CRUNCH EARN BLOWOUT WIN IN WEEK 5
The Syracuse Crunch played just one game in Week 5, earning a win in their only game over a 12-day span.
The Crunch blasted past the Hamilton Hammers, 7-0, Friday at Upstate Medical University Arena.
Jakob Pelletier posted a hat trick, and
Mads Sogaard stopped 21 shots for his second shutout of the season.
The Crunch went 4-1-1-0 over the final six games of the month to close October with a 5-4-1-0 record.
TOP PERFORMERS
Forward
Jakob Pelletier matched a team and league record by posting his second consecutive hat trick with three goals Friday against Hamilton. Pelletier is the first Crunch player since Alexandre Picard in 2009 to scored three or more goals in back-to-back games, and he is the first AHL player since Justin Bailey in 2020 to pull off the feat.
Pelletier, 25, also had a hat trick last Saturday, Oct. 24 at Lehigh Valley. He now has three career hat tricks. He is the first Crunch player to record more than one hat trick in a single season since Tyler Johnson in 2012-13.
Pelletier — the reigning AHL scoring champion — also had an assist on Friday for his second career four-point game. He is tied for the team lead with 11 points (7g, 4a) in 10 games this season.
•••
Dyllan Gill continued his strong play with a career-high three-point game Friday against the Hammers. The defenseman collected two assists in the first period and added his first goal of the season in the second frame to end with one goal and two assists.
Gill, 22, has points in three straight games and in three of his four appearances for the Crunch this season. He has five points (1g, 4a) to establish a new AHL career high. The 223rd overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft also paces the Crunch with a plus-8 rating this season.
•••
Nick Abruzzese recorded three assists Friday versus Hamilton for his second consecutive three-assist outing. All three were once again the primary assists, and seven of his eight assists this season have been the primary helper. It was his fourth career three-assist game and ninth career three-point game.
Abruzzese, 27, is tied for the team lead with eight points and tops the Crunch with eight assists. The Slate Hill, New York native finished last season — his first with the Crunch — with 51 points (15g, 36a) in 56 games.
HOUSE OF PAIN
The Crunch had another penalty filled contest Friday against Hamilton. The teams combined for 119 penalty minutes — 60 for the Crunch and 59 for the Hammers — marking the second straight Crunch game to eclipse 100 combined PIMs. Friday's game and the previous Saturday at Lehigh Valley (149 penalty minutes) are the two highest penalty minute games of the season in the AHL.
The Crunch are averaging 28.10 penalty minutes per game, which would be their highest in a season since their inaugural campaign in 1994-95 (29.00 penalty minutes per game). Crunch opponents have averaged 30.30 penalty minutes per game in 10 games this season.
TEAM NOTES
•
Mads Sogaard posted his second shutout in six starts this season to match his career high.
•
Jansen Harkins has goals in back-to-back games.
UPCOMING WEEK
Friday, November 6 at Utica | 7 p.m.
The Crunch and Utica Comets begin their 12-game season series Friday at the NBT Bank Arena. The clubs play twice in Utica in November (also Nov. 14); they won't play in Syracuse until Dec. 11.
The Comets are off to their best start (6-2-0-0) since 2021-22. They secured a pair of wins last weekend, including a comeback win over Hamilton on Sunday.
Utica is led in scoring by Lenni Hämeenaho, who has seven points (4g, 3a) in eight games.
Saturday, November 7 vs. Hartford | 5 p.m.
The Crunch host the Hartford Wolf Pack for their lone time this season on Saturday night. The Crunch won both contests last season, including a 7-2 triumph in Syracuse on Dec. 13.
The Wolf Pack are 6-6-1-0 to start the season, and they've played a league-high nine road games (5-3-1-0). They are in the midst of an eight-game road trip and will playing their third game in four nights on Saturday.
WEEK 5 RESULTS
Friday, Oct. 30 | Game 10 vs. Hamilton | W, 7-0
Hamilton 0 0 0 - 0 Shots: 4-13-4-21 PP: 0/5
Syracuse 3 3 1 - 7 Shots: 9-10-14-33 PP: 2/6
1st Period-Groshev 2 (
Unassisted), 2:12. Pelletier 5 (
Abruzzese, Gill), 6:11. Steen 2 (
Gill, Szturc), 17:38. 2nd Period-Pelletier 6 (
Furry), 5:47 (SH). Gill 1 (
Callahan, Furry), 8:17. Harkins 3 (
Abruzzese, Pelletier), 14:54 (PP). 3rd Period-Pelletier 7 (
Abruzzese, Groshev), 11:38 (PP). Sogaard 3-2-1 (21 shots-21 saves)
, A-4,855
| Category |
Average/Total |
AHL Rank (Prev) |
| Power Play |
20.5% (9-for-44) |
12th (14th) |
| Penalty Kill |
77.3% (34-for-44) |
25th (25th) |
| Goals For |
3.10 GFA (31) |
T-14th (21st) |
| Goals Against |
3.10 GAA (31) |
20th (23rd) |
| Shots For |
25.80 SF/G (258) |
28th (T-26th) |
| Shots Against |
27.10 SA/G (271) |
10th (15th) |
| Penalty Minutes |
28.10 PIM/G (281) |
1st (2nd) |
| Category |
|
Leader |
| Points |
11 |
Abruzzese|Pelletier |
| Goals |
7 |
Pelletier |
| Assists |
8 |
Abruzzese |
| PIM |
41 |
Mercuri |
| Plus/Minus |
+8 |
Gill |
| Wins |
3 |
Sogaard |
| GAA |
2.06 |
Sogaard |
| Save % |
.920 |
Sogaard |
| North Division |
GP |
W |
L |
OTL |
SOL |
PTS |
PCT |
GF |
GA |
PIM |
HOME |
ROAD |
LAST 10 |
STREAK |
S/O |
| 1. Laval |
11 |
8 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
16 |
0.727 |
39 |
21 |
220 |
3-2-0-0 |
5-1-0-0 |
8-2-0-0 |
1-0-0-0 |
0-0 |
| 2. Toronto |
11 |
6 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
13 |
0.591 |
35 |
34 |
197 |
3-2-1-0 |
3-2-0-0 |
6-3-1-0 |
0-1-0-0 |
1-0 |
| 3. Utica |
8 |
6 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
12 |
0.750 |
22 |
21 |
80 |
3-1-0-0 |
3-1-0-0 |
6-2-0-0 |
2-0-0-0 |
1-0 |
| 4. Belleville |
12 |
5 |
5 |
2 |
0 |
12 |
0.500 |
36 |
40 |
160 |
2-3-2-0 |
3-2-0-0 |
4-4-2-0 |
1-0-0-0 |
1-0 |
| 5. Cleveland |
10 |
6 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
12 |
0.600 |
35 |
36 |
229 |
3-3-0-0 |
3-1-0-0 |
6-4-0-0 |
0-1-0-0 |
1-0 |
| 6. Syracuse |
10 |
5 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
11 |
0.550 |
31 |
31 |
281 |
2-1-1-0 |
3-3-0-0 |
5-4-1-0 |
2-0-1-0 |
0-0 |
| 7. Rochester |
10 |
5 |
4 |
0 |
1 |
11 |
0.550 |
33 |
25 |
149 |
3-2-0-0 |
2-2-0-1 |
5-4-0-1 |
1-0-0-0 |
0-1 |
| 8. Hamilton |
12 |
3 |
7 |
0 |
2 |
8 |
0.333 |
30 |
48 |
199 |
1-3-0-1 |
2-4-0-1 |
2-6-0-2 |
0-1-0-1 |
0-2 |
