Game 65: Syracuse Crunch (38-18-8-0) at Lehigh Valley Phantoms (29-27-6-1)
7:05 p.m., PPL Center, Allentown, Pa.

Syracuse faces off against Lehigh Valley for the final second and final time Wednesday at PPL Center. The Crunch have won five of their last six and are first in the Northeast Division with 12 games to play. Lehigh Valley comes into the week with 65 points, third in the East Division and 12th in the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia's AHL affiliate is 10 points back of  a playoff spot with 13 games to play. Lehigh Valley has lost its last three games and was shut out at home for the first time Sunday vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Broadcast Coverage | Countdown to Crunch Time at 6:50 p.m.
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Last time out
Syracuse scored the first goal and the last three to defeat Springfield, 4-1, Sunday at MassMutual Center. The Crunch win extends their lead to seven points in the Northeast Division.

Justin Courtnall, Jonathan Marchessault, Yanni Gourde and Mike Angelidis recorded goals for Syracuse. Of the 10 Crunch players who recorded points, Dylan Blujus was the only one with more than one, assisting on the Courtnall and Marchessault goals. Blujus has four points in the last two games.

Kristers Gudlevskis stopped all but one of Springfield's 14 shots, the fewest for a Crunch opponent this season. The Falcons managed four in the first, two in the second and eight in the third. Gudlevskis' fourth win in a row give him 22 for the season in 36 appearances.

Courtnall's first-period goal earned him a third point in six games with the Crunch, while Jonathan Marchessault's second-period power-play goal earned him a 53rd point, the most on Syracuse and 10th in the AHL.

Yanni Gourde potted his team-leading 26th goal on the power play with helpers from Slater Koekkoekand Carter Ashton. Gourde's tally puts him third in the AHL in goals and tied for the conference lead. Angelidis capped the scoring, putting home a rebound near the end of the third period. Angelidis has 18 goals and 34 points to surpass his totals from last season.

Syracuse finished 2-for-6 on the power play and is 4-for-9 in the last two games. Syracuse's penalty kill stopped both Springfield chances and has stopped a season-high 20 opposing power plays in a row over a span of five games.

Scouting the Phantoms
Syracuse won the previous meeting with the Phantoms Jan. 23 at the War Memorial, 4-2. Yanni Gourde scored twice, his fourth multi-goal game of the season and his lone multi-goal game of the calendar year. Friday marks the first trip for Syracuse to Lehigh Valley; the Phantoms relocated to Allentown, Pennsylvania, this year after five seasons in Glens Falls, New York.

Defenseman Brandon Manning leads active Lehigh Valley skaters in scoring with 43 points (11g, 32a). Manning ranks second among AHL defensemen in assists. The All-Star also ranks first in power-play points (25) and power-play assists (19) among defensemen. Nick Cousins lead all Phantom players with 55 points (21g, 34 a), but was called up to the Philadelphia Flyers March 15. Cousins is still tied for fifth in AHL scoring. Jason Akeson trails close behind Manning with 42 points (20g, 22a). The right-winger has zero points in the Phantoms' current three-game losing streak.

Rob Zepp and Anthony Stolarz handle the Lehigh Valley goaltending duties. Zepp (17-13-4) has totaled a 2.67 goals-against-average and a .915 save percentage in 36 games. In four NHL games with the Flyers he is 2-1 with a 2.84 goals-against-average and .886 save percentage. Stolarz (9-12-3) has earned a 3.18 goals-against-average and a .906 save percentage in 28 games this season. The Jackson, New Jersey native took the loss against Syracuse earlier this season, stopping 30 of 34 shots.