SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Goaltender Mads Sogaard and the Syracuse Crunch blanked the Laval Rocket, 2-0, in the season opener tonight at Place Bell.
 
Nick Abruzzese scored both goals for the Crunch. Rookie forward Sam O'Reilly recorded his first pro point in his first pro game with an assist on the opening tally, while Dylan Duke and Jakob Pelletier earned the helpers on the insurance marker.
 
Sogaard turned aside all 27 shots he faced in his Crunch debut. Jacob Fowler turned aside 29-of-31 in net for the Rocket. The Crunch power play converted on 1-of-6 opportunities. The penalty kill went a perfect 2-for-2.
 
Abruzzese scored the first goal of the season at the 14:13 mark of the first period. O'Reilly stole the puck in the corner and threw it behind the net and up the boards for Abruzzese to grab along the left wall. The puck got knocked loose, but O'Reilly was back between the circles and sent a back hand feed down to Abruzzese as he cut towards the net to score.
 
Abruzzese doubled the lead with his second goal of the game during a 5-on-3 power play in the third frame. He was parked in the bottom of the right circle where he ripped a one-timer that was blocked, grabbed his own rebound, which also got blocked, then finally got through on his third shot at the 7:04 mark.
 
Syracuse held off a late comeback effort and advanced to 1-0-0-0 to start the season. The Crunch face off against the Rocket again tomorrow afternoon.
 
Single game tickets and ticket packages for the 2026-27 season are on sale now and can be purchased in person at the Crunch office located inside the Upstate Medical University Arena at Onondaga County War Memorial at 800 S. State St. in Syracuse, by calling the office at 315-473-4444 or online through Ticketmaster. For the latest Crunch news, visit www.syracusecrunch.com or follow the club on Facebook (www.facebook.com/syracusecrunch), X (@SyracuseCrunch) and Instagram (@syracusecrunch).
 
Crunchables: Nick Abruzzese recorded his first multi-point game since March 20 against Rochester… Tomas Kralovic made his AHL debut tonight…Sam O'Reilly recorded his first professional point in his first professional game tonight…The Crunch are 5-0-0-1 in their last six season openers.