CRUNCH BITTEN BY MONSTERS IN WEEK 9   

The Syracuse Crunch began their road heavy December with a pair of losses to the Cleveland Monsters in Week 9.
 
The Crunch saw a 1-0 third period lead slip away in an eventual 4-1 loss to the Monsters in the opener on Thursday at Rocket Arena. Syracuse earned a standings point in the rematch Saturday afternoon but lost in overtime, 3-2. Mitchell Chaffee tied the game with 40.9 seconds remaining to help force overtime.
 
Syracuse plays eight out of 10 games in December on the road. The Crunch host their only two home games of the month this weekend on Friday and Saturday following a trip to Utica on Wednesday.
 
TOP PERFORMERS
 
Jakob Pelletier had a hand in two of the three goals the Crunch scored during their two-game set last week in Cleveland. After having his six-game scoring streak snapped in Thursday's loss to the Monsters, Pelletier earned one goal and one assist on Saturday. That marked his ninth multi-point game of the season and his fifth in the last six games.
 
Pelletier is tied for second in the AHL in scoring with 26 points (11g, 15a) in 20 games.  
 
HALVERSON RECALLED TO TAMPA
 
Brandon Halverson was recalled to the Tampa Bay Lightning last week prior to the Crunch's two-game set in Cleveland. Halverson leads the Crunch with nine wins; he is 9-4-0 with a 2.58 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage with the Crunch this season.
 
Halverson has not appeared in a game yet for the Lightning this season, but he could be in line for a start tonight in the second game of a back-to-back set for the Bolts.
 
BLUE LINE MAKEOVER 
 
The Crunch's defense group looks much different entering Week 9 than it looked entering Week 8. Captain Steven Santini and Declan Carlile returned from their recalls to Tampa Bay; Carlile played Saturday for the Crunch, but Santini has not yet played a game after returning on Sunday.
 
Syracuse signed veteran defenseman Jarred Tinordi to an AHL contract on Monday. The 33-year-old has played in 205 NHL games and an additional 459 AHL contests since turning pro in 2012-13. The former first-round pick played 30 games for the Calgary Wranglers last season before suffering a season-ending injury in February.
 
The Lightning traded defenseman Roman Schmidt to Philadelphia in exchange for Ethan Samson. The 22-year-old Samson has played for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms since 2023-24, accumulating 40 points (15g, 25a) in 142 games. He has four assists in 10 games this season after beginning the campaign with an injury sustained in training camp.
 
UPCOMING WEEK  
                 
Wednesday, December 10 at Cleveland | 7 p.m.
The Crunch and Comets reach the halfway point of their 12-game season series tomorrow at the Adirondack Bank Center. The Crunch look to improve on their 5-0-0-0 mark in the head-to-head series with the Comets. Syracuse is 2-0-0-0 in Utica this season.
 
The Comets have earned points in three straight games (2-0-1-0), but they remain in last in the division.
 
Friday, December 12 vs. Lehigh Valley | 7 p.m.
The Crunch open their two-game homestand with a contest against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Friday. It's the first game of the season series and the first of two home contests against the Phantoms.
 
The teams split a four-game series last season with the clubs splitting their home games. The game will feature several players facing their former clubs. Roman Schmidt played 63 games for the Crunch since 2023-24 prior to being traded yesterday for Ethan Samson. Samson skated in 142 games for the Phantoms since 2023-24. Brendan Furry skated in 121 games for the Phantoms from 2022 to 2025 before signing with the Crunch as a free agent over the summer.
 
Saturday, December 13 vs. Hartford | 7 p.m.
The Crunch play their final home game of 2025 as they host the Hartford Wolf Pack. The teams play twice in less than a week; they wrap up their season series next Friday in Hartford.
 
Saturday could mark the Syracuse return of Daniel Walcott, who signed a PTO with the Wolf Pack on Nov. 27. Walcott played in a franchise record 494 Crunch games from 2015 to 2025. He is in line to play his 500th AHL game on Saturday.
 
WEEK 9 RESULTS
 
Thursday, Dec. 4 | Game 21 at Cleveland | L, 4-1
Syracuse        0 1 0 - 1     Shots: 11-10-3-24         PP: 1/3
Cleveland      0 0 4 - 4     Shots: 5-6-10-21           PP: 1/4
2nd Period-Szturc 2 (Groshev, Stachowiak), 4:28 (PP). . . . Fanti 4-4-0 (20 shots-17 saves) A-7,957
 
Saturday, Dec. 6 | Game 22 at Cleveland | OTL, 3-2
Syracuse        1 0 1 0 - 2 Shots: 7-9-12-1-29        PP: 0/2
Cleveland      1 1 0 1 - 3 Shots: 12-8-6-5-31        PP: 1/2
1st Period-Pelletier 11 (Abruzzese, Geekie), 17:35. 3rd Period-Chaffee 6 (Pelletier, Carlile), 19:19. . . . Fanti 4-4-1 (31 shots-28 saves) A-9,353
 

Category	Average/Total	AHL Rank (Prev)
Power Play	23.1% (21-for-91)	8th (11th)
Penalty Kill	81.7% (58-for-71)	T-13th (10th)
Goals For	3.36 GFA (74)	8th (4th)
Goals Against	2.82 GAA (62)	10th (8th)
Shots For	28.36 SF/G (624)	18th (14th)
Shots Against	25.95 SA/G (571)	6th (5th)
Penalty Minutes	13.86 PIM/G (305)	12th (13th)

 

Category		Leader
Points	26	Pelletier
Goals	11	Pelletier
Assists	15	Abruzzese|Pelletier
PIM	27	Carlile|Geekie
Plus/Minus	+8	Groshev|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	23	16	7	0	0	32	0.696	78	55	359	8-2-0-0	8-5-0-0	8-2-0-0	0-1-0-0	1-0
2. Rochester	24	13	9	2	0	28	0.583	82	78	334	5-4-1-0	8-5-1-0	5-3-2-0	2-0-2-0	0-0
3. Syracuse	22	13	8	1	0	27	0.614	74	62	305	5-3-0-0	8-5-1-0	5-4-1-0	0-1-1-0	0-0
4. Belleville	25	11	12	2	0	24	0.480	80	91	273	4-7-1-0	7-5-1-0	3-6-1-0	1-0-0-0	2-0
5. Toronto	23	10	11	1	1	22	0.478	66	74	272	4-5-0-1	6-6-1-0	4-6-0-0	0-2-0-0	0-1
6. Cleveland	19	8	7	3	1	20	0.526	47	53	242	3-5-2-1	5-2-1-0	5-5-0-0	2-0-0-0	0-1
7. Utica	20	4	12	3	1	12	0.300	43	66	252	3-6-1-1	1-6-2-0	2-5-2-1	2-0-1-0	0-1