CRUNCH SPAR WITH BEARS
 
The Crunch face off against the Hershey Bears tonight at the Giant Center to begin the final week of the regular season.
 
It's the last game of the four-game season series between the clubs; the road team has won the first three matches. 
 
Both teams have clinching scenarios tonight — the Crunch for a Calder Cup Playoffs spot and the Bears for the Atlantic Division title.
 
BROADCAST COVERAGE
 
Countdown to Crunch Time at 6:45 p.m.
Streaming: Pay-to-watch video via AHLTV on FloHockey | www.syracusecrunch.com/watch
Radio: ESPN Radio Syracuse | www.espncny.com
 
LAST TIME OUT
 
The Crunch had their six-game winning streak snapped in a 2-1 loss to the Laval Rocket Saturday at Upstate Medical University Arena.
 
The Rocket did their scoring in the first period. Riley Kidney broke the ice with a goal at 7:34 of the period. Lucas Condotta make it 2-0 with a tally from the left circle 10 minutes later. Syracuse has been outscored, 57-41, in the first period this season.
 
The Crunch pulled within one when Tristan Allard sniped home his seventh goal of the season 7:15 into the second period. 
 
Jacob Fowler — making his pro debut in net for the Rocket — denied three great Crunch chances early in the third period to preserve the lead en route to earning his first win.
 
SCOUTING THE CRUNCH
 
The Crunch had won six straight prior to Saturday's loss to the Rocket. Syracuse has still picked up wins in 12 of the last 15 games since March 9. They have not lost back-to-back games since March 2-7, and they have not lost two straight in regulation since Jan. 18-24 (three games).
 
Syracuse enters tonight's game with 82 points and a 35-22-8-4 record. The Crunch have a six point cushion for the final playoff position in the North Division. Entering the day they also lead Cleveland by one point for third place.
 
CLOSING IN ON THE PLAYOFFS
 
The Crunch look to sew up a seventh consecutive playoff berth tonight. They enter the day with a magic number of one, and they have two ways to nail down a playoff spot tonight.
 
Syracuse clinches a playoff berth today with:
(a) a point at Hershey OR 
(b) a Belleville loss (reg/OT/SO) at Laval.
 
The Crunch are 13th overall in the AHL standings, making them the highest team in the standings without already clinching a playoff spot.
 
ALLARD KEEPS HOT HAND
 
Forward Tristan Allard picked up points in all three games last week to extend his scoring streak to a season-high four straight games. The second-year-pro nabbed an assist on Wednesday at Utica. He then scored goals both Friday and Saturday to reach a new career-high with seven tallies on the season.
 
Allard, 22, has picked up 16 points (7g, 9a) in 43 games this season. He had 18 points in 63 games as a rookie last year. He had not strung together points in consecutive games this season prior to his current streak. 
 
CROZIER NAMED CRUNCH'S MAN OF THE YEAR 
 
Defenseman Max Crozier has been named the Crunch's IOA/Specialty Man of the Year in recognition of his efforts in the Syracuse community this year.
 
The second-year-pro connected with a local youth hockey skater and member of the Crunch Clean Team, Parker Wears, who has been going through brain cancer treatment. He has also supported the team's Mental Wellness Program helping the Crunch break the stigma and begin conversations around mental health.
 
Crozier began visiting Wears in Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital and, once he was able, invited him to read the starting lineup at a Crunch game before he went to Boston for several weeks of radiation treatments. Crozier and his girlfriend often check in on Wears and even visit his home to play intense games of knee hockey with Wears and his siblings.
 
When the Wears family visited Tampa in February, Crozier helped coordinate a special day for the family with the Lightning.
 
Crozier is now one of 32 finalists for the AHL's 2024-25 Yanick Dupré Memorial Award. Crunch forward Daniel Walcott won the award last season.
 
SCOUTING THE BEARS
 
The Bears are attempting to become the first team since the Springfield Indians in the 1960s to win three straight Calder Cups. They look to take another step in that direction by locking up the Atlantic Division for the second straight season. They can win the division title with a win against the Crunch tonight.
 
Hershey leads the division with 93 points and a 43-19-6-1 record. They are 19-13-1-0 at Giant Center this season.
 
Defenseman Ethan Bear tops Hershey in scoring with 46 points (10g, 36a). His plus-33 rating ranks second overall in the league. Hunter Shepard returned from Washington this week. He leads the Bears with 22 wins (22-11-3) with a 2.81 goals-against average and a .891 save percentage.
 
HEAD-TO-HEAD
 
The Crunch and Bears wrap up their season series tonight. The road team has won all three games so far. Hershey won in Syracuse on Nov. 23 (SO) and on Dec. 13 (OT). The Crunch answered back with a regulation win in Hershey on Feb. 8.
 
Derrick Pouliot (1g, 3a) and Conor Sheary (1g, 3a) top the Crunch in scoring with four points in three games against the Bears. Ethan Frank is the only Bear with more than one goal against the Crunch, but he has been on recall with Washington since January.
 
CONOR GEEKIE RECALLED TO TAMPA BAY 
 
Forward Conor Geekie was recalled to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday and promptly scored in his first two games in his return to the Bolts. The rookie began the season skating in 49 games for the Lightning before he joined the Crunch in February. 
 
The 20-year-old posted 20 points (11g, 9a) in 24 Crunch games prior to his recall. He leads the Crunch with eight power-play goals. He has also scored two game-winning goals and had three multi-goal games.