UTICA, N.Y. – Despite peppering 42 shots on goal, the Syracuse Crunch were unable to top the Utica Comets and fell, 4-2, tonight at the Adirondack Bank Center.
 
The loss puts the Crunch on a three-game skid and moves the team to 24-14-2-2 on the season. Syracuse is 3-3-0-0 in the 12-game season series against Utica.
 
Connor Ingram stopped 18-of-22 shots in net for the Crunch before being relieved by Nick Riopel to start the third period. Riopel went on to turn aside both shots he faced. Thatcher Demko made 40 saves for the Comets. Syracuse scored on 1-of-6 power play opportunities, while Utica was 1-for-2 on the man-advantage.
 
The Comets were first on the board with 3:02 remaining in the opening frame. Nikolay Goldobin sped down the left wing and threw a centering feed for Reid Boucher to one-time from the slot. Demko recorded the secondary helper.
 
Utica doubled their lead on the power play 2:50 into the second period. Cam Darcy was down low to redirect Goldobin's left circle shot, but it caught Ingram's right pad. The rebound dropped straight down for Darren Archibald to chip in.
 
The Crunch stole one back with their own power-play goal at the 5:42 mark. Jamie McBain started the play at the blue line and passed off to Michael Bournival at the top of the left circle. He saucered one down to the goal line where Jonne Tammela angled his stick and redirected the puck past Demko short side.
 
With 4:53 remaining in the middle stanza, the Comets went back up by two. Boucher sniped his second of the game from the right face off dot with the help of Darcy and Philip Holm. Two minutes later, Ingram made the save on Ashton Sautner's bouncing bid from the crease, but he couldn't control the rebound and Darcy cashed in an open backdoor. Goldobin tallied the secondary assist.
 
Just 29 seconds into the third period, Syracuse came back within two. Walcott skated the puck through the neutral zone and across the blue line before firing a shot on net from the left wing. Cirelli swept the puck across the crease for Bournival net the rebound.
 
Syracuse went on to fire a season-high 22 shots in the third period, but couldn't overcome the deficit and had their seven-game road point streak snapped. The Crunch travel to face the Laval Rocket on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
 
Single game tickets and packages are on sale now and can be purchased in person at the Crunch office located inside the War Memorial Arena at 800 S. State St. in Syracuse, by calling the office at 315-473-4444. For the latest Crunch news, visit www.syracusecrunch.com or follow the club on Facebook (www.facebook.com/syracusecrunch), Twitter (@SyracuseCrunch) and Instagram (@syracusecrunch) using #SyrCrunch.
 
Crunchables: Nick Riopel appeared in his first AHL game since Dec. 29, 2010…The Crunch fired a season-high 22 shots in the third period. The previous high was 21 against Belleville on Oct. 13.