SERIES SHIFTS TO SYRACUSE FOR GAME 3
 
The Crunch host the Rochester Americans for Game 3 of the North Division Semifinals tonight at Upstate Medical University Arena.
 
The teams split two games in Rochester to open the series, with the Crunch earning an overtime win in Game 2 to tie the series.
 
CRUNCH RALLY TO LEVEL SERIES IN OVERTIME
 
The Crunch overcame a 2-0 deficit and earned a 4-3 overtime victory over the Amerks in Game 2 of the North Division Semifinals Sunday at Blue Cross Arena. 
 
The Amerks opened the scoring for the second straight game. Michael Mersch banged home a rebound for a power-play goal at 10:40 of the opening period. They took a 2-0 lead with seven minutes remaining in the second period when Lukas Rousek sprung Linus Weissbach for a wide-open look in the high slot.
 
The Crunch began their comeback with less than a minute left in the second period. Jordy Bellerive deflected a Phil Myers point shot to make it a 2-1 score. Myers set up the tying goal five minutes into the third on another shot that was tipped by Gage Goncalves. The Crunch grabbed their first lead of the series at 9:03, when Maxim Groshev pushed a pass to Sean Day who shoveled it home for a 3-2 lead.
 
Rochester tied the game with less than four minutes to play in regulation with Mason Jobst fending off a check to lift a shot through traffic at 16:06.
 
Syracuse outshot the Amerks, 9-2, in overtime and converted off a faceoff when Gabe Fortier deflected a Declan Carlile shot at 10:56. 
 
SCOUTING THE CRUNCH
 
Syracuse tied the series in Game 2 and now looks to take a 2-1 advantage in the best-of-five clash with Rochester. The Crunch strung together back-to-back wins only once (March 30-April 5) in the team's final 18 games of the regular season.
 
The Crunch's Game 2 victory came in overtime courtesy of a deflection by Gabe Fortier. His first career playoff goal was his second overtime winner this season (also March 6 at Laval). The Crunch are now 14-15 all-time in playoff overtime games. They have played at least one overtime game in six of their last eight playoff series dating to the 2017 Eastern Conference Finals. 
 
Twelve different skaters have logged at least a point for the Crunch through two games of the series.
 
COMEBACK CRUNCH  
 
The Crunch found themselves in a familiar position in Game 2 against Rochester - trailing 2-0. In their regular season series, the Crunch fell behind 2-0 in six of their 12 meetings. The Crunch came back to win three of those six games (3-2-0-1). They've gone down 2-0 in the first two games of this series, going 1-1.
 
The troubles have come in the first period, when the Amerks outscored the Crunch, 15-7 in the regular season. Syracuse outscored Rochester, 29-11, over the second and third periods during the regular season. So far this series, the Amerks have outscored the Crunch 3-0 in the first period; the Crunch have outscored the Americans, 6-3, after the opening 20 minutes.
 
The Crunch concluded the regular season by allowing the first goal in 12 of their final 18 games. They posted a 7-7-1-3 record in those games. 
 
ALL SQUARE
 
This marks the Crunch's seventh best-of-five series in franchise history that is deadlocked 1-1 after two games. The Crunch are 2-4 all-time in best-of-five series that begin with a split of the first two games. They are 3-3 in Game 3 following a 1-1 start to the series; they've lost all three series following a Game 3 loss and they are 2-1 when winning that Game 3 with their only series loss in that circumstance coming in 1998 versus the Hamilton Bulldogs.
 
The last time the Crunch were In this situation was In the 2022 North Division Semifinals. They lost the series in five games after dropping Game 3 in Laval. 
 
SCOUTING THE AMERICANS
 
After slipping up in overtime in Game 2, the Amerks look to reclaim home-ice advantage as the series moves to Syracuse for Game 3. Rochester has not lost consecutive games since Feb. 24-28; the Amerks went the final 21 games of the season without back-to-back defeats.
 
The Amerks also won their final five road games of the season, starting with their March 27 win in Syracuse. They tied with Cleveland for the fourth-best road points percentage in the AHL at 0.639.
 
Mason Jobst (1g, 1a), Ethan Prow (2a) and Lukas Rousek (2a) top the Amerks in scoring through the first two games of the series. 
 
RINGING THE BELL 
 
Forward Jordy Bellerive, who turns 25 today, has produced goals in both games to begin the playoffs. Bellerive scored a tying goal in the third period of Game 1 before igniting the comeback in Game 2 with the Crunch's first of three straight goals to turn a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 lead.
 
Bellerive did not score a goal in 13 regular season games for the Crunch after being acquired ahead of the AHL Trade Deadline.
 
LILLEBERG, CROZIER, TOMKINS RETURN  
 
Defensemen Emil Lilleberg and Max Crozier, plus goaltender Matt Tomkins were assigned to the Crunch following the conclusion of the Tampa Bay Lightning's season earlier this week.
 
Lilleberg, 23, split the season between the Crunch and Lightning. He skated in 37 regular season games and all five Stanley Cup Playoff games for the Lightning. He has also appeared in 33 games for the Crunch, adding 13 points (2g, 11a). 
 
Crozier, 24, skated in three playoff games for the Bolts after 13 regular season games for Tampa Bay. The rookie has also notched 21 points (4g, 17a) in 49 games for the Crunch this season.
 
Tomkins led Crunch goalies with 15 wins in the regular season (15-12-2). His last Crunch appearances was a 30-save shutout on March 30.