CRUNCH OPEN 29TH SEASON IN CLEVELAND 
 
The Crunch embark on their 29^th regular season tonight as they visit the Cleveland Monsters at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. It's the first of back-to-back games in Cleveland between the clubs on opening weekend.
 
Syracuse and Cleveland squared off eight times in 2021-22, with both teams earning four wins; the Crunch posted a 4-2-2-0 mark and Cleveland was 4-3-0-1.
 
OPENING NIGHT
 
Tonight marks the second straight Crunch season opener in Cleveland after they downed the Monsters, 6-4, on opening night last October. Despite the win, the game was a mixed back for the Crunch, who left with several injuries including one to starting goaltender Max Lagace.
 
The Crunch are seeking their third straight opening night win. Ahead of their 29th regular-season opener, the Crunch hold a 12-10-2-1 (with three ties) record in season-opening games. They are 5-6-2-1 in 14 season openers that have taken place on the road.
 
Under head coach Ben Groulx, the Crunch are 4-1-1-0 in regular season openers.
 
SCOUTING THE CRUNCH
 
Syracuse's opening night roster consists of 24 players—two goaltenders, eight defensemen and 15 forwards.
 
Out of the 24 players, 16 skated in at least one game for the Crunch during the 2021-22 season. They return the goalie tandem of Max Lagace and Hugo Alnefelt. Lagace dealt with injuries at the start of the season, but he was at the top of his game down the stretch, finishing with a 23-9-2 record with a 2.31 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage. He earned AHL Goaltender of the Month in April after posting a 9-1-1 record in 11 starts to close the season.
 
The Crunch also return their top goal scorer in captain Gabriel Dumont (30), three of their top four scorers with Alex Barré-Boulet (63), Dumont (62) and Sean Day (40) and one of the cornerstones of their blueline in Darren Raddysh.
 
NEW FACES
 
With 16 returning players, that still leaves eight players who did not skate for the Crunch last season. The majority of the turnover is comprised of rookies.
 
On defense, veteran Trevor Carrick, who spent last season with the San Diego Gulls, is expected to bolster a blueline that also adds rookies Jack Thompson and Tyson Feist. Carrick was recalled by the Lightning earlier today, and is not officially a part of the Crunch's opening night roster. Thompson, 20, was selected in the third round of the 2020 NHL Draft by the Lightning; he skated in one game for the Crunch in the 2020-21 season.
 
Among the forward group, the Crunch have added rookies Bennett MacArthur, Lucas Edmonds and Jack Finley. Félix Robert joins the organization after two seasons with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Grant Mismash arrives after being acquired by the Lightning in an offseason trade with Nashville. Undrafted free agent Ilya Usau was signed to an entry-level contract by the Lightning in March.
 
LAST SEASON
 
The Crunch finished the 2021-22 season with a 41-26-7-2 record, good for a 0.599 points percentage. Syracuse caught fire in the second half of the season and rallied from outside of a playoff position as late as mid-March to surge up to second place in the North Division by season's end.
 
The Crunch fell to the Laval Rocket in five games during the North Division Semifinals.
 
SCOUTING THE MONSTERS
 
The Monsters ended the 2021-22 season with a 28-35-8-5 record, finishing in last place in the North Division. Cleveland introduced Trent Vogelhuber as the team's seventh head coach in team history in June; he had served as an assistant coach for the last four seasons.
 
Cleveland's 2021-22 season won done in in part by their lack of success at home. The Monsters posted a 13-20-4-1 record at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse versus a 15-15-4-4 mark on the road.
 
COACHING CONTINUITY 
 
The Crunch's coaching staff remains in place for a fourth consecutive season. Ben Groulx returns for his seventh season at the helm; he is the all-time leader in wins in Crunch history with 221. In his first six seasons, Groulx has compiled a 221-126-28-23 record, good for a 0.619 points percentage. The Crunch have made the playoffs all four seasons that the Calder Cup Playoffs have been held while Groulx has served as head coach.
 
Assistant coaches Gilles Bouchard and Eric Veilleux are back behind the Crunch bench for their fifth and fourth seasons respectively. Goaltending and video coach Joe Palmer is also back for his fourth season with the team. 
 
#TAMPACUSE CONTINUES
 
The Tampa Bay Lightning and Syracuse Crunch jointly announced a five-year extension to their affiliation agreement that will allowed the Lightning's prospects to continue developing in Syracuse through 2026-27.
 
The 2022-23 season marks the Crunch's 11th season as the American Hockey League affiliate of the Lightning. It is now the longest the Crunch have served as an affiliate for an NHL partner, surpassing the 10 seasons the Crunch were the affiliate for the Columbus Blue Jackets (2000-10).
 
The Crunch are 368-234-59-41 during their time with the Lightning. Their 0.595 points percentage in that time is the best they've had with an NHL partner. They are just six wins shy of matching the 374 they totaled in 10 seasons with Columbus; those 374 wins came over 800 games versus the 702 games it has taken to reach 368 with the Bolts.
 
YOUNG GUNS
 
The Crunch's opening night roster consists of 10 players who are classified as rookies by the American Hockey League.
 
Crunch rookies include goaltender Hugo Alnefelt, defensemen Nick Perbix, Jack Thompson, Tyson Feist and Declan Carlile and forwards Bennett MacArthur, Lucas Edmonds, Jack Finley, Jaydon Dureau and Ilya Usau.