CRUNCH SPLIT OPENING WEEK OF 2026

The Syracuse Crunch earned three out of four possible points to ring in 2026. They posted a 1-0-1-0 record in Week 13, which featured their first home game in three weeks.
 
The Crunch finished off a stretch of six straight road games with an overtime loss to the Toronto Marlies on New Year's Day. They went 2-2-1-1 during the road swing. The Crunch returned home Saturday and clobbered the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, 6-0, to extend their home winning streak to five straight games.
 
Syracuse is 18-11-2-1 this season and has 39 points to sit in second place in the North Division. The Crunch have played the fewest home games in the AHL (11), and they are slated for a pair on home ice this week.
 
TOP PERFORMERS
 
Jarred Tinordi played a key role in the Crunch's 6-0 win over the Penguins on Saturday. The veteran defenseman scored his first Crunch goal, added a pair of assists and logged a fight for a Gordie Howe hat trick. It was his third three-point game in the AHL and the fourth of his pro career.
 
The 33-year-old has four points (1g, 3a) and a plus-3 rating in eight games since signing with the Crunch on Dec. 8.
 
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Dylan Duke scored goals in both games in Week 13 to extend his goal streak to three straight games. The second-year pro nabbed the team's only goal Thursday in Toronto and had one goal and one assist Saturday. Duke has goals in six of the last nine games to tie for the team lead in goal scoring since the start of December.
 
The 22-year-old has 14 goals and 25 points in 32 games this season after scoring 20 goals and 40 points as a rookie last season. His next game will be his 100th as a pro.
 
DEFENSIVE CLINIC
 
Despite an evolving cast of defensemen due to NHL recalls to Tampa Bay, the Crunch have been one of the premier defensive teams in the AHL. They allowed two total goals in their two games last week and surrendered a total of 34 shots over two games.
 
Syracuse has allowed fewer than 20 shots on goal in three straight games and in six of the last nine contests since Dec. 12. The Crunch rank first in the AHL for fewest shots allowed per game (24.31) and are sixth in goals allowed per game (2.63). The Crunch are 6-2-1-0 when allowed fewer than 20 shots in a game this season.
 
UPCOMING WEEK  
                 
Wednesday, January 7 vs. Rochester | 7 p.m.
The Crunch renew hostilities with the Rochester Americans Wednesday at Upstate Medical University Arena. The teams have split the first four games of their 12-game season series, but they haven't played since Nov. 28. They are slated for three matches in 13 days starting tomorrow.
 
The Amerks are 16-11-3-1 this season and are in fourth place in the North Division with 36 points. They enter the week off a loss to the Toronto Marlies on Saturday. Defenseman Zac Jones leads the team in scoring with 30 points (2g, 28a). Devon Levi has a team-leading 11 wins (11-6-4) and is 1-1-0 in two starts against the Crunch.
 
Friday, January 9 at Utica | 7 p.m.
The Crunch make their fourth trip of the season to the Adirondack Bank Center to face off against the Utica Comets on Friday. It's the seventh overall meeting this season between the clubs and the first of three in January. The Crunch are 5-1-0-0 versus the Comets, but they dropped the most recent match on Dec. 10.
 
The Comets have earned points in six of the last 10 games (4-4-1-1) but remain last in the Eastern Conference with 22 points (8-16-4-2). Rookie Lenni Hämeenaho tops the Comets with 16 points (7g, 9a) in 29 games. Nico Daws has five of their eight wins; he is 5-9-5 overall and 1-4-0 against the Crunch.
 
Saturday, January 10 vs. Laval | 5 p.m.
The Crunch host the Laval Rocket for their third meeting since Christmas. The Rocket won a pair of games versus the Crunch following the holiday break and they lead the North Division with 43 points (21-11-0-1). The first three meetings of the season have taken place in Laval.
 
Laurent Dauphin leads the AHL in scoring with 38 points (11g, 27a), but he had 16-game point streak snapped in Saturday's loss to Utica. He has four points in three games against the Crunch.
 
WEEK 13 RESULTS
 
Thursday, Jan. 1 | Game 31 at Toronto | OTL, 2-1
Syracuse    1 0 0 0 - 1     Shots: 9-11-12-3-36     PP: 1/6
Toronto     0 0 1 1 - 2     Shots: 2-5-8-2-17          PP: 0/4
1st Period-Duke 13 (Abruzzese, Geekie), 19:17. Halverson 10-4-2 (17 shots-15 saves) A-6,414
 
Saturday, Jan. 3 | Game 32 vs. W-B/Scranton | W, 6-0
W-B/Scranton  0 0 0 - 0 Shots: 4-5-8-17              PP: 0/4
Syracuse            5 0 1 - 6 Shots: 11-8-12-31         PP: 2/6
1st Period-Allard 3 (Tinordi, Lundmark), 2:12. Duke 14 (Pelletier, Chaffee), 3:04 (PP). Tinordi 1 (Lundmark, Geekie), 4:34. Pelletier 16 (Unassisted), 14:36. Geekie 9 (Chaffee, Tinordi), 19:05. 3rd Period-Abruzzese 7 (Geekie, Duke), 0:45 (PP). . . . Halverson 11-4-2 (17 shots-17 saves) A-5,712
 

Category	Average/Total	AHL Rank (Prev)
Power Play	21.4% (27-for-126)	10th (T-11th)
Penalty Kill	81.4% (79-for-97)	13th (T-19th)
Goals For	3.41 GFA (109)	4th (4th)
Goals Against	2.63 GAA (84)	6th (9th)
Shots For	28.94 SF/G (926)	15th (16th)
Shots Against	24.31 SA/G (778)	1st (3rd)
Penalty Minutes	14.25 PIM/G (456)	10th (19th)

 

Category		Leader
Points	35	Pelletier
Goals	16	Pelletier
Assists	23	Abruzzese
PIM	49	Mercuri
Plus/Minus	+15	Pelletier
Wins	11	Halverson
GAA	2.43	Halverson
Save %	.902	Fanti

 

North Division	GP	W	L	OTL	SOL	PTS	PCT	GF	GA	PIM	HOME	ROAD	LAST 10	STREAK	S/O
1. Laval	33	21	11	0	1	43	0.652	110	87	524	12-4-0-1	9-7-0-0	5-4-0-1	0-1-0-0	2-1
2. Syracuse	32	18	11	2	1	39	0.609	109	84	456	8-3-0-0	10-8-2-1	5-3-1-1	1-0-1-0	0-1
3. Toronto	34	18	14	1	1	38	0.559	102	113	486	9-6-0-1	9-8-1-0	7-3-0-0	0-1-0-0	2-1
4. Rochester	31	16	11	3	1	36	0.581	105	99	383	6-5-2-1	10-6-1-0	4-2-3-1	0-1-0-0	0-1
5. Cleveland	31	15	11	4	1	35	0.565	80	82	366	7-6-3-1	8-5-1-0	6-3-1-0	2-0-0-0	0-1
6. Belleville	35	13	17	5	0	31	0.443	111	126	476	6-11-2-0	7-6-3-0	2-5-3-0	0-2-0-0	2-0
7. Utica	30	8	16	4	2	22	0.367	68	100	341	4-9-1-2	4-7-3-0	4-4-1-1	1-0-1-0	1-2