CRUNCH CLOSE 2018 AGAINST SPRINGFIELD
 
The Crunch wrap up the calendar year tonight as they host the Springfield Thunderbirds for the first time this season.
 
Syracuse once again possesses the league's longest active winning streak. The Crunch have won four straight games since Dec. 21. Springfield has lost three straight games since beating the Crunch Dec. 19.    
 
LAST TIME OUT
 
The Crunch matched a franchise record in a 10-1 win over the Utica Comets last night at the War Memorial Arena. Not only did the Crunch tie their franchise record with 10 goals, but it was also the sixth time this season the team has scored six or more goals in a game.
 
Cal Foote and Carter Verhaeghe each scored twice, while Nolan Valleau, Dennis Yan, Boris Katchouk, Troy Bourke, Gabriel Dumont and Cory Conacher all added goals. Taylor Raddysh recorded a career-high five assists.
 
The Crunch scored five times over the first 28 minutes before Utica found the back of the net. Syracuse had 30 shots through two periods and finished with 41 for the game.
 
After the Comets' lone score, Syracuse added five more—including a franchise record three shorthanded goals—on the way to the victory.
 
SCOUTING THE CRUNCH 
 
The Crunch's ten-goal performance marks the first time Syracuse has potted ten goals on home ice since its inaugural season, a 10-4 victory against Rochester on Nov. 5, 1994. It's only the third time in franchise history they've netted 10 goals and the first time since April 6, 2008, also against Rochester.
 
The Crunch have picked up 40 points in 29 games this season, good for second place in the North Division. Syracuse sits just behind Rochester (42 points), but the Crunch have three games in hand. With 23 goals in its past four games, Syracuse leads the AHL by averaging 4.03 goals per game; the Crunch also rank second defensively at 2.62 goals against per game.
 
Rookie Taylor Raddysh piled up five assists last night against the Comets. The Ontario native has 23 points through 28 games (11g, 12a), which puts him fifth in scoring among all AHL rookies. It was the first five-point performance for a Crunch player since Dan Sexton grabbed a goal and four assists against Rochester on Nov. 4, 2011. The last Crunch player with a five-assist game was Joakim Lindstrom, who recorded six points (1g, 5a) Dec. 15, 2007. The franchise record is six assists by Lonny Bohonos (Dec. 27, 1995).
 
With two markers last night, Cal Foote has registered back-to-back two-goal games. Foote also added an assist, while Boris Katchouk scored one goal and tallied two assists as both rookies grabbed their first three-point performances of their professional careers.
 
Troy Bourke notched three points (1g, 2a), including his first goal of the season. It was Bourke's first three-point game in the AHL since his AHL debut March 21, 2014.
 
Carter Verhaeghe's first two-goal game of the season was his 11th multi-point performance of the year; he had 11 all of last season. It also extended his home scoring streak to an AHL-high 11 games; he has 21 points (9g, 12a) in those home games since Oct. 27. Including road games, he leads the entire AHL since that date with 33 points (12g, 21a) in 23 games. He is third in the AHL with 35 points (13g, 22a) in 29 games.
 
SCOUTING THE THUNDERBIRDS 
 
The Thunderbirds (15-11-2-3) fell to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, 4-3, at home last night for the team's third straight loss. All three losses have been decided by one goal, while their last victory came against Syracuse, 3-2, Dec. 19. They are 4-5-2-3 in one-goal games this season. With the defeat, the Thunderbirds are tied for fourth place in the Atlantic Division with 35 points. Springfield is 4-6-0-1 in an Eastern Conference-low 11 road games this season.
 
Winger Anthony Greco leads all active T-Birds in points, although he has been held pointless in each of his last four appearances. The Queens, New York native is enjoying a strong start to his third AHL season, posting 14 goals over his first 30 games; Greco scored 29 times in 75 games in 2017-18.
 
Paul Thompson (13g, 10a) is tied for the second-most points among active players on the Thunderbirds' roster (23). The 30-year old is in his tenth AHL season and played in his 500th professional game last night. Thompson has seen time in Central Massachussets over three different seasons—first in 2013-14 with the Springfield Falcons and with the Thunderbirds in 2016-17 and 2018-19.
 
Samuel Montembeault has seen the majority of time in the crease. The Québec native has played more than 1,100 minutes for the Thunderbirds, which is the sixth-most in the AHL. He is 11-6-2 with a 2.83 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage. Earlier today, the Florida Panthers traded Michael Hutchinson to Toronto for a fifth-round draft pick. Chris Driedger has been recalled from loan to ECHL-Manchester.
 
SPECIAL TEAMS
 
Just one of the Crunch's 10 goals last night came on the man advantage, as Cal Foote scored his second power-play goal of the season to give Syracuse the 3-0 lead after the first period (1-for-4). Despite a 3-for-29 skid on the man advantage in the last seven games, the Crunch still hold the best power play in the AHL, operating at 26.9% (36-for-134). Syracuse's man-up unit has especially clicked at the War Memorial Arena, as the Crunch's home man advantage is converting at a league-best 28.4% (23-for-81).
 
Springfield has power-play goals in back-to-back games after going 0-for-7 on the man advantage on Friday against Utica. The Thunderbirds struck twice last night on four man-up opportunities against the Sound Tigers. Springfield's power-play unit ranks third in the AHL at 25.2% (40-for-159).
 
Syracuse's penalty kill clicked last night, going a perfect 6-for-6 and adding a franchise record three shorthanded goals; the Crunch now lead the league with nine shorthanded goals this season. Syracuse has allowed 24 goals on 143 power-play opportunities, which ranks ninth in the AHL (83.2%). Against Springfield, Syracuse has allowed just one power-play goal through two meetings this season (11-for-12).
 
The Thunderbirds struggled on the penalty kill last night as the Sound Tigers went a perfect 2-for-2 on the man advantage. Springfield ranks 29th in the league at 76.9% (110-for-133).
 
KOEKKOEK RETURNS TO SYRACUSE
 
Defenseman Slater Koekkoek has been assigned to the Crunch on a conditioning loan by Tampa Bay. The 10th overall pick in the 2012 NHL Draft has appeared in nine games this season for the Lightning, scoring one goal. In 85 career NHL games, Koekkoek has 14 points (5g, 9a).
 
The 24-year-old is expected to appear in his first Crunch game since the 2017 Calder Cup Finals. He has dressed in 180 games for the Crunch since the 2014-15 season. He has 54 points (12g, 42a) and a +4 rating for Syracuse. He had seven points (1g, 6a) in 22 playoff games for the Crunch in 2017.