CRUNCH PLAY FIRST OF TWO IN ROCHESTER
 
The Crunch head to Rochester for the first of two matches in three days against the Americans at Blue Cross Arena.
 
Tonight is the third of 12 games in the head-to-head series. The Amerks won both games in a home-and-home series to close out November.
 
BROADCAST COVERAGE
 
Countdown to Crunch Time at 6:50 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
 
Brandon Halverson made 25 saves for his third shutout of the season as the Crunch topped the Utica Comets, 1-0, at Upstate Medical University Arena.
 
Conor Sheary provided the only offense late in the first period. The veteran double tapped a midair rebound into the top right corner to ignite the Stanley Steemer Tired Teddy Toss at 18:27. Roman Schmidt and Gabe Fortier earned assists on Sheary's fifth goal of the season.
 
After facing three shots in the first period, Halverson turned aside 22 combined in the second and third period to sew up his second shutout in two starts against the Comets this season.
 
SCOUTING THE CRUNCH
 
The Crunch embark on a stretch of five straight road games to carry into 2025. The Crunch play a pair in Rochester, a pair in Laval and then a New Year's Day game in Toronto before returning home on Jan. 3.
 
Syracuse is 5-5-2-0 through 12 road games this season. The Crunch are 10-8-4-3 and have 27 points, which is good for sixth place in the North Division.
 
The Crunch only scored three total goals in their three games last week and there were a combined seven goals between them and their opponents. Jesse Ylonen scored two of the three goals for his third and fourth tallies of the season. Conor Sheary scored the other for his fifth goal this season.
 
After allowing only four goals last week, the Crunch rank second in the league by allowing 2.52 goals per game.
 
ANOTHER CLOSE CALL
 
The Crunch played a seventh straight game decided by one goal during Saturday's 1-0 win against the Comets. It's a new franchise record for most consecutive games decided by a single goal. The Crunch have played 15 one-goal games through their first 25 games this season (60%).
 
Syracuse is 4-4-4-3 in those situations this season for a 0.500 points percentage. The Crunch are 3-1-2-3 at home and 1-3-2-0 on the road.
 
Tonight's opponent — Rochester — has played 11 one-goal games this season, going 5-3-3-0. The Crunch's last game not decided by one goal was against the Amerks on Nov. 29.
 
SCOUTING THE AMERICANS
 
Rochester returns home following a 4-1-0-0 road swing that included four straight wins to close it out. The Amerks earned their fourth straight win with an 8-2 drubbing of the Belleville Senators on Saturday to improve to 15-8-3-0. The Amerks have surged to third place in the North Division with 33 points.
 
They have been a much stronger team on the road (11-3-1-0) than at home (4-5-2-0), although the Amerks have won their last two games at Blue Cross Arena. Their last home contest was a 3-2 win over Utica on Dec. 4.
 
The Amerks have outscored their opponents 21-7 during their four-game winning streak. Nineteen different players — including goaltender Devon Levi — have logged a point during the streak. Isak Rosen (4g, 2a) and Lukas Rousek (1g, 5a) lead the way with six points in that span. Rosen tops the Amerks this season with 23 points (11g, 12a).
 
Levi has gone 7-1-1 in nine starts for the Amerks this season. He has a 2.08 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage; he has his first two career shutouts.
 
SMASHING THE RECORD  
 
The Crunch held their 14th Annual Stanley Tired Teddy Toss on Saturday. Conor Sheary netted the goal which sprung a barrage of 11,789 stuffed animals, establishing a new Syracuse record for the event.
 
The puffy pets have been collected by Stanley Steemer and are in the process of being cleaned before being donated to charities benefiting the Central New York community.
 
FREQUENT FLIER MILES   
 
Defenseman Declan Carlile was recalled to the Lightning last week and played in his second career NHL game Saturday in Seattle. The third-year-pro snapped in a goal on his first career shot with less than a minute to play during the Lightning's 5-1 win.
 
Carlile has crisscrossed the country this week. He was assigned to the Crunch on Sunday. After practicing with the Crunch on Monday, he jumped back on a flight to Tampa and was recalled to the Lightning. Carlile did not played for the Bolts last night and has rejoined the Crunch today. He has three points (1g, 2a) in 21 Crunch games this season. 
 
Steven Santini — who made his Lightning debut last week — has notched five points (2g, 3a) in 14 Crunch games. He returned to the Crunch on Sunday. This is his first season in the organization after signing as a free agent on July 1.
 
JACK IS BACK
 
Jack Finley is expected to return to the Crunch lineup for the first time this season as the Crunch visit Rochester. The third-year-pro suffered a season-ending injury in Game 2 of the North Division Semifinals at Rochester on April 28; this will be his first game action since then.
 
The 22-year-old posted 32 points (13g, 19a) in 52 games last season after being limited to only two games over the first two months of the season due to injury. His 29 points (12g, 17a) from Jan. 1 through the end of the season was one off the team lead. The 6-foot-6 center has skated in 121 career Crunch games, tallying 53 points (25g, 28a).