CRUNCH AND MONSTERS SHOWDOWN 
 
The Crunch play their final Wednesday home game of the season tonight as they host the Cleveland Monsters at Upstate Medical University Arena.
 
It's the fourth and final meeting of the season series between the clubs. The Monsters have won all three matches, including a pair of games decided in shootouts to begin the season.
 
LAST TIME OUT
 
Hugo Alnefelt made 16 saves as the Crunch blanked the Toronto Marlies, 1-0, at Coca-Cola Coliseum Sunday evening.
 
The Crunch dominated play throughout the game, and they outshot the Marlies, 35-16. The only goal of the game was scored by Gabriel Dumont 8:26 into the first period. Darren Raddysh took a shot from the left point and Dumont tipped it in for his 15th goal. 
 
That stood as the lone tally as Alnefelt turned aside all 16 shots he faced for his third shutout of the season.
 
SCOUTING THE CRUNCH
 
The Crunch have won four of their last five games following a 1-0 victory over Toronto on Sunday. The Crunch took the six-game season series with the Marlies (3-2-1-0) and have now shut out four teams this season-Charlotte, Utica, Providence and Toronto.
 
Syracuse (25-19-4-3) jumped into second place in the North Division with 57 points. Only Toronto has more points (75) than the Crunch.
 
Crunch forward Gabriel Dumont has goals in back-to-back games, points in three straight (2g, 1a), and six points in his last six contests (3g, 3a). It's the third time this season he has a scoring streak of three-plus games. Since returning from injury on Nov. 23, Dumont leads all Crunch players with 14 goals in 36 games.
 
ALNEFELT GRABS THIRD SHUTOUT
 
Hugo Alnefelt earned his third shutout of the season by making 16 saves in a 1-0 win against the Toronto Marlies Sunday.
 
He is one of five goalies tied for second in the AHL with three shutouts this season. His have come against three of the top teams in the AHL, based on their place in the standings-Toronto (1st), Providence (4th) and Charlotte (8th).
 
The 16 saves are tied for the fewest required in a shutout in Crunch history. Alnefelt now has the most saves (51) and the fewest saves (16) in a shutout in franchise history, and the two performances came less than a month apart.
 
The 21-year-old improved to 13-8-1 with a 2.25 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage this season.  He ranks third in both goals-against average and save percentage in the AHL.
 
CRUNCH PEPPERING THE NET
 
The Crunch outshot Toronto, 35-16, on Sunday. In eight games since the All-Star Break, Syracuse has outshot its opponents seven times and has a 3-4 record in those games. They've averaged a 34.75-25.50 shots advantage since the break.
 
Overall, the Crunch have put more pucks on goal than their counterparts in 27 of 52 games this season. Syracuse is 12-12-2-1 in those contests. 
 
SCOUTING THE MONSTERS
 
The Monsters have dropped three straight games and four of their last five after starting the month of February 5-1-0-0. Most recently, Cleveland fell to Grand Rapids, 6-2, on Saturday after allowing the final five goals.
 
The Monsters (22-23-4-2) come into the day in the sixth spot in the North Division with 50 points. Only Belleville has fewer (49), but they are just one point back of Laval for the final playoff spot.
 
Cleveland is led by forward Trey Fix-Wolansky. The fourth year Monster leads the team in points (55), goals (22), assists (33), and power-play goals (9). Those are all career highs for the former seventh round pick.
 
The Monsters rank 31st out of 32 teams allowing 3.78 goals per game this season. They are 17-7-2-0 when surrendering three or fewer goals.
 
HEAD-TO-HEAD
 
The Crunch and Monsters haven't met since October, when Cleveland grabbed three wins in three games. The Monsters earned back-to-back shootout wins on home ice to begin the season and then knocked off the Crunch, 4-2, at the end of the month in Syracuse. This is the first time the Crunch have lost the season series with the Monsters since the 2012-13 season.
 
Alex Barré-Boulet leads all players with seven points-all assists- in three games. He has a multi-point game in all three matches so far. Simon Ryfors has scored a goal in all three games, and he leads the Crunch with four goals against the Monsters.
 
Trey Fix-Wolansky is the top scoring Monster against the Crunch this season. He has added six points (1g, 5a) in three games. Kirill Marchenko, who has spent most of the season with Columbus, led Cleveland with four goals.
 
SPECIAL TEAMS
 
The Crunch power play has helped drive their recent success. It delivered the one and only goal in their 1-0 win against the Toronto Marlies, giving them a power-play goal in four of the last five games. The Crunch are 6-for-17 in the five games, and they operate at 19.4% overall this season. The Crunch are 8-0-1-0 in the last nine when scoring a power-play goal, dating to Jan. 13. They are 5-for-11 this season against the Monsters.
 
The Monsters feature a power play that has cashed in on 21.9% of their chances this season. They are more potent on the road, where they rank third with a 26.6% conversion rate. They are 1-for-8 against the Crunch.
 
The Crunch penalty kill has been steadily climbing and they have allowed just two power-play goals in the last five games. Syracuse has successfully killed 80.9% of opponent power plays, and that jumps to 84.6% at Upstate Medical University Arena.
 
Cleveland's penalty kill is 26th in the AHL at 77.5% this season. The Monsters have allowed 26 of their 48 power-play goal against on the road.