Game 29: Syracuse Crunch (12-12-1-3) at Hershey Bears (12-11-2-3)
7 p.m., Giant Center, Hershey, Pa.
The Crunch turn their attention from sugar plums to Hershey Bears Saturday, resuming play after the holiday break. The Bears, who topped the Crunch in a shootout Dec. 18, 4-3, played Thursday in Binghamton, falling to the Senators, 4-3. The Bears have lost two of three since facing the Crunch, while Syracuse has lost the last two, and now three in a row.
Veteran Ryan Putulny, who played for Hershey the last two years, is expected to make his season debut. The former University of Minnesota standout signed with the Bears this week following a preseason injury in the KHL. The Syracuse roster is unchanged since its last game.
Broadcast Coverage
Countdown to Crunch Time at 6:45 p.m.
Radio: ESPN Radio 97.7 FM & 1200 AM, Syracuse; 100.1 FM & 1440 AM, Oswego |
Listen Live |
Mobile: Free audio on your mobile device with the
TuneIn App
Streaming: Pay-to-watch video on
AHL LIve.com and on your mobile device with the
AHL Live App
Mike's Milestones
Mike Angelidis recorded his first Crunch three-point game Wednesday in Hershey and now has 200 professional points (100g, 100a). To complete the symmetry, he's set to play his 500th professional game when Syracuse on the Bears tonight. It will also be his 100th game in a Crunch uniform, with whom he has 13 goals and 18 assists.
The eighth year pro, has played seven NHL games with Tampa Bay, 467 AHL regular season games (Albany, 235; Norfolk, 134; Syracuse, 99) and 24 ECHL games with the Florida Everblades. He's also played 58 postseason games.
Last time out
Evan Rankin scored his fourth goal in three games since returning from injury, but it was too little and too late for Syracuse. The Crunch dropped their third straight game Saturday in Wilkes-Barre, 2-1.
Two successful power plays supplied the offense for the Penguins, scoring with a man advantage nine minutes into the first period and two minutes into the third. Zack Torquato, signed to a PTO earlier in the day, scored in his Penguins debut.
Brendan Mikkelson, the Pens' top-scoring defenseman who played with Syracuse and Tampa Bay last year, potted the second. Barry Goers assisted on both.
Syracuse was outshot 19-13 through the first two periods, but counterbalanced the Penguins attack in the third with a 13-2 shots disparity. Syracuse got its fourth and fifth power-play chances in the final frame, but only managed to score during four-on-four play with under two minutes left. On Rankin's ninth goal of the year,
Tanner Richard notched his fourth assist and first since Nov. 22.
Brett Connolly had the secondary assist, his third point in two games and 10th point of the season.
Cedrick Desjardins stopped 19 of 21 shots in the loss and is now 5-7-2. Jeff Deslauriers made 25 saves on 26 saves to earn his third win in four games against Syracuse.
Scouting the Bears
Friday's game is just the second of eight meetings between the East Division rivals. The Bears overcame a 3-1 deficit to win 4-3 in an 11-round shootout in Hershey last Wednesday. After beating the Crunch on Wednesday, the Bears split a pair of games against the Worcester Sharks and lost in Binghamton Thursday, 4-1.
With that, Hershey is 12-11-2-3 on the season, good for 29 points, which puts the Bears in fourth in the East Division and 11th in the Eastern Conference, a point better than the Crunch.
The Bears are led by right wing Brandon Segal's 16 points (4g, 12a). Nicolas Deschamps (8g, 7a), Peter LeBlanc (6g, 9a), and David Kolomatis (4g, 11a) all have 15 points apiece. Segal had a hand in all three Hershey goals in the first meeting against the Crunch, scoring a goal and assisting on the other two.
In net, former Rochester goaltender David Leggio has played in the majority of the games for the Bears this season. In 17 games, he is 7-8-2 with a 2.84 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage. He earned the shootout win against the Crunch last week.
Special Teams
After an 0-for-5 effort Saturday in Wilkes-Barre, the Crunch power play has dropped to 16.4% (22-for-134) and 17th in the AHL. The unit has failed to score in man-up situations in seven of the last eight games at 2-for-35. Both goals came Dec. 20 vs. Binghamton (Connolly and Paquette).
On the penalty kill, Syracuse sinks to 19th in the league (82.3%) after a 4-for-6 showing Saturday. Even with two power-play goals allowed Saturday in Wilkes-Barre, the Crunch still have the second best road penalty kill in the AHL (58-for-65) at 89.2%.
Since an 0-for-4 on the power play against Syracuse Dec. 18, the Bears have potted two power-play goals in three games (2-for-18) including one Friday in Binghamton, the Bears' only goal. On the season, Hershey's power play is 23rd in the AHL at 14.4%. New addition Ryan Potulny last season potted five of his 19 goals on the power play and nine of his 22 assists.
The penalty kill for the Bears is one spot above Syracuse, 18th, at 81.7% (116-for-142). In three games since a 4-for-4 performance vs. Syracuse, the Bears have allowed three power-play goals on 12 attempted kills.
When they last met
Game 26: Hershey comeback spoils Rankin hat trick
Evan Rankin recorded his first career AHL hat trick in his first game since Nov. 22 but the Crunch saw a two-goal lead dissolve as the Bears defeated the Crunch 4-3 in a shootout Wednesday night at Giant Center.
The game was Rankin's second multi-point effort of the year and first multi-goal game as a member of the Crunch. Captain
Mike Angelidis had a three-assist performance, his first three-point game with Syracuse.
Artem Sergeev recorded two assists, his first multi-point game of his career.
Goals late in the second and late in the third pulled the Bears even after trailing 3-1. Former Crunch winger Nicolas Deschamps had Hershey's first goal; David Kolomatis and Brandon Segal provided the comeback goals. Segal had three points (1g, 2a) and former Crunch left wing John Mitchell had the shootout winner.
In net David Leggio made 29 saves plus nine in the shootout opposite Kristers Gudlevsis who made 34 saves through 65 minutes and stopped eight of 11 shootout attempts.
