Press Clips
1. Post-Standard: Tampa Bay signs potential Syracuse Crunch prospect Jake Dotchin to entry-level deal
2. Post-Standard: Rochester Amerks crush Syracuse Crunch, 5-1
3. Post-Standard: Syracuse Crunch owner Howard Dolgon and his money man on verge of pursuing New York Islanders
4. Post-Standard: Syracuse Crunch forward Neilson earns AHL's Man of the Year award for community work (videos)
5. Post-Standard: Syracuse Crunch's Angelidis and Labrie will remain friends, but teammate time is in peril
6. Post-Standard: Hey Syracuse Crunch fans, what is on your wish list for next season?

7. Post-Standard: Erne and Vermin show potential in Syracuse Crunch's 5-4 shootout loss to Adirondack
 

Jonathan Marchessault scored his team-leading 22nd goal, but Rochester downed Syracuse for the fourth consecutive matchup, 5-1, Friday at Blue Cross Arena. Brett Connolly had the lone assist on Marchessault's goal in transition for a team-best 57 points. Cedrick Desjardins suffered the loss for Syracuse (8-18-4) with the Amerks potting three goals in the first and one in the second before the Crunch finally answered. Desjardins made 19 saves on 24 shots while his counterpart Andrey Makarov made 22 saves for his seventh consecutive victory. Phil Varone and Brayden Irwin had two points each for the playoff-bound Americans.

Syracuse has dropped each of the first three meetings with Hamilton: 4-1 Nov. 22 in Montreal, 3-0 Nov. 23 in Syracuse and most recently 2-1 in a shootout March 15 at the War Memorial. Former Crunch goalie Dustin Tokarski captured wins in the first two games and Robert Mayer the shootout victory.  Former Bulldog Cedrick Desjardins suffered both regulation losses for Syracuse while Kristers Gudlevskis fell in the shootout. J.P. Cote, a former Bulldog who won the 2007 Calder Cup with Hamilton, and Brett Connolly have the only two Syracuse goals in the season series. Mike Blunden, Morgan Ellis and Martin St. Pierre have three points each vs. the Crunch.

The Bulldogs have recorded a point in six of their last seven games despite only winning three times. Hamilton is 4th in the North Division and 12th in the Western Conference with 74 points.

Dustin Tokarski, who's 20-15-3 in 40 AHL games and 2-0-0 with a shutout in three NHL appearances, recently signed a two-year contract extension with Montreal. He ranks seventh among active AHL goaltenders with a 2.36 goals-against average. Robert Mayer has appeared in 28 games posting a 9-14-4-0 record alongside a 2.86 goals-against average a .906 save percentage but has left the team to represent Switzerland at the World Championships. Since being acquired from Nashville on March 5 Devan Dubynk has appeared in eight games with a 2-5-0-0 record with a 3.33 goals-against average and a .893 save percentage. Tokarski and Mayer have combined to hold the Crunch to two goals in three games this year.

Martin St. Pierre paces the Bulldog offense with 48 points (10g, 28a) in 70 games and is averaging a point per game in three games against the Crunch this season (3a). Rookie Sven Andrighetto is the only other Bulldog with more than 40 points at 44 (17g, 27a). Mike Blunden (18g, 18a) is tied with center Gabriel Dumont (19g, 17a) for third on the team with 36 points.

Syracuse is scoreless on the power play in the last three games (0-for-11), following a stetch of 15-for-43 (34.8%) in the ten previous contests. The Crunch are 15th in the AHL (17.5%). The team's penalty kill is also 15th (82.2%) having allowed one goal on three Amerks power plays Friday. 
 

The Bulldogs are 29th in the AHL on the power play (13.4%) and 17th on the kill (82.0%).