CRUNCH BACK ON ICE FOLLOWING ALL-STAR BREAK
 
The Syracuse Crunch resume the regular season following the AHL All-Star Break. They visit the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins tonight at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.
 
The Crunch won their final three games before the All-Star Break and have now won three straight games six different times this season. 
 
The Crunch and Penguins have split the first two games of their four-game season series.
 
BROADCAST COVERAGE
 
Countdown to Crunch Time at 5:50 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
 
Gabriel Szturc's first goal in 23 games helped the Crunch take down the Belleville Senators, 5-2, last Saturday at CAA Arena to sweep the home-and-home series.
 
It was a 2-2 game after a high-scoring first period. Syracuse took the lead 1-0 and 2-1 on goals by Conor Geekie and Jakob Pelletier. Geekie's goal marked the second consecutive night the Crunch scored less than two minutes into the game.
 
Szturc tallied the game-winner on the power play with four minutes left in the second period. The forward buried a one-timer from the left circle off a feed from Dylan Duke.
 
Two goals from Mitchell Chaffee in the third, including an empty-netter, sealed the 5-2 victory for the Crunch. Brandon Halverson made 21 saves on 23 shots faced.
 
STRETCH RUN BEGINS
 
With the AHL All-Star Break officially in the rearview mirror, the league's stretch run begins. The Crunch excelled following last year's AHL All-Star Classic, posting a 19-8-2-0 record in 29 games following the break.
 
Since the return of the AHL All-Star Classic in 2023 the Crunch have recorded a combined 48-29-6-4 record in three seasons after the break. That amounts to a 0.609 points percentage over 87 games.
 
SCOUTING THE PENGUINS
 
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton enters tonight's contest on a five-game winning streak. The Penguins are second in both the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference with 68 points in 48 games.
 
Forward Ville Koivunen has been scorching hot. The 23-year-old has eight points (1g, 7a) in his last four games and has strung together back-to-back multi-point outings. His 25 points (6g, 19a) rank fourth among active Penguins players.
 
In the crease, rookie Sergei Murashov (18-5-0) has been one of the AHL's best goaltenders this season. Murashov is third in the league in both goals-against average (2.11) and save percentage (.924). He made 26 saves when Wilkes-Barre/Scranton beat Syracuse, 4-1, on Jan. 31.  
 
ALL-STARS SHINE IN ROCKFORD
 
Forwards Jakob Pelletier and Conor Geekie represented the Crunch at the AHL All-Star Classic presented by BMO in Rockford on Tuesday and Wednesday. The pair helped the Eastern Conference earn an 18-15 win in the Skills Competition. The two participated in six events combined and added five points to the Eastern Conference's total score.
 
The North Division posted a 1-2 record in three games during the All-Star Challenge. Geekie added two points (1g, 1a) and Pelletier notched one assist over the three games.
 
CHAFFEE ON A TEAR
 
Forward Mitchell Chaffee (14g, 21a) tallied a pair of insurance goals in the third period last Saturday at Belleville. He snapped a top-shelf wrister with 3:51 remaining and added an empty-netter shortly thereafter to secure a 5-2 win for the Crunch.
 
Chaffee has notched goals in two straight games and amassed nine points (5g, 4a) over the last six contests. His 14 goals rank third on the team.