillan (C) Syracuse ADD Returned on loan from Anaheim (NHL)
12/16/2011 Nick Bonino (C) Syracuse DEL Recalled from loan by Anaheim (NHL)
12/11/2011 John Kurtz (LW) Syracuse DEL Loaned to Elmira (ECHL)
 
Who's Hot
J.F. Jacques - Six points (5g, 1a) in his past three games
Patrick Maroon - 10 points (3g, 7a) in his last eight games
Peter Holland - Five points (2g, 3a) in his last five games
 
Bears At a Glance: The Norfolk Admirals defeated Hershey, 6-3, at the Giant Center Sunday. Josh Rechlicz, Chris Bourque and Jacob Micflikier scored in the first period to stake the Bears to a 3-1 lead after the opening period. The Admirals battled back in the third, scoring five goals to come from behind and win. Six different Bears recorded assists in the loss. Braden Holtby stopped 25 shots, picking up his seventh loss of the season.
 
Aucoin continues to lead the league in points and assists, which he's done for most of the season. The center has 47 points and 39 assists entering tonight's game, and is 18th in AHL history in points. Bourque has also surpassed the 40-point mark, collecting 43 (16g, 27a) in 29 games. Three of the league's top five scorers are on the Bears roster, with Micflikier holding the fifth spot with 36 points (11g, 25a). As a team, Hershey has scored 106 goals, tied for second in the league with St. John's.
 
Bears Leaders:
Goals: Chris Bourque - 16
Assists: Keith Aucoin - 39
Points: Keith Aucoin - 47
Plus/Minus: Boyd Kane - +10
PIM: Joel Rechlicz - 115
Wins: Braden Holtby - 9
GAA: Dany Sabourin - 2.72
Save %: Dany Sabourin - .909
Shutouts: Dany Sabourin - 2
 
Recent Bears Transactions
12/18/2011 Cody Eakin (C) Hershey ADD Returned on loan from Washington (NHL)
11/29/2011 Matt Pope (RW) Hershey ADD Signed to PTO
11/29/2011 Mattias Sjorgren (C) Hershey DEL Reassigned by Washington (NHL) to Farjestads (SEL)
11/24/2011 Matt Pope (RW) Hershey DEL Released from PTO
11/20/2011 Dmitry Orlov (D) Hershey DEL Recalled from loan by Washington (NHL)
 
Who's Hot
Patrick McNeill - Four points (1g, 3a) in his last four games
Ryan Potulny - 14 points (6g, 8a) in his last nine games
Keith Aucoin - 22 points (4g, 19a) in his last 11 games