CRUNCH LOOK TO RESPOND ON HOME ICE
 
Syracuse hosts Cleveland for Game 2 of the North Division Semifinals following the Monsters' 5-3 victory in the playoff opener last night. The Crunch have dropped consecutive contests at the War Memorial Arena once this season, a three-game stretch that came back in October.  
 
LAST TIME OUT
 
The Monsters grabbed a 5-3 win in Game 1 of the North Division Semifinals last night at the War Memorial Arena.
 
Following a scoreless first period, the Monsters scored back-to-back goals in a 2:11 span. First, Sonny Milano darted into the offensive zone and left the puck for Mark Letestu to hammer into the net. Just over two minutes later, Ryan MacInnis beat Eddie Pasquale on a breakaway for the 2-0 advantage. Syracuse got on the board with 2:05 to play in the middle frame. Alex Volkov fired home a one-timer from the right circle on the power play; Carter Verhaeghe and Cameron Gaunce recorded the assists.
 
In the third period, the Crunch brought the game even at two with another power-play goal. This time it was Cory Conacher's one-timer that beat Thiessen as Gaunce and Verhaeghe added the assists again. Cleveland responded with two goals in the span of 53 seconds. With under seven minutes to play, Kevin Stenlund cashed in with a deflection on the man advantage to regain the lead. On the ensuing shift, Zac Dalpe checked in from the slot to make it 4-2 Monsters.
 
With 1:52 remaining, Syracuse cut the deficit back to one as Verhaeghe wired in a wrist shot for his third point of the night. Cleveland's Dillon Simpson collected an empty-netter in the final minute to seal the 5-3 decision. 
 
SCOUTING THE CRUNCH
 
The Crunch dropped Game 1 of the North Division Semifinals for second time in the last three years. In the regular season, they lost their first three home games of the season (0-3-0-0), but did not lose consecutive home games over their final 35 home games. They went 27-5-1-2 on home ice the rest of the season; those 27 wins were the most in franchise history during a 76-game season. Syracuse also tied for the AHL lead with a 0.750 points percentage at the War Memorial Arena.
 
Alex Volkov scored his first playoff power-play goal last night and brings a three-game goal scoring streak into Game 2. As a rookie last season, the Russian piled up six points through the first four playoff games (3g, 3a), including a game-winning goal at home against the Amerks in Game 2 of the North Division Semifinals. This year, the 21-year-old forward finished fifth on the Crunch in scoring with 48 points (23g, 25a), ending the regular season with eight points (5g, 3a) and three multi-point performances in the final six contests.
 
Following a call-up to the Lightning, Cameron Gaunce returned to Syracuse with a two-point night (2a), his first multi-point performance in the playoffs since June 17, 2014 when he tallied three helpers in Game 5 of the Calder Cup Finals to help lead the Texas Stars to the Calder Cup.
 
Cory Conacher also picked up two points last night (1g, 1a). The veteran forward led the Crunch with 28 points (12g, 16a) in their 2017 Calder Cup run where he had eight multi-point games, including back-to-back four-point nights in the Eastern Conference Finals. The 29-year-old forward has piled up 54 points (20g, 34a) in 71 career Calder Cup Playoffs games; his team has advanced the Calder Cup Finals the last three times he's appeared in the playoffs (2012, 2015, 2017). Conacher is the second Crunch player to reach 30 points in the Calder Cup Playoffs; he has 30 (13g, 17a) in 23 playoff games with the Crunch. He is two points behind Matt Taormina for the most in the franchise's playoff history.
 
VERHAEGHE HITS ANOTHER THREE 
 
Carter Verhaeghe registered a goal and two assists Friday, the second time he's generated three points in a Calder Cup Playoff game. In his first career three-point playoff outing, he tallied three assists in Game 3 of the 2018 North Division Semifinals to defeat Rochester, 6-3. Verhaeghe finished second on the team with eight points (1g, 7a) in the 2018 postseason.
 
The Toronto native scored at least three points eight times this regular season and the Crunch were 8-0-0-0 in those contests. In his Syracuse career, the team is 10-1-0-0 when he records at least three points in a game.
Verhaeghe topped the Crunch with 23 multi-point outings this season. 
 
BARRÉ-BOULET USED TO THIS 
 
Alex Barré-Boulet made his professional playoff debut Friday and tallied his first postseason point, assisting Carter Verhaeghe's third-period goal. Barré-Boulet qualified for the QMJHL President's Cup Championship series in 2017 and 2018 and finished top-three in points each postseason. In the 2018 playoffs with Blainville-Boisbriand, he was third in the QMJHL with 13 goals and 27 points. Barré-Boulet led the league with 14 playoff goals in 2016-17.
 
The 21-year-old topped league rookies with 34 goals and 68 points this season and was honored as the Dudley (Red) Garrett Memorial Award as the AHL's outstanding rookie.
 
GAME 1, DEFINITELY NOT DONE
 
Since the Crunch have been affiliated with the Lightning, Syracuse has come back to win a pair of playoff series when falling in the first game. The last time it happened was also in an opening-round, best-of-five series, the 2017 North Division Semifinals vs. the St. John's IceCaps. In that series, the Crunch took Game 2 at Mile One Centre in double overtime on a winning goal from Tye McGinn and Syracuse won the final three games of the series en route to the Calder Cup Finals.
 
Syracuse also rallied in the 2013 Eastern Conference Finals against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. They lost Game 1 at home before rattling off four consecutive wins to advance to their first Calder Cup Finals.
 
SCOUTING THE MONSTERS 
 
The Monsters won their tenth straight playoff game dating to 2016 when they won the Calder Cup as Lake Erie. It was also Cleveland's first regulation win against Syracuse this season; the Crunch won the season series 2-0-1-1.
 
Five players score a goal for the Monsters last night, including one from their regular-season leading scorer Zac Dalpe. He paced Cleveland with 55 points through 55 games and his 33 goals also led the team and put him in a third-place tie in the AHL.
Mark Letestu opened up the scoring for the Monsters last night for his first Calder Cup Playoffs goal since 2009. In his first season with Cleveland, Letestu finished the regular season second in scoring with 50 points in 64 games (21g, 29a). This year was Letestu's first full season in the AHL since 2009-10 when he was a member of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. In 32 career playoff games, Letestu has 17 points (3g, 14a).