CRUNCH REMATCH WITH MONSTERS 
 
The Crunch close out opening weekend with their second and final game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse against the Cleveland Monsters.
 
The game, originally scheduled for 7 p.m. is now docketed for 3 p.m. due to the New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Guardians playoff game taking place later tonight right next door. 
 
The Monsters grabbed last night's opening night win, 6-5, over the Crunch in a shootout. The Monsters have won four straight head-to-head against the Crunch at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
 
LAST TIME OUT
 
The Monsters scored on three of their four shootout attempts and fended off the Crunch, 6-5, in a shootout on AHL Opening Night.
 
Cleveland never trailed in the game, and opened scoring just 26 seconds in on a snipe by Kirill Marchenko. Crunch captain Gabriel Dumont responded three minutes later, but the Monsters scored twice more in the first period to open a 3-1 lead.
 
Simon Ryfors scored twice in the second period, including a power-play strike in the final seconds of the frame, but the Monsters sandwiched one between those two and carried a 4-3 lead into the third period.
 
Felix Robert equalized things for the Crunch with another power-play goal early in the third. The Monster re-claimed the lead with a deflection by their captain Dillon Simpson before Gemel Smith scored a third Crunch man-up goal to tie the game at five. After a scoreless overtime, which saw the Crunch come up empty with a power play, Cleveland prevailed in the shootout, 3-2, to win the game, 6-5.
 
The Crunch dropped to 4-1-1-1 in regular season openers under head coach Ben Groulx.
 
SCOUTING THE CRUNCH
 
Last night marked the first time the Crunch's season opener was decided in a shootout since the 2012-13 season. That season, the Crunch lost , 6-5, to the Rochester Americans in what was the first game for the Crunch as the AHL affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Syracuse proceed to win the next four games and begun the journey to the franchise first Calder Cup Finals appearance.
 
With last night's defeat, they are now 12-10-2-2 (with three ties) in season-opening games. They are 5-6-2-2 in 15 season openers that have taken place on the road. 
 
Simon Ryfors led the Crunch with three points, including two goals, in last night's shootout loss. It was his second career two-goal and three-point game in the AHL. His previous two-goal outing was April 2, 2022 at Hartford, while his three-point game (3a) came March 16, also against the Wolf Pack. Ryfors is one of five AHL players who scored two goals last night. 
 
BARRE-BOULET GETS IT GOING
 
Forward Alex Barré-Boulet, now in his fifth season in the organization, racked up two assists and seven shots last night. His assist on Gabriel Dumont's first period goal marked the 200th point in his AHL career; all 200 have come with the Crunch and he became the sixth player in franchise history with 200 points. Now at 201 points (85g, 116a) in 203 career games, Barré-Boulet is just four points shy of matching Cory Conacher's 205 for the most points scored for the Crunch during the Lightning affiliation.
 
The Crunch's all-time franchise scoring record is held by Brad Moran, who totaled 241 points (98g, 143a) in 334 games from 2000 to 2005.
 
PICKING UP WHERE HE LEFT OFF
 
Crunch captain Gabriel Dumont wasted no time continuing the success of his career season in 2021-22, scoring the team's first goal in 2022-23.
 
Dumont led the Crunch with a career-high 30 goals last season and he finished with 62 points, also a personal best, while playing in all, but one game last season.
 
Dumont, 32, signed a two-year AHL contract with the Crunch this summer, returning for his third season as the Crunch's captain (2018-19 and 2021-22).
 
SCOUTING THE MONSTERS
 
The Monsters are seeking their sixth 2-0-0-0 start in franchise history following last night's win over the Crunch. They last started with back-to-back wins in 2019-20, winning at Laval twice before losing their next two games at home versus Syracuse.
 
One of the Monsters' 2-0-0-0 starts came in 2010-11, when the Crunch and Monsters opened the season with a home-and-home series. The Monsters won, 3-2, in Cleveland before winning, 2-1 in a shootout, the next night in Syracuse.
 
The Monsters best start in franchise history was a 3-0-0-0 mark at the beginning of the 2018-19 season. 
 
SEVERAL FIRSTS 
 
As you would expect, the season opener came with it a few personal firsts for Crunch players. 
 
Rookie Jack Finley, skating in just his third career AHL game, earned an assist on Felix Robert's third period goal. It was Finley's first pro point. Finley, who just turned 20 in September, also saw action in two games for the Crunch as a teenager in 2020-21. A second round pick by the Lightning in 2020, Finley played his major junior career in the WHL with Spokane and Winnipeg.
 
Last night also marked the North American pro (and AHL) debut of undrafted free agent Ilya Usau. The Lightning signed Usau in March; he has played two seasons in the KHL with Minsk.
 
POWER PLAY CLICKS 
 
The Crunch's power play got off to a hot start this season, going 3-for-4 in last night's loss. Three different players—Simon Ryfors, Felix Robert and Gemel Smith—ended up with the power-play tallies.
 
Syracuse's power play only scored three goals in a game once all of last season. That also came against Cleveland when the Crunch went 3-for-9 Dec. 8, 2021.
 
They haven't scored three power-play goals in a season opener since at least 1998-99.