CRUNCH OPEN WEEKEND HOME SLATE
 
The Crunch begin November with the first of two straight home games tonight against the Hartford Wolf Pack at Upstate Medical University Arena.
 
It's the first game of a two-game season series, which takes place in the span of less than a week, with the teams squaring off in Hartford next Wednesday.
 
LAST TIME OUT
 
The Crunch fell to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, 3-2, last Saturday at Mohegan Sun Arena. 
 
After a goalless first period, the Penguins struck twice in less than five minutes halfway through the second period to build a 2-0 lead. Sam Poulin scored at even strength and Avery Hayes converted on a power play for the 2-0 lead. 
 
Syracuse answered to pull within 2-1 when Steven Santini blasted a slap shot directly off a faceoff win for his first Crunch goal. The Penguins beat the clock with 0.4 remaining in the second period for another power-play goal and a 3-1 lead after two periods.
 
Gemel Smith made it a 3-2 game by converting off a pass from Niko Huuhtanen at 1:21 of the third period, but the Crunch were unable to tie the game despite 12 shots in the final frame.
 
SCOUTING THE CRUNCH
 
The Crunch finished October with a 4-3-0-0 record, marking the second straight season they've closed the opening month with a winning record. They have eight standings points and are in fourth place in the North Division.
 
Rookie Gabriel Szturc continues his strong play in his first season in Syracuse. Szturc extended his scoring streak to three with assists in both games last week. Coming off a two-assist game on Oct. 20 in Belleville, Szturc opened last week with a pair of helpers in the Crunch's 2-0 win against the Penguins on Friday. He then added another assist Saturday in their loss to the Penguins.
 
Szturc leads the Crunch with five assists in seven games. He is tied for second among AHL rookies in that category.
 
Szturc signed as an undrafted free agent with the Lightning in March. He made his AHL debut last season in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
 
HOT START AT HOME
 
The Crunch are 2-0-0-0 at home for the first time since 2011-12. Syracuse opened that season with a 2-0-1-0 mark at home. 
 
The Crunch last began a season with three straight home wins in 2009-10. 
 
Syracuse has allowed only one goal in its first two home games. The Crunch have outscored their opponents, 4-1.
 
FORTIER, SHEARY JOIN CRUNCH
 
The Crunch have been bolstered by the addition of forwards Gabriel Fortier and Conor Sheary from the Tampa Bay Lightning.
 
Fortier, 24, began the season on the Lightning's injured non-roster list after offseason surgery. The 5-foot-11, 179-pound forward skated in 62 Crunch games last year, adding 26 points. He notched five points in the playoffs, including an overtime winner in Game 2 of the North Division Semifinals at Rochester. An assistant captain, Fortier has 100 career AHL points (44g, 56a) in 235 games since 2018-19.
 
NHL veteran Conor Sheary is expected to make his Crunch debut tonight after skating in three games with the Lightning to begin the season. A two-time Stanley Cup champion, Sheary has 267 points (124g, 142a) in 591 NHL games with Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Washington and Tampa Bay. He also has 81 points in 90 career AHL games, all with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
 
HEAD-TO-HEAD  
 
The Crunch and Wolf Pack go head-to-head twice in less than a week beginning tonight. Last year they met twice on back-to-back days in a home-and-home set. The Crunch won, 5-3, in Syracuse on Nov. 17, but the Wolf Pack responded with a 5-2 win in Hartford on Nov. 18.
 
Daniel Walcott scored two goals and had his second career three-point game in the 5-3 win. He ranked second on the Crunch with three points in the series, only trailing Gabriel Dumont (2g, 2a).
 
Among returning players, Alex Belzile (1g, 1a), Brennan Othmann (2a) and Matthew Robertson (2a) led Hartford with two points against the Crunch.
 
Louis Domingue and Brandon Halverson earned wins for their respective clubs.
 
SCOUTING THE WOLF PACK
 
The Wolf Pack are 4-2-0-1 through seven games after securing a 3-2 overtime win against Grand Rapids on Wednesday. Four of Hartford's first seven games have been decided past regulation, tied with Belleville for the league lead. The Wolf Pack are 3-0 when it gets decided in the overtime period, but they are 0-1 if it gets to a shootout.
 
Adam Erne returns to Syracuse for the first time as a visitor. The 29-year-old began his pro career with the Crunch and earned 88 points (41g, 47a) in 150 Crunch games. He was a part of the team that went to the 2017 Calder Cup Finals, adding 10 points in 22 playoff games. He has one assist in seven games this season.  
 
FAMILY TIES  
 
Hartford's roster features a surname familiar to Crunch fans — Groulx. Bo Groulx is in his first season with the Wolf Pack after signing as a free agent with the New York Rangers this summer. He spent the previous four seasons with the Anaheim Ducks organization, splitting time between Anaheim and San Diego.
 
His dad, Ben, spent seven seasons as the head coach of the Crunch from 2016 to 2023. Groulx compiled a 256-152-35-27 record for a 0.611 points percentage. He is the all-time winningest coach in Crunch history and led the team to a pair of division championships. He led the team to the 2017 Calder Cup Finals in his first season at the helm. Ben is now the head coach of the KHL's Traktor Chelyabinsk.