CRUNCH FACE MARLIES IN HOME-AND-HOME
 
The Crunch match up against the Toronto Marlies in a home-and-home series beginning tonight at Upstate Medical University Arena.
 
It's the second home-and-home series this season between the teams and the third back-to-back set.
 
LAST TIME OUT
 
The Crunch scored five unanswered goals to rally from 2-0 down to defeat the Rochester Americans, 5-2, at Blue Cross Arena Wednesday night. 
 
Rochester opened its 2-0 lead with a breakaway goal at 9:05 of the first period and a 2-on-1 strike 2:16 into the second period. The Crunch began its comeback effort at 7:59 of the second period when Gage Goncalves filtered a pass to Alex Barré-Boulet, who hammered a one-timer to make it 2-1. Barré-Boulet then set up the tying goal with a shot that ricocheted in off Jack Finley for a power-play goal.
 
Entering the third tied at two, the Crunch broke the tie at 8:33 as Gabriel Dumont steered home a pass from Chris Harpur for a 3-2 lead. They extended the lead with a Shawn Element shorthanded goal at 11:15 and put the game away with Gabe Fortier's empty-netter. 
 
It marked the Crunch's third comeback win when trailing 2-0 to Rochester in February alone.
 
SCOUTING THE CRUNCH
 
Syracuse currently sits at second place in the North Division with a 29-17-3-2 record, totaling 63 points. The Crunch also hold a game in hand and are just five points behind the first place Monsters.
 
Jack Finley continues to surge offensively for the Crunch. The forward joined the team on the ice in November after recovering from an upper body injury at the end of last season. Finely leads the team in offensive production since the start of the new year. He's recorded 18 (7g, 11a) of his 21 (8g, 13a) points in that 20-game span. The second year pro has also tied his career high in points from his rookie year in half as many games; Finley had 21 points (12g, 9a) in 67 games last season, he's achieved the same number in just 34 appearances this season.
 
Cole Koepke is another bright spot offensively for the Crunch. Koepke has played in nine NHL games this season, notching two assists. The forward has played 37 games for the Crunch, posting 25 points (13g, 12a). Much like Finley, Koepke has found fortune with the turn of the calendar year. He's the second-leading point-getter on the team since the start of the new year, totaling 16 points (9g, 7a) in a 17 game period. His 13 goals are most on the team.
 
SCOUTING THE MARLIES
 
Toronto enters tonight at fourth place in the North Division with a 23-16-9-2 record, accumulating 57 points. The Marlies began their week with an overtime loss in Cleveland, extending their points streak to six games (3-0-0-3). Toronto has been a better team on the road (14-7-3-2) than at home (9-9-6-0).
 
Kieffer Bellows is Toronto's leading goal scorer against the Crunch and overall on the season. Bellows currently paces the Marlies with 22 goals in 43 games played; he's notched three of them against the Crunch. The forward is skating in his first season with the Marlies, he's also the third-best point getter on the team with 38 points (22g, 16a). The sixth year pro joined Toronto from the Flyers organization, he skated in 27 NHL games last season with Philadelphia and 12 AHL games with Lehigh Valley.
 
Topi Niemelä leads the Marlies in points against the Crunch. The defenseman has five assists against Syracuse, adding onto his 28 points (6g, 22a) in 48 games played this season. His cumulative points total leads all blueliners on Toronto and ranks seventh overall on the team. Niemelä was selected in the third round, 64th overall in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. He was signed to a three-year entry-level contract in the middle of last season.
 
HEAD-TO-HEAD
 
Tonight begins another two-game set between the Crunch and Marlies. The clubs play out their eight-game season series over four two-game series. The Crunch are 4-0-0-0 against the Marlies this season as they close in on clinching the season series for the fourth straight time. The last time Toronto won the head-to-head series was in 2018-19, going 4-1-1-0.
 
Ontario native Joe Carroll leads all players in the series with seven points (5g, 2a). He posted back-to-back two-goal, three-point performances in Toronto Jan. 6-7. He capped that weekend with an overtime game-winning goal.
 
Topi Niemelä's five points – all assists – are tops among Marlies skaters against the Crunch.
 
DUMONT SEVENTH TO 200 CRUNCH POINTS  
 
Crunch captain Gabriel Dumont scored the game-winning goal Wednesday at Rochester. The goal - his 11th of the season - marks his 200th career point with the Crunch, making him the seventh player in franchise history to reach that mark. 
 
Now in his sixth season with the Crunch, Dumont required 271 games to log his 200 Crunch points (84g, 116a). The game-winning goal was his 16th with the Crunch, breaking his tie with Daniel Walcott for the second-most in Crunch history; Brad Moran holds the franchise record with 18.  
 
CARLILE EXTENDS STREAK 
 
Defenseman Declan Carlile racked up two more points on Wednesday to extend his scoring streak to a career-best eight games. The 23-year-old has 24 points (6g, 18a) in 51 games this season; he finished his rookie campaign with 24 points in 69 games last season.
 
Carlile led the Crunch in scoring in February with 10 points (1g, 9a) in 10 games. His eight-game scoring streak is the longest active streak in the AHL.
 
The Merrimack College product, who signed as an undrafted free agent on March 16, 2022, has skated in 130 of a possible 138 games since debuting with the Crunch on April 1, 2022. The Hartland, Michigan native also made his NHL debut with the Tampa Bay Lightning earlier this season on Jan. 4 at Minnesota.