SYRACUSE, N.Y.  – Connor Ingram made 21 saves between the pipes for the Syracuse Crunch in a 4-0 shutout win over the Utica Comets tonight at the War Memorial Arena.
 
Carter Verhaeghe paced the Crunch with a goal and two assists on the night, while Nolan Valleau and Andy Andreoff recorded a goal and an assist each. The win moves Syracuse to 26-13-2-1 on the season and 3-4 in the 12-game Galaxy Cup series against Utica.
 
Ingram earned his second shutout against the Comets this season, while Ivan Kulbakov stopped 20-of-23 in net for Utica. Syracuse was unable to score on two power play opportunities, but went a perfect 4-for-4 on the penalty kill.
 
The Crunch opened scoring 12:05 into the game when Valleau ripped a shot from the left point through traffic with the help of Taylor Raddysh and Verhaeghe. With 1:30 remaining in the period, the Crunch doubled their lead. Valleau sauced a pass to Dennis Yan from the left boards. He turned and snapped home his 10th of the season from the bottom of the circle. Alexander Volkov recorded the secondary helper.
 
After a scoreless second stanza, the Crunch found the back of the net again 4:11 into the third period. Verhaeghe carried the puck down the right wing and sent it across the slot to Alex Barre-Boulet. He came in on a short 2-on-0 with Andreoff, who finished off the play with a point-blank redirection.
 
Verhaeghe then added an empty-netter from center ice with the help of Andreoff to secure the 4-0 victory.
 
The Crunch host the Cleveland Monsters tomorrow at 7 p.m.
 
Single game tickets and packages for the 2018-19 season 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 or online through Ticketmaster. 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: Connor Ingram is tied for the league lead with five shutouts…The Crunch have seven players with 10 or more goals this season…Carter Verhaeghe reached a new career-high with 51 points (21g, 30a) in 42 games.