CRUNCH BEGIN WEEKEND SET IN CHARLOTTE
 
The Crunch and Charlotte Checkers begin a two-game weekend series tonight at Bojangles Coliseum.
 
It's the first game of a four-game regular season series between the teams. The Checkers come to Syracuse for back-to-back games Feb. 3-4.
 
The Crunch (1-4-1-2) opened their three-game road trip Wednesday in Rochester with a 7-2 loss to the Amerks. Charlotte capped its three-game New England road trip with a shootout loss in Bridgeport Tuesday morning.
 
LAST TIME OUT
 
The Crunch's losing streak moved to four with a 7-2 loss to the Rochester Americans Wednesday at Blue Cross Arena.
 
Seven different goal scorers found the back of the net for the Amerks, who grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first period. They opened the scoring with a power-play goal and then made it 2-0 on a slick backhand strike four minutes later.
 
The Crunch pulled one back early in the second period when Daniel Walcott buried a shorthanded tally 3:22 into the period. Rochester scored the next three goals to open a 5-1 lead before Jack Thompson scored his first AHL goal for the Crunch, making it 5-2.
 
The Amerks capped the scoring with two goals in the third period to set the final at 7-2.
 
SCOUTING THE CRUNCH
 
The Crunch have lost their last four games, including three in regulation (0-3-1-0) to sink to 1-4-1-2 this season. With five points, they are tied with Utica and Laval for the fewest in the North Division. The Crunch have the fewest wins in the AHL.
 
Defenseman Darren Raddysh set up the Crunch's opening goal in their loss to Rochester Wednesday night. It gives Raddysh a point in seven of the team's first eight games and put him back into the scoring lead among AHL defensemen with 11 points (3g, 8a) in eight games. He is currently on pace to smash his scoring totals from last year, when he produced 25 points (7g, 18a) in 61 games during his first season in the organization.
 
SCOUTING THE CHECKERS
 
The Checkers are back home for their first home game since Oct. 22 following a three-game trip to New England. After opening the season with four straight home wins, the Checkers posted a 0-1-1-1 mark during their road trip. At 4-1-1-1, the Checkers are in fourth place in the Atlantic Division.
 
Charlotte is also one of two teams (Rochester) with a 4-0-0-0 home record so far this season; three of the Checkers four home wins have been one-goal games.
 
The Checkers, who feature five players who have skated with the Crunch during their career, are led in scoring by Riley Nash's seven points (2g, 5a) in seven games.
 
In net, three different goalies have seen action for Charlotte. Rookie Mack Guzda leads the trio with two wins (2-0-1), posting a 1.98 goals-against average and .934 save percentage. Alex Lyon (1-1-1) and J-F Berube (1-0-0) have also earned victories.
 
THE WALLY WAY
 
Daniel Walcott continued his strong start to the season by scoring his third goal Wednesday at Rochester. The veteran has seven points (3g, 4a) in eight games this season; he is on pace to smash his career highs of 7-12—19 set during the 2019-20 campaign.
 
The goal—which came a man down—was the Crunch's first shorthanded goal of the season, and it was Walcott's third career shorthanded tally. He scored one in 2019-20 (also versus Rochester) and one in 2021-22.
 
THOMPSON SCORES HIS FIRST
 
Defenseman Jack Thompson scored his first career American Hockey League goal Wednesday against the Amerks. The 20-year-old is the second Crunch rookie this season to score his first AHL goal (Jack Finley); it came in his ninth career AHL game.
 
Last season, the Courtice, Ontario native led OHL defensemen with 21 goals in 65 games split between Sudbury and the Soo. He was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the third round, 93rd overall, in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.
 
Four Crunch players—Lucas Edmonds, Ilya Usau, Bennett MacArthur and Tyson Feist—are still in search of their first AHL goals.
 
HE SURE WAS NASHTY
 
The Crunch face off against their former teammate, Riley Nash, for the first time tonight. The veteran ended the 2021-22 regular season with the Crunch, becoming an integral part of the team's climb to second place in the North Division.
 
Nash logged 18 points (10g, 8a) in 17 games with the Crunch to close out the season. He ranked second on the Crunch in that span (Alex Barré-Boulet, 23 points). Syracuse posted a 13-3-1-0 record in the 17 games with Nash in the lineup, and that allowed the Crunch to climb from fifth place in the North Division to second place before he earned his expected recall to Tampa Bay for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
 
Nash skated in eight games for the Lightning during the playoffs. He signed a two-year AHL contract with Charlotte, where he began his pro career in 2010-11. He has seven points (2g, 5a) in seven games this season for the Checkers.
 
HEAD-TO-HEAD
 
The Crunch and Checkers split their four-game series last season, with both teams going 1-1 on the road. They traded 5-3 wins at Bojangles Coliseum last December.
 
The Crunch have had more success in Charlotte than in Syracuse since the teams begin playing yearly in 2017-18. In 16 total matchups against the Checkers, the Crunch are 6-10-0-0, but they are 4-4-0-0 in Charlotte with the teams splitting their two-game set at Bojangles Coliseum each season.