CRUNCH LOOK TO SWEEP HOME-AND-HOME    

The Crunch rematch with the Toronto Marlies this afternoon at Coca-Cola Coliseum to wrap up their six-game season series.
 
The Crunch scored a 4-1 win last night in Syracuse to begin the two-game set. The win pulled the Crunch even with the Marlies in standings points, and they are officially in third place via the tiebreaker (regulation wins).
 
BROADCAST COVERAGE

Countdown to Crunch Time at 3:45 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

Conor Geekie and Conor Sheary both posted three-point games, and Ryan Fanti earned his first AHL win of the season as the Crunch bested the Marlies, 4-1, at Upstate Medical University Arena last night.
 
Geekie wasted no time striking on the game's first shift. He received a pass from Sheary and fired home his 10th goal of the season 31 seconds into the game. Anthony Angello doubled the lead at 3:55 of the opening frame, which chased starter Dennis Hildeby. The Crunch have chased a starting goaltender in both games this week.
 
Geekie connected on a power-play goal in the second period to open a 3-0 lead. Jack Finley chipped in about six minutes later for a 4-0 advantage. 
 
Toronto finally broke through in the third period, but Fanti turned aside 30 shots to earn his first Crunch win. It was his second career AHL win and his first since April 9, 2022.
 
SCOUTING THE CRUNCH

The Crunch grabbed their third straight win last night against the Marlies. It was the club's ninth win in the last 11 games since March 9. The Crunch have outscored their opponents 43-22 over the last 11 games.
 
Syracuse enters tonight's game with 76 points and a 32-21-8-4 record. The Crunch maintained a five-point cushion for a playoff berth. They also moved into a tie for third place with Toronto, and the Crunch currently hold the tiebreaker. Syracuse's magic number to clinch a playoff berth stands at 10.
 
Jack Finley earned his second multi-point game in the last three outings with one goal and one assist last night. His two points came in the second period and give him 28 points (14g, 14a) in 38 games. He has six multi-point performances this season. His 14 goals mark a new career high. 
 
SHEARY'S SURGE

Conor Sheary notched his third straight multi-point outing to maintain his team lead in points. With three assists last night, Sheary has now logged five three-point game this season. 
 
Sheary paces the Crunch with 55 points (18g, 37a) in 53 games. He has points in nine of the past 11 games, with six multi-point outings in that span, and he leads the AHL in scoring with 17 points (5g, 12a) over that time. He is now tied for 13th overall in league scoring this season.
 
GEEKIE ROLLING ALONG

Conor Geekie extended his scoring streak to a season-high seven straight games with two more goals last night. It was his second straight two-goal performance and his third in the last seven games. His three multi-goal games are the most by any Crunch player this season. Geekie has 11 points (8g, 3a) during his scoring streak. Last night was his second three-point game of the season (also March 14 vs. Springfield).
 
The rookie posted a point in four of his first 10 games with the Crunch; he has now logged a point in 10 of the past 12 contests since March 7. He has 20 points (11g, 9a) in 22 Crunch games, and he leads the team with eight power-play goals.
 
FANTI'S FINE OUTING 

Goaltender Ryan Fanti earned his first AHL win of the season last night for the Crunch. The 25-year-old has spent the majority of the season with the ECHL's Orlando Solar Bears. He has been with the Crunch for the last few weeks following an injury to Matt Tomkins.
 
Fanti is 18-13-5 with a 2.71 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage with the Solar Bears. He made 30 saves last night against the Marlies for his first AHL wins since April 9, 2022 with Bakersfield. Fanti has made two starts and three relief appearances for the Crunch this season. He holds a 1-1-0 record and has stopped 94 of 99 shots for a .949 save percentage along with a 1.43 goals-against average. He has made 14 career AHL appearances.
 
SCOUTING THE MARLIES

Toronto dropped its fourth game in the last five last night. The Marlies enter today's contest with a 33-23-4-6 record and are tied with the Crunch at 76 points. They are officially in fourth place in the division, and they have a five point cushion above the playoff line. They are 9-12-2-2 since the AHL All-Star Break.
 
The Marlies have only two wins in the last nine games (2-6-1-0) and goals have been hard to come by in that span. They have scored 17 goals in the nine games for a 1.89 goals per game average. They have scored more than two goals only twice, and the Marlies' overall goals per game has fallen to 2.82 goals per game, which ranks 27th in the AHL.
 
HEAD-TO-HEAD

The Crunch look to earn their fourth win in six games against the Marlies in this season's series. They enter today with a 3-1-1-0 mark against Toronto, and the Crunch are 9-1-1-2 in their last 13 games against the Marlies since the start of last season.
 
Conor Sheary leads all players in the series with eight points — all assists — in just four games. He is followed closely by Jack Finley, who has seven points (3g, 4a) in five games.
 
Last season these clubs played four sets of back-to-backs, including two home-and-homes. All four resulted in two-game sweeps, and the Crunch swept both home-and-home series.