SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse Crunch defeated the Utica Comets, 3-2, in a preseason matchup tonight at the Adirondack Bank Center.
 
The Crunch had three different goal scorers in Brendan Furry, Wojciech Stachowiak and Milo Roelens as the team opened their preseason slate with a win.
 
Crunch goaltender Ryan Fanti stopped 20-of-22 shots. Jakub Malek turned aside 23-of-26 shots between the pipes for the Comets. The Syracuse power play was held scoreless on two opportunities, while Utica went 2-for-3.
 
After a scoreless first period, Furry put the Crunch on the board with a deflection goal five minutes into the middle frame. Simon Lundmark and Ethan Gauthier registered the assists. Stachowiak then doubled the lead at the 12:40 mark as he cut across the slot and fired in a wrister. Just over a minute later, Roelens made it a 3-0 lead.
 
The Comets stole one back with a power-play goal early in the third period when Jack Malone sent in a wrist shot from the right circle. Dylan Wendt made it a one-goal game with another Utica power-play goal off a shot from the slot with four minutes remaining in the period. The Crunch managed to stifle the comeback effort in the final few minutes and took the win.
 
The Crunch host the Comets for the Visions Federal Credit Union Preseason Faceoff tomorrow at the Visions Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton at 7:05 p.m. for the preseason finale.
 
Single game tickets and ticket packages for the 2025-26 season are on sale now and can be purchased in person at the Crunch office located inside the Upstate Medical University Arena at Onondaga County War Memorial at 800 S. State St. in Syracuse, by calling the office at 315-473-4444 or online through Ticketmaster. For the latest Crunch news, visit www.syracusecrunch.com or follow the club on Facebook (www.facebook.com/syracusecrunch), X (@SyracuseCrunch) and Instagram (@syracusecrunch).
 
Crunchables: Nine different Crunch players recorded a point tonight.