CRUNCH PLAY FIRST OF THREE-IN-THREE
 
The Crunch (3-2-2-0) host the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (1-5-2-1) to open their first three-in-three weekend. Syracuse collected a point in both games last weekend (1-0-1-0) to close out October while Bridgeport rides in on a six-game winless streak (0-4-1-1).
 
LAST TIME OUT
 
The Crunch earned a 4-3 overtime win against the Toronto Marlies Sunday in the first of six 2019-20 regular season meetings between the North Division rivals.
 
Despite being outshot 13-7 in the opening frame, the Marlies took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission. In the second, three Crunch skaters answered with their first goals of the season. Following an Otto Somppi neutral zone faceoff win, Cal Foote's dump-in attempt took a friendly carom off the boards and skipped into the vacated net to tie the game. The Crunch scored two goals just 2:10 apart late in the period to grab a two-goal advantage. Ross Colton buried a Mitchell Stephens centering feed at even strength, and Taylor Raddysh finished a backdoor feed from Gemel Smith on the power play to put the Crunch up 3-1.
 
Toronto's Garrett Wilson netted his second goal of the season 6:22 into the third period, and Tyler Gaudet tied the game with 7:09 remaining in regulation, which forced overtime.
 
Gemel Smith scored 39 seconds into overtime to secure two points for the Crunch. He fielded a Luke Schenn breakout pass just inside the Crunch blue line, sped through the neutral zone and finessed his way across the slot to bury a backhander past Joseph Woll's trapper for the game-winner.
 
Louis Domingue parried 15 shots to secure his first victory since Syracuse's 6-3 win at Cleveland Oct. 12.
 
SCOUTING THE CRUNCH 
 
Tonight also kicks off the Crunch's first three-in-three weekend of the season; Syracuse plays three games in three nights four more times this year with the next coming in January.
 
The Crunch picked up three out of a possible four points last weekend, in part due to the standout play of Gemel Smith. He led the Crunch in scoring during Week 4, piling up five points in two games (3g, 2a). He was one of just two players who picked up five points in fewer than three games last week (Nathan Walker, San Antonio).
 
The Toronto native began the weekend with his sixth career three-point performance against the Amerks, which included his first two goals of the 2019-20 campaign. The following night against the Marlies, Smith snapped the Crunch's three-game losing streak with the overtime game-winner; it was the second overtime game-winning goal of Smith's career (Feb. 2, 2019 vs. Charlotte). The 25-year-old forward now paces the Crunch with seven points in six games (3g, 4a).
 
GETTING THOSE FIRSTS
 
Sunday's clash with the Marlies was a big night for the second year pros; Cal Foote, Taylor Raddysh and Ross Colton all scored their first goals of the season. Last season, Foote tallied 31 points (10g, 21a), good for ninth place among all rookie defensemen. Taylor Raddysh lit the lamp on the man-advantage for his first power-play goal since Dec. 8, 2018 against Rochester. Raddysh also finished top-10 in rookie scoring last year (9th), with 46 points in 70 games (18g, 28a).
 
Those three joined Gemel Smith, Boris Katchouk and Ben Thomas, who all scored their first goals of the season the previous night. Through seven games, 14 different players have contributed a goal.
 
"Obviously to get the first one out of the way is always good and normally they come in bunches," said Smith. "If you score, keep shooting and do the right things and good things will happen."
 
NOVEMBERS TO REMEMBER 
 
Tonight marks the first of 14 games for the Crunch this November, compared to just seven in October. However, the second month of the season has brought success the past two years; the Crunch are 13-0-2-0 in their last 15 November games dating back to the 2017-18 season. Last year, Syracuse posted a 9-0-2-0 record during the month, outscoring its opponents 50-24.
 
Under head coach Ben Groulx, the Crunch have posted a 21-6-2-4 record in November, good for a 0.727 points percentage.  Last year, Cory Conacher was named CCM/AHL Player of the Month in November by leading the league with 23 points (8g, 15a) in 11 games.
 
SCOUTING THE SOUND TIGERS 
 
Bridgeport travels to Syracuse with a 1-5-2-1 record and an Eastern Conference low five points. Friday night's game will mark the first of four matchups between Syracuse and Bridgeport this season. The Sound Tigers split the 2018-19 season series with the Crunch 1-1, winning the most recent tilt 4-1 at Webster Bank Arena March 24. Bridgeport hasn't won in Syracuse since Nov. 11, 2016 (a 3-2 shootout win).
 
Bridgeport dropped three games in Connecticut last weekend, capturing just one of a possible six points with Sunday's overtime loss at home against the Hartford Wolfpack. The Sound Tigers are winless in six straight games (0-4-1-1), as their last victory came Oct. 11 in Charlotte.
 
Winger Matt Lorito (3g, 1a) and defenseman Sebastian Aho (2a, 2a) lead the Sound Tigers in scoring, and both players have skated in all nine Bridgeport games this season. No Eastern Conference team has scored fewer goals (17) than Bridgeport.
 
Christopher Gibson and Jared Coreau have split time in net this season for Bridgeport, but Gibson is currently battling a lower body injury. Coreau is still searching for his first win of the season; the 27-year-old netminder has posted an 0-4-1 record with a 4.19 goals-against average and .875 save percentage. No AHL team has allowed more goals (35) than the Sound Tigers this season.
 
SPECIAL TEAMS 
 
The Crunch convert on 23.5% (8-for-34) of their man-advantage opportunities, a mark that ranks second in the North Division and fifth in the AHL. The Crunch have tallied power-play goals in all but one game this season. Peter Abbandonato and Alex Barré-Boulet are tied for the team lead with two goals on the power play. The Sound Tigers have only found the back of the net three times on the power play and own the worst conversion rate (8.1%) in the Eastern Conference.
 
The Crunch have killed off penalties 86.7% of the time, which ranks seventh in the AHL. Syracuse did not allow a power-play goal to the Marlies on two opportunities last Sunday. The Sound Tigers have killed off 36-of-43 (83.7%) opponent power plays this season, good for 16th in the league. Bridgeport denied the lone power-play chance in its overtime loss at Hartford Sunday.
 
In two meetings in the 2018-19 season, the Crunch registered one power-play goal in eight tries against the Sound Tigers. Bridgeport also notched just one power-play marker on 11 opportunities.