CRUNCH MEET SENATORS IN PIVOTAL MATCH   

The Crunch begin April with a showdown against the Belleville Senators at CAA Arena.
 
It's the final game of the eight-game season series between the clubs, but it's their first meeting since Jan. 3. The teams are separated by three points for the final playoff spot in the North Division with nine games remaining.
 
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 rallied from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Rochester Americans, 3-2, in overtime Sunday afternoon at Blue Cross Arena.
 
The Amerks opened the scoring early in the second period. Noah Ostlund struck off the rush for an unassisted goal at 6:35 of the second. It was his second goal of the weekend against the Crunch. They grabbed a 2-0 lead off a faceoff in the Crunch zone. Brett Murray banked home a shot from the left corner at 13:05 to give him goals in two straight games against the Crunch.
 
Syracuse responded 10 seconds after Rochester's second goal. Conor Sheary picked up a loose puck over the Rochester line and threaded the needle to Jack Finley, who tapped home the pass from near the crease to make it 2-1. The Crunch tied the game with 5:01 to play in the third period. Anthony Angello hammered home a rebound from the bottom of the left circle for his 10th goal of the season.
 
Sheary struck 14 seconds into overtime off a pass from Finley to earn the Crunch their 30th win of the season.
 
SCOUTING THE CRUNCH

The Crunch's comeback effort in Rochester netted the club its 30th win of the campaign and capped off a strong month of March. The Crunch posted an 8-3-1-0 record in the month, earning the most wins they've had in a calendar month all season.
 
Syracuse enters tonight's game with 72 points and a 30-21-8-4 record. The Crunch's lead over Belleville for the final playoff position in the North Division is three points. Both teams have nine games remaining.
 
Conor Geekie extended his scoring streak to a season-high five straight games. He picked up an assist on the Crunch's first goal, giving him six points (4g, 2a) in the five games. The rookie posted a point in four of his first 10 games with the Crunch; he has now logged a point in eight of the past 10 contests since March 7.
 
ROAD SUCCESS

The Crunch picked up a road victory on Sunday in Rochester to stretch their road winning streak to four games. It's their longest road winning streak of the season and the longest since their five-game stretch between Feb. 17 and March 6, 2024.
 
The Crunch have earned wins at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Springfield, Lehigh Valley and Rochester during the streak. They've outscored opponents 19-6 over the four games. Syracuse carries a 16-11-4-0 road record with five road games remaining.
 
SHEARY TAKES OVER TEAM LEAD

Forward Conor Sheary had a point in all three games for the Crunch in Week 25. He set up the game-winning goal Friday against Utica, grabbed another assist Saturday and then posted one goal and one assist Sunday at Rochester. He facilitated the Crunch's first goal to spark their comeback from 2-0 down before scoring the overtime game-winning goal 14 seconds into the extra frame.
 
With four points in three games, Sheary overtook Derrick Pouliot for the Crunch lead in scoring. The veteran has 50 points (18g, 32a) in 51 games. His 26 points (9g, 17a) in 20 games since the All-Star Break is tied for sixth in the AHL in that span.
 
SUCCESSFUL MARCH  

The Crunch went 8-3-1-0 in March and they lost back-to-back games only once. The Crunch went 4-2-0-0 at home and 4-1-1-0 on the road. They averaged 3.58 goals per game, the most they've tallied in a month this season.
 
Syracuse began the month in sixth place in the North Division, one point behind Belleville, eight points back of Toronto and nine behind Cleveland. The Crunch enter April three points clear of Belleville, one point behind Cleveland and three behind Toronto.
 
SCOUTING THE SENATORS

The Senators arrive for tonight's game in sixth place in the North Division with 69 points and a 30-24-4-5 record. They are three points behind the Crunch for the final playoff spot in the division.
 
After grabbing three straight wins (March 14-21), the Senators have dropped four of their last five games (1-3-0-1). 
 
Rookie Stephen Halliday leads the Senators in scoring with 44 points (16g, 28a) in 62 games. The Ohio State product has only one goal in his last 18 games since Feb. 21, but the tally came in Belleville's win over Lehigh Valley last weekend. Angus Crookshank has a team-leading 22 goals, giving him his third straight 20-goal season.
 
IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME

Division rivals Syracuse and Belleville have not played head-to-head in nearly three months. Syracuse won the most recent match, 3-2, Jan. 3 at Upstate Medical University Arena. That boosted the Crunch's record to 5-2-0-0 against the Senators this season. The first meeting of the season went to a shootout and the last six have ended in regulation.
 
Derrick Pouliot leads the Crunch in scoring against the Senators with eight points (3g, 5a). Garrett Pilon (1g, 7a) has matched that for the Senators. Angus Crookshank has yo-yoed between Belleville and Ottawa this week; he leads all scorers with four goals in the series.
 
Brandon Halverson (2-1-0/1.35/.955) and Matt Tomkins (3-1-0/2.70/.919) have split time against Belleville. The Senators have used four goalies against the Crunch. Leevi Merilainen (2-1-0/2.17/.907) has earned the only wins against the Crunch.