CRUNCH KICK OFF 30TH SEASON
 
The Crunch hit the road to open their 30th season in franchise history tonight against the Utica Comets at the Adirondack Bank Center.
 
The teams will meet 14 times in the regular season, culminating in a home-and-home series on the final weekend of the regular season April 19-20.
 
LAST YEAR'S SERIES
 
The Crunch and Comets clashed 14 times in the battle for the Galaxy Cup in 2022-23. Syracuse re-claimed the series with eight wins (8-3-2-1) head-to-head. The Crunch went 4-2-0-1 in seven games at the Adirondack Bank Center, which included wins in their first three trips to Utica.
 
Among returning players, Gage Goncalves was the most prolific scorer in last year's series, racking up 16 points (7g, 9a) in the 14-game series. He had seven multi-point games in the series, notching four straight in the final four meetings of the season.
 
Graeme Clarke paced the Comets in scoring - both against the Crunch and overall. He wrapped up the series with 12 points (5g, 7a) in 13 games against Syracuse.
 
Hugo Alnefelt was 4-2-1/2.42/.919 in seven games against the Comets.
 
A NEW COACHING STAFF
 
Tonight will be the first regular season game behind the bench for the Crunch's new head coach Joel Bouchard. The 49-year-old was announced as the club's 10th head coach in franchise history on June 26, 2023. He replaces Ben Groulx, who won a franchise record 256 games from 2016 to 2023. 
 
Bouchard has been a head coach for four seasons in the AHL; he spent three seasons with Laval (2018-21) and one campaign with San Diego (2021-22). He has a 111-100-18-13 record in 242 games, and he led the Rocket to the Canadian Division title in 2020-21.
 
Prior to that, Bouchard had a 160-80-32 record as the head coach of the QMJHL's Blainville-Boisbriand Armada from 2014 to 2018.
 
Bouchard's staff is rounded out by assistant coaches Dan Jacob and A.J. MacLean, goalie coach Max Vaillancourt and video coach Jake Wheeler.
 
SCOUTING THE CRUNCH
 
The Crunch's opening night roster consists of 23 players - 21 skaters and two goaltenders.
 
Out of their 15 forwards, 11 skated in at least one regular season or playoff game for the Crunch last season. That includes their captain Gabriel Dumont, plus Daniel Walcott, who established a new franchise record for games played in a Crunch sweater. Gage Goncalves is their leading scorer among returners; the third-year pro notched 54 points (13g, 41a) in 71 games in 2022-23.
 
Five defensemen spent time in Syracuse last season, including a pair of rising second-year-pros Jack Thompson and Declan Carlile. Those two, plus veteran returner Phil Myers, all netted eight goals for the Crunch last year.
 
NETMINDERS
 
The Crunch enter the season with two goaltenders on their roster and both were selected in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Hugo Alnefelt is back for his third season with the Crunch. The 22-year-old is 27-19-6 with a 2.92 goals-against average and a .895 save percentage in his first two AHL seasons. He improved across the board in 2022-23, going 17-12-2/2.77/.904 and posting his first three career shutouts.
 
Alnefelt is joined by fellow 2019 draftee Pyotr Kochetkov, who was loaned to the Crunch from the Carolina Hurricanes last week. The Hurricanes do not have an AHL affiliate this season, so their prospects are scattered across the league. Kochetkov is 30-7-4 in his AHL career, and he won a Calder Cup with Chicago in 2022. He is also 15-7-5 in 27 NHL games for Carolina, and was named NHL Rookie of the Month in December 2022.
 
Kochetkov was selected 36th overall by Carolina and Alnefelt was nabbed with the 71st pick by Tampa Bay in 2019.
 
30TH SEASON
 
The Crunch are celebrating their 30th season in the American Hockey League in 2023-24. Beginning play in 1994, the Crunch are the fourth-oldest franchise that has been continually operating in the AHL; only the Hershey Bears, Rochester Americans and Providence Bruins have been in operation in their city longer than the Crunch.
 
Ahead of their 30th regular-season opener, the Crunch hold a 12-10-2-2 (with three ties) record in season-opening games. They are 5-6-2-2 in 15 season openers that have taken place on the road.
 
Their 30th home opener takes place tomorrow against the Bridgeport Islanders.
 
SCOUTING THE COMETS
 
Utica enters the season with a 22-man opening day roster, consisting of 20 skaters and two goalies.
 
Thirteen players are back from last year's roster, including leading scorer Graeme Clarke, who ended the campaign with 58 points (25g, 33a) in 68 games.
 
New to the Comets this season is former Crunch defenseman Cal Foote. A first round pick by Tampa Bay in 2017, Foote played in parts of five season for the Crunch beginning at the end of the 2017-18 season. He skated in 155 games, plus 11 playoff games, for the Crunch.
 
Returning goaltender Isaac Poulter is joined by Erik Källgren, who spent last season between NHL and AHL-Toronto. The Swede was 10-9-2 in 24 games for the Marlies in 2022-23.
 
THE CAPTAIN'S BACK
 
Crunch captain Gabriel Dumont is back for his sixth season in the Salt City. It's his fourth season (2018-19; 2021-present) as the Crunch's captain. Dumont becomes just the third player in team history to serve as captain over four seasons, joining Mark Wotton (1995-99) and Mike Angelidis (2012-16). Dumont is 16 games away from 700 career AHL games.
 
The Crunch begin with only one alternate captain - Daniel Walcott. The 29-year-old enters his ninth season with the Crunch, and he holds the franchise record for games played (378).