CRUNCH CONCLUDE HOMESTAND
 
The Crunch finish their six-game homestand tonight against the Laval Rocket at Upstate Medical University Arena.
 
Tonight is the sixth of eight head-to-head matches and the final of four in Syracuse this season.
 
LAST TIME OUT
 
The Crunch scored four goals in the second period to power past the Utica Comets, 5-2, Saturday at Upstate Medical University Arena.
 
The Comets scored first when Graeme Clarke scored on an odd-man rush at 16:35 of the first period. Syracuse roared to life in the middle stanza and tied the score on a Jack Thompson power-play goal 30 seconds into the period. The Crunch grabbed the lead when Tristan Allard ripped a shot off the rush after receiving a pass from Maxim Groshev. Mitchell Chaffee added to the lead with a power-play goal at 6:54 before Sean Day capped the period with his first goal of the season with less than three seconds remaining.
 
Jack Finley added one for the Crunch at 4:36 of the third period to make it 5-1. The Comets netted a late power-play goal to make it 5-2, but they would get no closer as Matt Tomkins finished with 32 saves for his eighth win.
 
SCOUTING THE CRUNCH
 
The Crunch enter tonight's match on a four-game winning streak, one win shy of their longest streak of the season (Nov. 24-Dec. 8). They are 6-1-0-0 in January and 22-12-2-2 overall this season. With 48 points, they are in second place in the North Division and fifth in the Eastern Conference.
 
Syracuse is 4-1-0-0 during this six-game homestand, which concludes tonight. They have outscored their opponents 19-14 and outshot them 191-145. The Crunch's lone loss during the homestand came despite a 55-shot barrage versus Springfield (Jan. 12).  
 
Tonight continues a stretch of nine straight contests against North Division foes through Valentine's Day. In that span the Crunch will face Utica twice, Rochester and Belleville three times and Laval once. The Crunch are 15-8-2-2 against their division, tied with Cleveland for the most wins within the division.
 
BIRTHDAY WEEK 
 
The Crunch are effectively celebrating four birthdays in a single week. Mitchell Chaffee tallied his first NHL goal last night up with the Tampa Bay Lightning and turns 26 years old today. Defenseman Phil Myers returns from his third NHL recall of the season. He turned 27 years old yesterday. Head coach Jöel Bouchard turned 50 on Tuesday.
 
Lucas Edmonds caps the week by turning 23 tomorrow.
 
PRESSURE GAGE 
 
Gage Goncalves is tied for ninth in the AHL in scoring with 35 points in 36 games. He is also tied for fourth with 28 assists.
 
Seven of those helpers have come in the last five games, giving the 2020 second round pick a five-game assist streak, the third-longest active streak in the league. Teammate Jack Thompson holds an even longer active run of seven-straight contests with an assist. 
 
The Crunch are 7-2-2-2 in one-goal games this season. Goncalves has skated in six of those seven one-goal wins, nabbing a point in all but one.
 
Goncalves has points in 11 of his last 12 Crunch games since Dec. 17. With 16 points in that span, he is tied for seventh in scoring in that time. 
 
SCOUTING THE ROCKET
 
After starting the season 5-12-3-2, the Rocket have gone on a 13-2-1-0 run to surge up the North Division standings. On Dec. 9, they began the day in last place in the division, seven points out of a playoff position. In six weeks they've charged up to third place with 42 points (18-14-4-2).
 
Joshua Roy is fresh off a six-game stint with the Montreal Canadiens, where he recorded his first NHL goal and assist. The rookie has not played in the AHL since Jan. 12. Roy is second on the Rocket with 30 points (12g, 18a) in 34 games.
 
Tobie Bisson is finding his offensive touch in his first season back with the Rocket. Bisson is riding a three-game point streak, comprised of five assists. The streak started Jan. 19 when Bisson dished out three assists for the first three-point game of his career. The defensemen has totaled 15 points (5g, 10a) in 35 games this season.
 
HEAD-TO-HEAD
 
The Crunch and Rocket have squared off five times so far this season. The Crunch won the first two matches, but the Rocket rattled off three in a row in an 11-day span around the Christmas Break. Three of the last four games have been decided by a single goal.
 
Gage Goncalves leads all players in scoring head-to-head with seven points (3g, 4a); he has picked up a point in four of the five meetings. Felix Robert has also recorded a point in four of the five games and he has six points (2g, 4a) in the series.
 
Joshua Roy tops the Rocket in scoring with five points (2g, 3a) in five games. He is one of four Rocket skaters with more than one goal against the Crunch.
 
CHAFFEE RECALLED, MYERS RETURNS
 
Forward Mitchell Chaffee was recalled to the Lightning on Wednesday and defenseman Phil Myers was returned to the Crunch.
 
Chaffee played in his second game for the Lightning last night and netted his first career NHL goal - and added an assist - in his fourth career game. His goal was set up by Max Crozier and Emil Lilleberg; all three have spent significant time in Syracuse this season. Chaffee leads the Crunch with 11 goals in 33 games.
 
Myers, who turned 27 yesterday, played in one game during his recall and has skated in five games this season for Tampa Bay. In 28 Crunch games, Myers has nine points (3g, 6a) and ranks fourth in the AHL with a plus-20 rating. He has goals in three of his last six Crunch games dating to Dec. 22.