SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse Crunch outlasted the Hartford Wolf Pack, 5-3, tonight at PeoplesBank Arena.
 
The Crunch got out to a 2-0 lead in the first period, but the Wolf Pack came back with two straight goals in the second half of the middle frame. Syracuse quickly responded with another score at the end of the second period to regain the lead. The teams traded goals in the third period, but the Crunch hit the empty net in the final minute to secure the win. 
 
Lucas Mercuri led the Crunch in scoring with a goal and an assist, while eight other Syracuse skaters recorded a point on the evening. 
 
The Crunch advance to 17-9-1-0 on the season and sweep the two-game season series with the Wolf Pack.
 
Crunch goaltender Brandon Halverson earned the win putting a stop to 14-of-17 shots faced in net. Dylan Garand turned aside 25-of-29 for the Wolf Pack. Syracuse was held scoreless on four power play opportunities while Hartford converted on 1-of-4.  
 
The Crunch struck first halfway through the opening frame. Max Groshev raced up the length of the ice and took a shot from in front of the net. Garand saved his shot attempt but Brendan Furry bodied home the rebound. Mitchell Chaffee added a second goal for Syracuse with a few minutes remaining in the period. Nick Abruzzese centered the puck from the left goal line and Chaffee tipped it in as he skated across the crease.
 
The Wolf Pack were on the board 13:05 into the second period. Anton Blidh stole the puck from behind the net and fed it to Adam Sýkora to fire a point-blank goal. Blidh then evened the score with a power-play goal four minutes later. Bryce McConnell-Barker passed the puck from the left side of the crease to Blidh at the right side and he hammered it in. The Crunch regained their lead, 3-2, in the final few minutes of the frame. An errant Wolf Pack pass went right to Lucas Mercuri in right circle, he deked around Garand and pushed it in from the right side of the crease. 
 
A few minutes into the final frame, Scott Sabourin extended the Syracuse lead, 4-2. He poked the puck free at center ice and skated through the slot, pulled it through his legs and lifted it home. Hartford attempted a late comeback effort with 2:30 to play as Jaroslav Chmelař potted a one-timer from the left circle. Dylan Duke snagged a shorthanded empty-net goal with eight seconds left in regulation to seal the 5-3 victory. 
 
The Crunch head to Providence to face off against the Bruins tomorrow night. 
 
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: Brendan Furry has a four-game points streak for the first time in his career…Brandon Halverson notched the second assist of his AHL career and the first since November 16, 2016…Lucas Mercuri has goals in three straight games…Lucas Mercuri recorded his first career multi-point game (1g, 1a)…The Crunch swept the two-game season series with the Wolf Pack for the first time since the 2021-22 season.