CRUNCH CLASH WITH ROCKET

The Crunch match up against the Laval Rocket tonight at Upstate Medical University Arena.
 
It's the third game of the eight-game season series between the clubs, and the first of four in Syracuse. The Rocket claimed a pair of wins in Laval during their home opening weekend Oct. 18-19.
 
BROADCAST COVERAGE

Countdown to Crunch Time at 6:45 p.m.
Streaming: Pay-to-watch video via AHLTV on FloHockey | www.syracusecrunch.com/watch
Radio: ESPN Radio Syracuse | www.espncny.com
 
LAST TIME OUT

The Crunch snapped their three-game losing streak with a 4-1 win against the Belleville Senators Wednesday at CAA Arena.
 
Syracuse jumped out in front in the first period to take a 1-0 lead at 8:59. Derrick Pouliot set up Declan Carlile, who snapped home a power-play goal for his first tally of the season.
 
The Crunch opened a 3-0 lead in the second period. Niko Huuhtanen scored twice for his first two-goal game in the AHL. He made it 2-0 by tapping in a rebound following a Conor Sheary shot at 5:38. Later in the frame he blasted a power-play goal from the left circle at 16:47; the Crunch finished the game 2-for-2 on the power play.
 
Belleville didn't get on the board until late in the third period when Angus Crookshank zipped a power-play goal to cut the score to 3-1. Daniel Walcott sealed it for the Crunch with an empty-net goal.
 
SCOUTING THE CRUNCH

The Crunch ended their three-game losing streak to keep their run of a playing at or above 0.500 alive. They haven't fallen below 0.500 since Dec. 2, 2022. Their win against Belleville two nights ago propelled the Crunch to 6-5-1-0 this season and gives them 13 points, which is sixth in the North Division.
 
Syracuse looks to find success on home ice. After winning their first three home games this season, the Crunch have lost their last two by a combined score of 11-4.
 
Defenseman Derrick Pouliot took over the team lead in scoring with nine points (3g, 6a) in 12 games. He grabbed a pair of assists in Belleville to give him three such outings this season; all three multi-point games have been against the Senators. He is one of two defensemen currently leading his respective team in scoring, and he is the only one doing so outright.
 
HUUHTANEN'S BIG NIGHT

Niko Huuhtanen had the most productive game of his brief AHL career Wednesday in Belleville. After picking up an assist on a first period power-play goal, Huuhtanen delivered a pair of goals in the second period. He moved into a tie for the team lead with four goals on the season; he is level with fellow rookie Dylan Duke.
 
Huuhtanen's seven point are tied for second on the Crunch. The Finnish forward is in his first full season in the AHL after seeing action in four playoff games for the Crunch at the end of last season. The Helsinki native was selected with the final pick of the 2021 NHL Draft. He has played the last two years in Finland's Liiga, and he won that league's Rookie of the Year award in 2022-23.
 
BARRE-BOULET'S RETURN

Tonight will be the return of former Crunch forward Alex Barré-Boulet, who spent the first six seasons of his career in Syracuse. He made an immediate impact with the Crunch starting in 2018-19, winning the AHL Rookie of the Year and the Willie Marshall Award as the league's leading goal scorer (34). 
 
That was a sign of things to come for Barré-Boulet, who went on to become the franchise's all-time leader in goals (113), assists (189) and points (302) over 294 games. He also holds the single season franchise record for points (84) and assists (60), both of which he set in 2022-23.
 
SCOUTING THE ROCKET

The Rocket have flown out of the gates to the tune of a 10-2-0-0 record.  After a 1-1-0-0 start, the Rocket rattled off eight straight wins; their win streak ended over the weekend in Belleville, but they grabbed an overtime win Wednesday at Rochester.
 
Laval's 20 points are tops in the North Division and second in the Eastern Conference. The Rocket's 0.833 points percentage leads the AHL.
 
Joshua Roy and Alex Barré-Boulet are tied for the team lead with 13 points. Roy paces the Rocket with seven goals; he potted two against the Crunch in their first meeting (Oct. 18). Barré-Boulet has four multi-point outings in his eight Laval appearances; he had a four-point game (2g, 2a) in his first game against the Crunch.
 
LOCAL CONNECTION

Tonight marks the homecoming of Baldwinsville native Luke Tuch. The rookie was selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the second round, 47th overall, in the 2020 NHL Draft. The 22-year-old has skated in 12 games for the Rocket this season, notching four goals and six points.
 
A Boston University product, Tuch was a Youth Star as a 13-year-old at the 2016 AHL All-Star Skills Competition hosted by the Crunch in Syracuse.
 
HEAD-TO-HEAD  

The Crunch and Rocket meet up for the third time this season. Laval won the first two meetings during the Rocket's home opening weekend. They won their home opener, 5-2, and then pulled out a 1-0 win the next afternoon.
 
Alex Barré-Boulet and Joshua Roy lead the way with two goals apiece against the Crunch. Jaydon Dureau and Lukas Svejkovsky scored the two Crunch goals in that weekend set.
 
Last season, the Crunch won five of the eight meetings. They went 3-1-0-0 in four matches in Syracuse. They are 8-3-1-0 in Syracuse over the last five seasons.