CRUNCH EARN HOME WINS IN WEEK 10 

The Syracuse Crunch rebounded from a midweek setback in Utica to win their only two home games of December over the weekend.
 
The Crunch fell to the Comets, 3-2, on Wednesday for their third straight loss (0-2-1-0). Syracuse returned to Upstate Medical University Arena Friday and bested the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, 3-1. The Crunch followed that with a 7-2 drubbing of the Hartford Wolf Pack on Saturday.
 
Syracuse is 7-3-0-0 on home ice this season, but the Crunch will now play a season-high six straight road games heading into the new year. At 15-9-1-0 overall, the Crunch are tied for second place in the North Division.
 
TOP PERFORMERS
 
Nick Abruzzese extended his point streak to four games in Week 10. The Slate Hill, New York native scored a goal Wednesday in Utica and then picked up three assists over the final two games of the weekend.
 
The 26-year-old ranks second on the Crunch with 24 points, including a team-leading 18 assists. His 18 assists not only lead the Crunch but also rank tied for fifth overall in the AHL.  
 
PELLETIER EARNS AHL RECOGNITION
 
Forward Jakob Pelletier was selected as the Howies Hockey Tape/AHL Player of the Week. Pelletier scored four goals — two of them shorthanded — and totaled five points and a plus-5 rating in three games.
 
Pelletier scored a goal in all three games, and he has at least one goal in seven of the last nine games. After scoring goals in four straight games, Pelletier ranks fourth in the AHL with 15 goals. He is tied for the AHL lead with 31 points in 23 games.
 
Pelletier is the first Crunch player to be selected as AHL Player of the Week since Alex Barré-Boulet for the period ending April 2, 2023.
 
GAUTHIER SCORES FIRST PRO GOAL
 
Forward Ethan Gauthier scored his first pro goal in Saturday's win against the Hartford Wolf Pack. The rookie has skated in 17 career games since joining the Crunch at the end of last season. He also picked up an assist to notch his first career multi-point game.
 
Gauthier was selected by the Lightning in the second round, 37th overall, in the 2023 NHL Draft. The 20-year-old has four points (1g, 3a) in 14 games this season. 
 
UPCOMING WEEK  
                 
Wednesday, December 17 at Bridgeport | 7 p.m.
The Crunch make their only trip this season to Bridgeport to face off against the Islanders Wednesday night. It concludes the two-game series between the clubs; Syracuse earned a 5-3 home win on Nov. 22.
 
The Islanders have won three straight games and are 10-11-1-1 this season. They are tied with Hartford for sixth place in the Atlantic Division. Henrik Tikkanen has won all three games during the streak and is 4-0-0/1.92/.919 in four starts for the Islanders.
 
Friday, December 19 at Hartford | 7 p.m.
Syracuse also finishes its season series with Hartford Friday at PeoplesBank Arena. The Crunch thumped the Wolf Pack, 7-2, in Syracuse on Saturday. Hartford will not play again prior to the rematch on Friday.
 
The Wolf Pack are 5-6-3-0 this season on home ice and enter the week tied for sixth place in the Atlantic Division with a 9-12-4-0 record.
 
Saturday, December 20 at Providence | 7 p.m.
The Crunch play their third game in four days Saturday against the Providence Bruins at Amica Mutual Pavilion. It's the Crunch's lone trip to Providence; the Bruins swept the two-game set last year.
 
Providence enters the week tied for second overall in the AHL with 39 points and a 19-5-1-0 record. They are the stingiest team in the Eastern Conference with 53 goals allowed in 25 games (2.12 goals per game). They will have had a full week between games heading into their game against the Crunch.
 
WEEK 10 RESULTS
Wednesday, Dec. 10 | Game 23 at Utica | L, 3-2
Syracuse        0 1 1 - 2     Shots: 8-8-8-24              PP: 0/2
Utica              1 2 0 - 3     Shots: 4-13-10-27         PP: 1/2
2nd Period-Abruzzese 6 (Pelletier, Geekie), 11:09. 3rd Period-Pelletier 12 (Chaffee, Samson), 15:00. . . . Fanti 4-5-1 (27 shots-24 saves) A-1,579
 
Friday, Dec. 12 | Game 24 vs. Lehigh Valley | W, 3-1
Lehigh Valley      0 0 1 - 1            Shots: 1-3-11-15      PP: 1/4
Syracuse               0 2 1 - 3            Shots: 15-8-5-28      PP: 1/4
2nd Period-Duke 9 (Geekie, Abruzzese), 0:36 (PP). Pelletier 13 (Furry, Tinordi), 12:32 (SH). 3rd Period-Geekie 6 (Unassisted), 19:43 (EN). . . . Mandolese 2-0-0 (15 shots-14 saves) A-4,875
 
Saturday, Dec. 13 | Game 25 vs. Hartford | W, 7-2
Hartford        2 0 0 - 2     Shots: 11-5-7-23           PP: 0/4
Syracuse        2 3 2 - 7     Shots: 10-17-5-32         PP: 1/4
1st Period-Finley 1 (Chaffee), 10:07 (SH). Pelletier 14 (Unassisted), 17:02 (SH|PS). 2nd Period-Furry 5 (Stachowiak, Chaffee), 2:11. Gauthier 1 (Pietroniro), 7:24. Pelletier 15 (Geekie, Abruzzese), 9:36 (PP). 3rd Period-Pietroniro 4 (Abruzzese, Gauthier), 12:16. Mercuri 4 (Santini), 14:55. . . . Fanti 5-5-1 (23 shots-21 saves) A-5,833
 

Category	Average/Total	AHL Rank (Prev)
Power Play	22.8% (23-for-101)	9th (8th)
Penalty Kill	81.5% (66-for-81)	15th (T-13th)
Goals For	3.44 GFA (86)	5th (8th)
Goals Against	2.72 GAA (68)	8th (10th)
Shots For	28.32 SF/G (708)	19th (18th)
Shots Against	25.44 SA/G (636)	4th (6th)
Penalty Minutes	13.28 PIM/G (332)	18th (12th)

 

Category		Leader
Points	31	Pelletier
Goals	15	Pelletier
Assists	18	Abruzzese
PIM	32	Mercuri
Plus/Minus	+13	Pelletier
Wins	9	Halverson
GAA	2.55	Fanti
Save %	.901	Fanti|Halverson

 

North Division	GP	W	L	OTL	SOL	PTS	PCT	GF	GA	PIM	HOME	ROAD	LAST 10	STREAK	S/O
1. Laval	26	17	8	0	1	35	0.673	88	64	447	9-3-0-1	8-5-0-0	7-2-0-1	0-1-0-0	1-1
2. Syracuse	25	15	9	1	0	31	0.620	86	68	332	7-3-0-0	8-6-1-0	6-3-1-0	2-0-0-0	0-0
3. Rochester	26	14	9	2	1	31	0.596	89	81	358	5-4-1-1	9-5-1-0	4-3-2-1	3-0-2-1	0-1
4. Toronto	26	12	12	1	1	26	0.500	76	85	352	5-5-0-1	7-7-1-0	5-5-0-0	1-0-0-0	1-1
5. Belleville	28	11	14	3	0	25	0.446	85	105	358	4-9-2-0	7-5-1-0	2-7-1-0	0-2-1-0	2-0
6. Cleveland	23	10	9	3	1	24	0.522	56	62	307	3-5-2-1	7-4-1-0	5-5-0-0	0-1-0-0	0-1
7. Utica	23	5	14	3	1	14	0.304	49	73	268	4-8-1-1	1-6-2-0	3-6-1-0	0-2-0-0	0-1