CRUNCH REBOUND IN WEEK 3 

The Syracuse Crunch got on track with a pair of divisional wins in Week 3.
 
Syracuse snapped a three-game losing streak and picked up its first home win of the season Saturday versus Rochester. The Crunch overcame a 2-0 deficit with four straight goals to win, 4-2. They traveled to Hamilton for their first contest against the Hammers on Sunday afternoon and prevailed, 4-3.

Syracuse continues a stretch of five games in eight days this week.
 
TOP PERFORMERS
 
Forward Lucas Mercuri paced the Crunch in scoring last week with four points (2g, 2a) in two games. He netted one goal and one assist in both games. Mercuri bookended the Crunch's goal scoring over the weekend. He scored the first of four consecutive goals in Saturday's comeback, 4-2 win over Rochester. He then potted the game-winning goal with five minutes remaining Sunday at Hamilton.
 
Mercuri, 24, has four points total this season. He leads the team with two multi-point games this season after finishing with four such games as a rookie last season.
 
•••
 
Defenseman Matteo Pietroniro returned to the Crunch lineup and made an instant impact. The Boise, Idaho native, who turned 28 today, made his season debut Saturday after missing the first two weeks of the season due to injury. He finished with a plus-1 rating in the win over the Amerks then collected one goal and one assist in Sunday's triumph over Hamilton.
 
Pietroniro is coming off a career season in 2025-26 in which he earned 31 points (8g, 23a) and a plus-26 rating in 65 appearances with the Crunch. He signed a two-year contract extension with the Crunch.
 
O'REILLY SCORES FIRST AS A PRO
 
Rookie Sam O'Reilly netted his first professional goal with a power-play strike Saturday versus Rochester. The tally tied the game at two in the second period and marked his first goal in his fifth pro game.
 
O'Reilly, 20, has two points (1g, 1a) in six games this season. He was selected in the first round, 32nd overall, in the 2024 NHL Draft by the Edmonton Oilers.
 
TEAM NOTES
 
• Out of the eight goals scored by the Crunch last week, seven marked the scorer's first of the season
 
• Syracuse went 9-for-9 on the penalty kill on Sunday, their best mark since March 21 vs. Cleveland.
 
UPCOMING WEEK
                   
Wednesday, October 21 at Laval | 7 p.m.
The Crunch make their final trip of the season to Place Bell in Laval to face the Rocket tomorrow night. The teams split a two-game series on opening weekend; the Crunch won the opener, 2-0, but the Rocket responded with a 6-1 win the following afternoon.
 
After losing that first game to the Crunch, the Rocket have rattled off five straight wins, including four in a row on the road. Wednesday will mark the Rocket's third home game of the season — all of which have come against Syracuse. Rookie defenseman Luke Mittelstadt leads the Rocket and the AHL in scoring with 13 points (4g, 9a) in six games.
 
Friday, October 13 vs. Rochester | 7 p.m.
The Crunch swing back home for a Friday clash against the Rochester Americans. It's the third meeting between the teams already this season. The home team has won the first two with Rochester winning, 7-1, and Syracuse prevailing, 4-2. 
 
The Amerks are 1-2-0-1 on the road this season versus a 2-0-0-0 mark on home ice. After three meetings in three weeks, the clubs won't square off again until Nov. 18.
 
Saturday, October 24 at Lehigh Valley | 7:05 p.m.
The Crunch cap off their stretch of five games in eight days Saturday night with a road game against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. It's the first of four meetings between the teams. Syracuse posted a 3-1-0-0 record against the Phantoms last season, including a 2-0-0-0 record at the PPL Center.
 
The Phantoms ride a three-game winning streak into the week with Alex Bump providing back-to-back game-winning goals. The 23-year-old leads the team with seven goals in five games, but he was recalled to Philadelphia yesterday.
 
WEEK 3 RESULTS
 
Saturday, Oct. 17 | Game 5 vs. Rochester | W, 4-2
Rochester     2 0 0 - 2     Shots: 6-8-3-17              PP: 1/5
Syracuse        0 2 2 - 4     Shots: 8-9-11-28           PP: 2/5
2nd Period-Mercuri 1 (Bishop, Furry), 9:32. O'Reilly 1 (Duke, Abruzzese), 16:07 (PP). 3rd Period-Harkins 1 (Groshev, Pelletier), 7:06 (SH). Bishop 1 (Mercuri, Szturc), 12:01 (PP). Sogaard 2-1-0 (17 shots-15 saves), A-5,902
 
Sunday, Oct. 18 | Game 6 at Hamilton | W, 4-3
Syracuse    3 0 1 - 4         Shots: 5-6-8-19              PP: 1/4
Hamilton   1 1 1 - 3         Shots: 2-12-19-33         PP: 0/9
1st Period-Duke 1 (Abruzzese, Gauthier), 3:25 (PP). Pelletier 1 (Unassisted), 3:44. Pietroniro 1 (Groshev, Mercuri), 6:09. 3rd Period-Mercuri 2 (Pietroniro), 15:00. Rodrigue 1-2-0 (33 shots-30 saves) A-3,893
 

Category	Average/Total	AHL Rank (Prev)
Power Play	19.2% (5-for-26)	15th (25th)
Penalty Kill	75.0% (24-for-32)	T-25th (32nd)
Goals For	2.33 GFA (14)	26th (31st)
Goals Against	3.50 GAA (21)	T-22nd (27th)
Shots For	26.33 SF/G (158)	25th (T-20th)
Shots Against	27.50 SA/G (165)	10th (T-15th)
Penalty Minutes	19.83 PIM/G (119)	4th (2nd)

 

Category		Leader
Points	5	Abruzzese
Goals	3	Abruzzese
Assists	3	Duke|Pelletier
PIM	30	Mercuri
Plus/Minus	+2	Gill|Pietroniro
Wins	2	Sogaard
GAA	1.82	Sogaard
Save %	.925	Sogaard

 

North Division	GP	W	L	OTL	SOL	PTS	PCT	GF	GA	PIM	HOME	ROAD	LAST 10	STREAK	S/O
1. Laval	6	5	1	0	0	10	0.833	25	11	129	1-1-0-0	4-0-0-0	5-1-0-0	5-0-0-0	0-0
2. Cleveland	6	4	2	0	0	8	0.667	24	23	89	2-2-0-0	2-0-0-0	4-2-0-0	0-1-0-0	0-0
3. Toronto	6	4	2	0	0	8	0.667	23	20	80	1-1-0-0	3-1-0-0	4-2-0-0	0-1-0-0	1-0
4. Belleville	7	3	2	2	0	8	0.571	22	25	94	1-2-2-0	2-0-0-0	3-2-2-0	1-0-2-0	1-0
5. Rochester	6	3	2	0	1	7	0.583	19	12	72	2-0-0-0	1-2-0-1	3-2-0-1	0-1-0-0	0-1
6. Utica	4	3	1	0	0	6	0.750	8	8	40	1-1-0-0	2-0-0-0	3-1-0-0	0-1-0-0	0-0
7. Syracuse	6	3	3	0	0	6	0.500	14	21	119	1-1-0-0	2-2-0-0	3-3-0-0	2-0-0-0	0-0
8. Hamilton	6	1	4	0	1	3	0.250	18	25	70	0-3-0-1	1-1-0-0	1-4-0-1	0-4-0-1	0-1