Crunch Open Three-game Road Trip 
Syracuse travels to Chocolatetown, USA to face the Hershey Bears in the first of two matches between the clubs this season. It's the Crunch's only trip to Hershey and kicks off a three-game road trip for the Crunch, who are in Toronto over the weekend. The Crunch enter following a 5-3 win over the Charlotte Checkers while the Bears lost their last game to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. 

Last Time Out
The Crunch returned to the War Memorial Arena after four straight road games and defeated the Charlotte Checkers, 5-3, Saturday.

The Crunch raced out to a 3-0 lead in the first period on the strength of three points by Jamie McBain. He opened the scoring 9:14 into the game then earned primary assists on Erik Condra's and Mathieu Joseph's power-play goals, which upped the lead to three.

The Checkers pulled within 3-2 with a goal in the waning seconds of the first and then in the opening minutes of the second period. Michael Bournival restored a two-goal lead for the Crunch 11:51 into the second with his fifth goal of the season. Charlotte again got within one a few minutes later, but the Crunch iced the game on Condra's second goal of the night late in the third period, giving the Crunch a 5-3 win.     

Scouting the Crunch
The Crunch snapped a three-game winless streak with their win over the Checkers. They remain in seventh in the North Division at 4-6-1-2, with a 0.423 points percentage.

Crunch captain Erik Condra made his season debut and promptly scored two goals in their win over Charlotte Saturday. It was Condra's first multi-goal game since he scored a hat trick, Feb. 25 vs. Rochester. It was his sixth career AHL multi-goal game in 191 AHL games; he has four in 366 career NHL games.

Defenseman Jamie McBain led all scorers and produced a career-high four points (1g, 3a) against the Checkers. He scored the game's first goal then picked up primary assists on the next two goals to begin the night before earning a third assist in the third period. He more than doubled his season points total, upping his production to seven points (1g, 6a), tied for third on the team. His five power-play points, all assists, are tied with Cory Conacher for the team lead.

Back from the ECHL
Syracuse goaltender Connor Ingram was reassigned to the Crunch following a weekend stint with the ECHL's Adirondack Thunder. Ingram, 20, started three games in three days for the Thunder, winning two and losing one in a shootout. He gave up just four goals in three games and his 1.30 goals-against average and .960 save percentage earned him ECHL Player of the Week honors.

Ingram is 1-3-0 with a 3.36 goals-against average and an .860 save percentage in six games for the Crunch. 

Defenseman Matthew Spencer has also been reassigned to the Crunch from Adirondack. Spencer, 20, also appeared in three games with the Thunder, playing to a +1 rating.

Lightning Make Trade for Goalie
The Tampa Bay Lightning made a trade with the Arizona Coyotes Tuesday, acquiring goaltender Louis Domingue in exchange for Michael Leighton and Tye McGinn. 

Domingue, 25, has appeared in seven games with the Coyotes this season and in 84 NHL games in his career. Drafted by the Coyotes in the fifth round, 138th overall, in the 2010 NHL draft, Domingue has also appeared in 71 AHL games for Portland and Springfield.

Leighton was in his first season with the Crunch, posting a 3-3-2 record with a 3.03 goals-against average and an .868 save percentage.

McGinn was in his third season with the Crunch, notching five points (2g, 3a) in 11 games. He had 63 points (30g, 33a) in 104 games as a member of the Crunch, plus an additional 16 points (5g, 11a) in 21 Calder Cup Playoffs games last season. 

Scouting the Bears
The Bears saw their three-game winning streak end Sunday against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, but Hershey is up to 6-7-0-2 on the season after beginning the year 1-5-0-1. Hershey's 0.467 points percentage places the Bears in a tie for fifth place in the Atlantic Division with Hartford.

AHL scoring leader Chris Bourque has 21 points (5g, 16a) in 15 games for the Bears.  The 2015-16 AHL scoring champ also leads the AHL with 16 assists, one ahead of Hershey teammate Travis Boyd. Bourque and Boyd have done the most damage on the power play; Boyd leads the league with 12 power-play points and Bourque is right behind with 11.

Hershey ranks 28th in the AHL in goals against per game, allowing an average of 3.67 goals per game. Four goalies have seen action in the Hershey net, but Vitek Vanecek and Pheonix Copley are the two currently on the active roster. Copley is 3-0-1 in four games with a 2.41 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage, all of which lead the team. Vanecek lost in his season debut Sunday, allowing four goals on just 12 shots.   

Special Teams
The Crunch have scored power-play goals in a season-high five straight games. They are 8-for-30 (26.7%) in the stretch and have multiple power-play goals in three of those game. The Crunch are up to 12.6% on the man advantage, 26th in the AHL. 

Hershey has scored on the power play in 11 of its 15 games, tying San Diego for an AHL-best 18 goals. At 18-for-81, the Bears are third in the AHL with a 22.2% success rate. 

Syracuse has allowed eight power-play goals in the last five games. The Crunch's penalty kill operates at 80.6% (58-for-72) and has scored two shorthanded goals. 

The Bears have given up a power-play goal in three straight games, including one in their only shorthanded chance Sunday against the Penguins. They are 11th in the AHL at 84.1% (69-for-82).