CRUNCH RUMBLE WITH ROCKET  
 
The Crunch wrap up their weekend with their second-to-last home game of the regular season tonight against the Laval Rocket. 
 
Tonight is the seventh game of their eight-game season series. Laval has won four of the first six games, and the teams will conclude the series next Friday in Laval.
 
LAST TIME OUT
 
The Crunch rallied from a 2-0 deficit to force overtime before falling to the Rochester Americans, 3-2, last night at Upstate Medical University Arena.
 
The Amerks snagged a 1-0 lead 2:40 into the first period when Kohen Olischefski banked in a shot from beneath the goal line for his first AHL goal. The goalies combined for 29 saves in the first period, and it remained 1-0 until late in the second frame. Filip Cederqvist cashed in on a 3-on-2 rush at 16:32 for a 2-0 Amerks lead.
 
The Crunch began their uphill climb six minutes into the third period. Alex Barré-Boulet chipped a pass to Declan Carlile, who ripped his seventh goal of the season to cut the deficit in half. Just over three minutes later, Ilya Usau potted a rebound to tie the game at two. 
 
Jiri Kulich ended a back-and-forth overtime with a power-play goal to give the Amerks a 3-2 win.
 
SCOUTING THE CRUNCH
 
The Crunch have picked up 10 of 12 possible points during their six-game point streak (4-0-1-1), which is tied for their longest run of the season. They are 34-24-6-4 this season and are in second place in the North Division with 78 points. They are followed closely by Rochester (77) and Utica (76) in the race for a spot in the North Division Semifinals, which is guaranteed by finishing in the top three of the division.
 
Alex Barré-Boulet picked up an assist last night and became the second Crunch skater in team history to reach 80 points in a season. He is one assist and two points away from matching the single season franchise records (58 and 82 respectively). 
 
Ilya Usau has goals in consecutive games for the first time in his AHL career. Usau tapped home important rebound scores versus Rochester on Wednesday and last night, with his third period tally tying last night's game at two. In his first pro season in North America, Usau has racked up 16 points (4g, 12a) in 53 games.
 
PLAYOFF BOUND
 
The Crunch have clinched a playoff berth for the fifth straight season (excluding the Covid-effected 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons). They can still finish anywhere from second place to fifth place in the standings.
 
The Crunch have earned a playoff spot every year of eligibility since head coach Ben Groulx took over the helm ahead of the 2016-17 season. The Tampa Bay-Syracuse affiliation joins the Boston-Providence affiliation as the only two to make both the Stanley Cup Playoffs and Calder Cup Playoffs in each eligible season since 2017-18. The Calder Cup Playoffs have been held nine times (including the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs) since the Crunch's affiliation with the Lightning began in 2012-13, and this will be their seventh appearance in the playoffs in that span.
 
WORKING OVERTIME
 
The Crunch have played five straight overtime games for just the second time in franchise history. Their franchise record is a six-game stretch from March 21-31, 2012. It's only the 12th time they've played at least three straight overtime games. 
 
The Crunch have won three of the five games, and five of their last six wins overall have required overtime. Syracuse is 8-10 in overtime games this season after last night's loss.
 
The Crunch are 4-6 in games decided in the five-minute overtime period. All four overtime game-winning goals have been scored by defensemen, including two straight by Phil Myers in a five-day span in the past week. Darren Raddysh and Declan Carlile have scored the two other overtime goals for the Crunch this season.
 
SCOUTING THE ROCKET
 
The Rocket enter tonight's matchup on the outside of the playoff picture after a 6-4 loss to Cleveland last night. Laval has four games remaining, with a 29-29-7-3 record and 68 points. The Rocket are just one point behind Cleveland (69) vying for the fifth and final postseason spot in the North Division. Laval is one season removed from playing in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
 
Mitchell Stephens has been a driving force for Laval in the final stretch of the season. Stephens is currently on a four-game points streak, accumulating six points (2g, 4a) in his last four games. He's totaled 36 points (18g, 18a) in 64 games played this season. Two other former Crunch forwards are ahead of him in scoring on Laval. Anthony Richard leads the team with 59 points (26g, 33a) and Peter Abbandonato ranks second with 46 (11g, 35a). 
 
HEAD-TO-HEAD
 
The Rocket lead the season series with four wins in six tries, including four in the last five meeting. The Rocket won in Syracuse, 2-1, in overtime in the most recent match up on March 10.
 
Three Crunch players are tied for the team lead with five points in six games against Laval. Alex Barré-Boulet leads that group with three goals, and he's joined by Simon Ryfors (1g, 4a) and Phil Myers (5a). 
 
Joel Teasdale powers the Rocket with a series best seven points, including five goals. 
 
Hugo Alnefelt has made one appearance in net for the Crunch, while Kevin Poulin has gone in four of the six for the Rocket.
 
REPPIN THE SALT CITY
 
The Crunch will don special Salt City jerseys for the first time tonight. The jerseys, which are a nod to the city's nickname, pull on local elements to form a unique jersey. The light blue and white color scheme represents the city's flag.