CRUNCH AND COMETS BEGIN SEASON SERIES 

The Syracuse Crunch visit the Utica Comets at NBT Bank Arena tonight.
 
It's the first of 12 contests between the teams this season. They square off twice in Utica in just over a week.
 
Syracuse won nine of 12 games during last season's series, but the teams split the six games in Utica.
 
BROADCAST COVERAGE

Countdown to Crunch Time at 6:45 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

Jakob Pelletier scored his second consecutive hat trick, and matched his career high with four points, to pace the Crunch to a 7-0 drubbing of the Hamilton Hammers last Friday in Syracuse. 
 
The Crunch raced out to a 3-0 lead in the first period on goals from Max Groshev, Pelletier and Noah Steen. Pelletier, Dyllan Gill and Jansen Harkins scored in the second period to stretch the lead to 6-0.
 
Pelletier struck on the power play in the third period to complete the hat trick for a 7-0 lead. 
 
Goaltender Mads Sogaard stopped 21 shots for his second shutout of the season, and he improved to 3-2-1 this season.
 
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.
 
PELLETIER'S SCORTCHING STRETCH 

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 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. 
 
SCOUTING THE COMETS

The Comets (6-2-0-0) are off to their best start since 2021-22 and enter tonight following wins over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Hamilton last weekend. The Comets are tied for fourth in the North Division with 12 points, but they lead the Eastern Conference with a 0.750 points percentage.
 
Utica has played a lot of low scoring games early in the season. The Comets average 2.75 goals per game, which ranks 21st in the AHL, and they allow 2.63 goals per game, which is eighth in the league.
 
GILL'S TIME TO SHINE 

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.