When: Friday, March 30 at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Glens Falls Civic Center
Radio: The Score 1260
Watch: AHL Live
 
Season Series: This is the 10th and final meeting between the Syracuse Crunch and the Adirondack Phantoms this season. Syracuse leads the season series, 5-4-0, and has won three straight games over their Eastern Conference rivals. Tonight will be the second game of a home-and-home series. The Crunch won the first game, 2-1, in a shootout Wednesday night at the War Memorial Arena. The teams managed just two goals throughout regulation, scoring less than a minute apart in the second period. Patrick Maroon netted his 29th goal of the season, beating Phantoms goalie Michael Leighton for the game-tying score. In the shootout, Kyle Palmieri scored the lone goal, beating Leighton in the second round. Iiro Tarkki stopped all five Phantoms shooters for his 20th win of the season.
 
J.F. Jacques and Patrick Maroon lead the Crunch with 10 points against Adirondack. Jacques is the team leader with eight goals, and has picked up two assists. Maroon leads Syracuse with six assists, and has netted four goals against his former team. Five Crunch skaters have five or more points against Adirondack this season. In six starts against Phantoms, Tarkki is 4-2-0 with a 1.90 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage.
 
Denis Hamel leads the Phantoms with nine points (5g, 4a) against Syracuse. He's also the team leader in goals with five. Jason Akeson leads the team with five assists. Both Tom Sestito and Cullen Eddy lead the team with 20 penalty minutes against Syracuse. In six games against the Crunch, Michael Leighton is 1-4-0 with a 2.67 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage.
 
Syracuse is 28-28-9 all time against Adirondack.
 
Crunch At A Glance: Syracuse enters today's game seventh in the Eastern Conference, tied with the Manchester Monarchs. The Crunch trail the Connecticut Whale by four points for sixth in the conference. With the win last night, the Crunch have points in eight straight games. They ran their record in March to 10-2-0-1. In their last 11 one-goal games, the Crunch are 8-2-0-1. They've gone to shootouts in their past four, winning three of those contests. Iiro Tarkki has been hot, winning nine of his last ten starts.
 
Patrick Maroon leads Syracuse with 69 points (29g, 40a). He's also the team leader in assists, and is fourth among all skaters. He's one point behind Hershey's Keith Aucoin for third overall. Kyle Palmieri leads the Crunch with 32 goals. He's two behind Cory Conacher for the league lead. Tarkki is third in the league in saves, with 1,229 this season.
 
Crunch Leaders
Goals: Kyle Palmieri - 32
Assists: Patrick Maroon - 40
Points: Patrick Maroon - 69
Plus/Minus: Patrick Maroon - +17
PIM: Troy Bodie - 114
Wins: Iiro Tarkki - 20
GAA: Igor Bobkov - 1.97
Save %: Igor Bobkov - .931
Shutouts: Iiro Tarkki - 2
 
Recent Crunch Transactions
3/28/2012 Kyle Palmieri (RW) Syracuse ADD Returned on loan to Anaheim (NHL)
3/23/2012 Marco Cousineau (G) Syracuse DEL Reassigned by Anaheim (NHL) to Allen (CHL)
3/20/2012 Igor Bobkov (G) Syracuse ADD Reassigned by Anaheim (NHL) from Kingston (OHL)
3/17/2012 Gabe Guentzel (D) Syracuse ADD Signed to ATO
3/14/2012 Ryan O'Marra (C) Syracuse ADD Returned on loan from Anaheim (NHL)
 
Who's Hot
Troy Bodie - Seven points (3g, 4a) in his last nine games
Iiro Tarkki - Recorded a win in nine of his last 10 games
Riley Holzapfel - Nine points (4g, 5a) in his last eight games
 
Phantoms At a Glance: Adirondack enters tonight's game ninth in the Eastern Conference, tied with the Portland Pirates with 70 points. The Phantoms are three points behind the Manchester Monarchs and the Syracuse Crunch for the eighth spot in the conference. Adirondack has won three of their last four games, but has struggled against Syracuse this season. They've lost three straight games, and have been outscored 28-25 in the season series. A loss won't knock them out of playoff contention, but it would give Syracuse breathing room over their conference rivals.
 
Jason Akeson leads the Phantoms with 49 points (11g, 38a). His 38 assists are tops among all Phantoms skaters, and Akeson is sixth among all rookies in points. He's tied with Phil Varone and Cory Conacher for the most assists among rookies. Matt Ford leads Adirondack with 24 goals. Since being traded from Hershey, he has 20 points (14g, 6a) in 20 games.
 
Phantoms Leaders:
Goals: Matt Ford - 24
Assists: Jason Akeson - 38
Points: Jason Akeson - 49
Plus/Minus: Andrew Roe - +6
PIM: Ben Holmstrom - 128
Wins: Michael Leighton - 24
GAA: Michael Leighton - 2.58
Save %: Michael Leighton - .918
Shutouts: Michael Leighton - 2
 
Recent Phantoms Transactions
3/27/2012 Brad Phillips (G) Adirondack ADD Reassigned by Philadelphia (NHL) from Trenton (ECHL)
3/27/2012 Jason Bacashihua (G) Adirondack DEL Recalled from loan by Philadelphia (NHL)
3/27/2012 Marc-Andre Bourdon (D) Adirondack DEL Recalled from loan by Philadelphia (NHL)
3/27/2012 Nick Cousins (C) Adirondack Added
3/24/2012 Erik Gustafsson (D) Adirondack DEL Recalled from loan by Philadelphia (NHL)
 
Who's Hot
Denis Hamel - Seven points (4g, 3a) in his last seven games
Matt Ford - Four points (2g, 1a) in his last three games
Oliver Lauridsen - Two points (2a) in his last three games