CRUNCH OPEN SEASON-ENDING THREE-IN-THREE
 
The Crunch (45-21-4-3) open their final weekend of the 2018-19 regular season against the Laval Rocket (29-33-6-6) at the War Memorial Arena.
 
Tonight marks the sixth and final meeting between the teams. The Crunch have won all but one of those meetings, a 4-0 loss in Laval Dec. 15. Syracuse enters the weekend in first place of the North Division, but Rochester is just one point behind them.
  
LAST TIME OUT
 
The Crunch fell, 5-2, to the Rochester Americans Saturday at the War Memorial Arena.
 
The Amerks rolled out to a 5-0 lead by the midway point of the second period. They scored two goals in the first period, including a tally 33 seconds into the game. The Amerks added three more in the middle period to open a 5-0 lead before the Crunch finally got on the board with an Alex Barré-Boulet goal at 19:30.
 
Dennis Yan capped the scoring with his 11^th goal of the season on a wrist shot from the right circle 5:54 into the third period, finishing after a drop pass from Barré-Boulet.
 
The Crunch and Amerks remain separated by one point in the division after splitting their third home-and-home series.
 
SCOUTING THE CRUNCH 
 
Syracuse enters the final weekend of the regular season with home-ice advantage in the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs in its back pocket. The Crunch control their own destiny in the North Division, with a one-point lead over the Amerks and three games left on the schedule for both teams—including a head-to-head battle tomorrow at the War Memorial. Syracuse (.664) and Rochester (.658) own the second- and third-best points percentages in the AHL; the division champion secures the home-ice edge through the first two rounds.
 
The Crunch are the only Eastern Conference team that has captured a top-two spot in its division in each of the last three years. The only other AHL team that can claim that distinction resides out west, where the Chicago Wolves have won the Central Division three straight years.
 
Syracuse received some reinforcements from the Tampa Bay Lightning heading into the final week of the season. Defenseman Cameron Gaunce and goaltender Eddie Pasquale have rejoined the Crunch. Gaunce became the 55th player to appear in a game for the Crunch and Lightning during the affiliation when he made his Bolts debut April 1. He leads Crunch defensemen with 43 points (10g, 33a) in 57 games.
 
Pasquale went 1-1-0 in a two-start stint with the Lightning and he returns to the Crunch where he's won a career-high 25 games (25-12-6) with a 2.37 goals-against average and .916 save percentage. 
 
VERHAEGHE, BARRÉ-BOULET RECEIVE LEAGUE HONOR 
 
Alex Barré-Boulet has been named to the 2018-19 AHL All-Rookie Team, as voted by coaches, players and the media in the league. This is just the second time a Crunch player has been named to the All-Rookie squad since it began in 1996-97; Harold Druken got the nod in the 1999-00 season.
 
With 33 goals in his first professional campaign, Barré-Boulet leads all first-year skaters and is tied for the league lead heading into the final weekend of the regular season. His offensive production puts him in the running for the Willie Marshall Award, which is given to the league's leading goal scorer; the last Crunch player to earn the accolade was Tyler Johnson in 2012-13. The 2017-18 Canadian Hockey Player of the Year has piled up 64 points through 71 games (33g, 31a), which puts him second among all AHL rookies and ranks ninth in the league.
 
In his fourth AHL season, Carter Verhaeghe is having a career year, earning him a place on the AHL First All-Star Team. The 23-year-old forward is the third Crunch player to earn the nod during the Lightning affiliation; Tyler Johnson (2012-13) and Matt Taormina (2016-17) were also named to the team. With 77 points in 73 games (31g, 46a), Verhaeghe has eclipsed his points, goals and assist totals in his previous campaigns. The Toronto native's 77 points not only lead the Crunch but are also good for second in the league; the Crunch have never had a player finish the regular season at the top of the AHL scoring leaders.
 
SCOUTING THE ROCKET 
 
Coming off a 2-1 loss to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Wednesday, the Rocket have two games left in their regular season. Prior to a win over the Hershey Bears last weekend, the Rocket had lost five-straight games in regulation. Laval is 3-6-0-1 in its past ten games. The Rocket have struggled at the War Memorial Arena in their first two years in the league, posting a 1-5-0-0 record. They've been outscored by the Crunch 10-6 in the two meetings in Central New York so far this season.
 
The Rocket are paced offensively by forward Alex Belzile. The 6-foot center leads the team with 54 points (19g, 35a) on the year. Belzile, 27, has registered exactly one point every time the teams have met this year. Prior to this season, Belzile had never registered more than 34 points in an AHL season. He's been playing minor league hockey since 2012, when he joined the Gwinnett Gladiators of the ECHL. Belzile has scored a goal in two of the Rocket's last three games. Outside of Belzile, the Rocket rely on center Daniel Audette for a chunk of their goal scoring. He's registered 38 points (14g, 24a) in 69 games so far this season. Eleven of Audette's 14 goals have come after Jan. 1, last scoring March 27 against Binghamton.
 
On Wednesday, Michael McNiven got the start between the pipes for the Rocket. He's appeared in 63 games this season, posting a 2.49 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage. McNiven started the game in Syracuse on Nov. 17, allowing five goals in a 6-4 Crunch win. Etienne Marcoux is the only Rocket goalie that has beaten the Crunch this year. Marcoux, 25, has played five games with the Rocket this year, last appearing on Dec. 29 against Charlotte. He's played 38 games with the Brampton Beast of the ECHL.
 
SPECIAL TEAMS
 
With three games remaining in the regular season, the Crunch's power play ranks fifth in the AHL, converting on 20.6% of its opportunities. Last weekend, the Crunch went a combined 0-for-6 with the man advantage. Syracuse last scored a power-play goal March 30 against Utica, when they buried three goals with the man advantage. On the penalty kill, the Crunch are stopping their opponents power play 85.0% of the time, the fourth best percentage in the league. Syracuse stopped four of five Rochester power plays last Saturday.
 
The Rocket are converting on 17.6% of their power plays, tied for 18th in the AHL. Laval was 0-for-6 on Wednesday against Bridgeport with the man advantage. The Rocket last scored on the power play March 29 against Rochester. Defensively, the Rocket penalty kill is operating at 79.4%, which ranks 26th overall in the AHL. They've allowed six goals against the Crunch this season.