CRUNCH START HOT IN 32ND SEASON  
 
The Crunch grabbed a pair of road wins over the Hershey Bears to begin their 32nd season in the American Hockey League.
 
Syracuse overcame 2-0 deficits in both contests to start 2-0-0-0 for the third consecutive season. In the season opener the Crunch scored three power-play goals and rallied for a 5-2 win over the Bears. Sunday's game required overtime before Dominic James struck at 1:17 to give the Crunch a weekend sweep.
 
The Crunch play twice more in Week 2, including their home opener, presented by Upstate University Hospital, on Saturday against Rochester.
 
CRUNCH SET FOR HOME OPENER
 
The Crunch will host their 32nd home opener, presented by Upstate University Hospital, on Saturday against the Rochester Americans.
 
The Crunch are 16-9-1-1 all-time in home openers, posting four ties along the way. They've won their last three home openers — defeating Rochester, Bridgeport and Belleville — since 2022-23.
 
Since affiliating with the Tampa Bay Lightning ahead of the 2012-13 season, the Crunch own an 8-4-1-0 record in home openers at Upstate Medical University Arena.
 
TOP PERFORMERS
 
Jakob Pelletier impressed in his first weekend with the Crunch. He grabbed a pair of goals and finished the weekend with four points in two games, giving him a tie for the league lead after the first week of the season.
 
Pelletier, 24, notched three points (2g, 1a) in the season opener to lead the Crunch to a 5-2 win. He began the team's comeback from a 2-0 deficit by scoring the Crunch's first goal of the season. Both of his tallies were power-play goals. His lone point on Sunday was the primary helper on Dominic James's overtime game-winning goal.
 
Pelletier signed a three-year contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning on July 2. He has 134 career AHL points (53g, 81a) in 141 AHL games for Syracuse, Calgary and Stockton.
 
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Charle-Edouard D'Astous had a strong Crunch debut on Saturday. He picked up three points, including the game-winning goal, in the Crunch's 5-2 win over the Bears. The defenseman was credited with assists on the first two Crunch goals and then he broke a 2-2 tie with a snipe from the left circle nearly halfway through the third period.
 
It marked his first career multi-point game in what was his 24th career AHL appearance. 
 
WELCOME TO THE PROS
 
Rookie forward Dominic James burst onto the scene in his first two professional games. The Minnesota-Duluth product nabbed his first pro goal and added an assist on Saturday. For an encore, the 23-year-old delivered his first career overtime goal on Sunday.
 
James finished his first weekend with three points (2g, 1a). He signed an entry-level contract with the Lightning on September 20.
 
James was the only Crunch player to make a pro debut, but two others — Lucas Mercuri and Ethan Gauthier — collected their first career points. Both Mercuri and Gauthier earned assists in Sunday's overtime win against Hershey.
 
UPCOMING WEEK    
               
Saturday, October 18 vs. Rochester | 7 p.m.
The Crunch contest their 32nd home opener in franchise history Saturday against the Rochester Americans. The longtime rivals are slated to meet 12 times in the regular season.
 
Last season, the Amerks won seven of the 12 clashes in the regular season, including four of the six in Syracuse. The teams squared off in the Calder Cup Playoffs for the third straight season, and the Amerks defeated the Crunch in three games.
 
Sunday, October 19 at Belleville | 3 p.m.
The Crunch head north of the border for the first time this season for a Sunday afternoon meeting with the Belleville Senators. The Crunch won six of the eight head-to-head contests last season, and they have eight games on the docket again this season.
 
The Senators opened the season with road losses at Lehigh Valley and Bridgeport. They host Toronto on Saturday for their home opener before taking on the Crunch on Sunday. 
 
WEEK 1 RESULTS
 
Saturday, Oct. 11 | Game 1 at Hershey | W, 5-2
Syracuse        0 2 3 - 5     Shots: 9-14-16-39         PP: 3/7
Hershey         0 2 0 - 2     Shots: 7-7-2-16              PP: 0/4
2nd Period-Pelletier 1 (Abruzzese, D'Astous), 6:16 (PP). James 1 (Pelletier, D'Astous), 12:06 (PP). 3rd Period-D'Astous 1 (Sabourin, Santini), 9:30. Pelletier 2 (Katchouk, James), 10:53 (PP). Szturc 1 (Katchouk, Schmidt), 19:29 (EN/SH). . . . Halverson 1-0-0 (16 shots-14 saves) A-9,193
 
Saturday, Oct. 12 | Game 2 at Hershey | W, 3-2 (OT)
Syracuse        0 1 1 1 - 3 Shots: 9-8-8-1-26          PP: 0/3
Hershey         0 2 0 0 - 2 Shots: 9-13-6-0-28        PP: 0/4
2nd Period-Sabourin 1 (Furry, Mercuri), 14:52. 3rd Period-Carlile 1 (Gauthier), 16:46. Overtime-James 2 (Pelletier, Carlile), 1:17. . . . Fanti 1-0-0 (28 shots-26 saves) A-8,887