CRUNCH WIN STREAK REACHES FOUR  
 
The Crunch won a pair of home games in Week 15 to extend their winning streak to four.
 
Syracuse began the week with a comeback victory against the Providence Bruins. The Crunch scored three unanswered goals in the third period to win, 4-2. They followed that with a 5-2 victory over the Utica Comets - their second win over Utica in less than a week - powered by a four-goal second period.
 
The Crunch are 6-1-0-0 so far in 2024 and they have closed to within two points of first place in the North Division. The Crunch are 22-12-2-2 and have 48 points, the sixth most in the AHL.
 
TOP PERFORMERS
 
Jack Finley continued his hot streak with a pair of multi-point games in Week 15. The second-year-pro posted two one-goal, one-assist games to help the Crunch win twice. He opened the scoring Friday with a goal 2:25 into the game before assisting on the empty-net insurance goal with a defensive zone faceoff win. 
 
The next night, the 21-year-old picked up an assist on the Crunch's first goal then stretched their lead with a tally early in the third period. Finley has three straight multi-point games, and five over the last seven games. He's on a career-high three-game goal scoring streak.
 
Finley has 13 points (5g, 8a) in 21 games this season after finishing with 21 (12g, 9a) in 67 games as a rookie last season.
 
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Jack Thompson racked up two multi-point games in Week 15 to extend his scoring streak to seven games. The second-year-pro scored a goal and added an assist in both games. Thompson set up the game-winning goal and then scored an empty-net goal Friday. He then scored the Crunch's first goal and again assisted on the eventual winner Saturday.
 
Thompson, 21, has notched an assist in seven straight games, which is one shy of the longest streak in the league this season. 
 
The Courtice, Ontario native ranks second on the Crunch with 27 points (4g, 23a); he is tied for fifth among AHL defensemen. His 15 power-play points are tied for the most among AHL defensemen and are the most by a Crunch blueliner since Cal Foote (16, 2019-20). 
 
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AHL All-Star Gage Goncalves scooped up four more assists in two games last week. The third-year-pro, who turned 23 last week, had one assist Friday against Providence and then notched three on Saturday. It was his fourth career three-assist game.
 
Goncalves has assists in five straight games, and he has logged a point in 11 of the last 12 games since Dec. 17. He has also played two games for the Tampa Bay Lightning, making his NHL debut Jan. 11 vs. New Jersey.
 
ANYTIME, ANYWHERE
 
The Crunch have gone 4-1-0-0 during their current homestand, and they have played 19 games both at home and on the road this season. They are 11-5-2-1 (0.658) at home and 11-7-0-1 (0.605) on the road this season. 
 
The Crunch have a plus-10 goal differential at home (62-52) and a plus-9 goal differential on the road (61-52).

UPCOMING WEEK 
Friday, January 26 vs. Laval | 7 p.m.                              
                                                                        
The Crunch finish their six-game homestand when they host the Laval Rocket Friday night. It's the sixth meeting of the season between the clubs, and Laval's final trip of the season to Syracuse. After winning the first two matches, the Crunch have lost three straight against the Rocket. Laval enters the week on an 8-0-1-0 streak, which puts them at 17-14-4-2 this season. The Rocket are tied for fourth in the division.
 
Saturday, January 27 at Utica | 7 p.m.           
                                                                                           
The Crunch and Comets meet for the third time in less than two weeks Saturday at the Adirondack Bank Center. The Crunch have won three straight in the head-to-head series and lead the series with five wins to Utica's four. After earning points in eight straight games (4-0-1-3), the Comets have lost two straight in regulation to sink back below 0.500 with a 14-15-4-3 record. They are in last place in the North Division with 35 points.
 
WEEK 15 RESULTS
Friday, January 19 | Game 37 vs. Providence | W, 4-2
Providence        1 1 0 - 2     Shots: 10-8-8-26     PP: 1/5
Syracuse            1 0 3 - 4     Shots: 8-13-12-33   PP: 0/3
1st Period-Finley 4 (Fortier, Goncalves), 2:25. 3rd Period-Koepke 7 (Robert, Day), 0:31. Carlile 5 (Thompson, Allard), 18:30. Thompson 3 (Finley), 19:32 (EN). . . . Alnefelt 7-5-3 (26 shots-24 saves) A-5,678
 
Saturday, January 20 | Game 38 vs. Utica | W, 5-2
Utica               1 0 1 - 2     Shots: 11-11-13-34    PP: 1/4
Syracuse        0 4 1 - 5     Shots: 10-18-12-40    PP: 2/4
2nd Period-Thompson 4 (Goncalves, Finley), 0:30 (PP). Allard 3 (Groshev, Element), 3:12. Chaffee 11 (Thompson, Goncalves), 6:54 (PP). Day 1 (Carroll, Koepke), 19:57. 3rd Period-Finley 5 (Goncalves, Robert), 4:36. . . . Tomkins 8-5-1 (34 shots-32 saves) A-5,894
 

Category	Average/Total	AHL Rank (Prev)
Power Play	18.1% (27-for-149)	17th (T-20th)
Penalty Kill	84.4% (141-for-167)	7th (T-7th)
Goals For	3.24 GFA (123)	12th (13th)
Goals Against	2.74 GAA (104)	T-5th (6th)
Shots For	29.32 SF/G (1114)	20th (21st)
Shots Against	26.76 SA/G (1017)	3rd (3rd)
Penalty Minutes	14.24 PIM/G (541)	10th (9th)

 

Category		Leader
Points	35	Goncalves
Goals	11	Chaffee
Assists	28	Goncalves
PIM	70	Element
Plus/Minus	+20	Myers
Wins	8	Tomkins
GAA	2.39	Alnefelt
Save %	.906	Alnefelt

 

North Division	GP	W	L	OTL	SOL	PTS	PCT	GF	GA	PIM	HOME	ROAD	LAST 10	STREAK	S/O
1. Cleveland	37	24	11	1	1	50	0.676	125	117	476	11-5-0-0	13-6-1-1	5-4-0-1	0-1-0-0	2-1
2. Syracuse	38	22	12	2	2	48	0.632	123	104	541	11-5-2-1	11-7-0-1	7-3-0-0	4-0-0-0	2-2
3. Rochester	36	19	13	3	1	42	0.583	121	132	427	8-6-2-0	11-7-1-1	6-3-1-0	3-0-0-0	3-1
4. Laval	37	17	14	4	2	40	0.541	129	135	680	10-6-2-1	7-8-2-1	8-1-1-0	8-0-1-0	2-2
5. Belleville	37	18	15	2	2	40	0.541	106	118	627	10-6-1-2	8-9-1-0	6-4-0-0	0-3-0-0	1-2
6. Toronto	35	16	13	5	1	38	0.543	125	103	529	8-7-4-0	8-6-1-1	3-5-2-0	2-0-0-0	1-1
7. Utica	36	14	15	4	3	35	0.486	112	121	414	8-8-1-3	6-7-3-0	4-2-1-3	0-2-0-0	0-3