SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse Crunch defeated the Cleveland Monsters, 6-2, tonight at the Upstate Medical University Arena.
 
Mitchell Chaffee led the team with a two-goal game, while Jakob Pelletier, Simon Lundmark, Tristan Allard and Gabriel Szturc contributed the other goals. Conor Geekie, Matteo Pietroniro and Lucas Mercuri each recorded a multi-point game with two assists. The win advances the Crunch to 37-19-3-2 on the season and 1-1-1-0 in the four-game season series against the Monsters.
 
Crunch goaltender Ryan Fanti earned the win stopping 27-of-29 shots. Ivan Fedotov turned aside 19-of-24 shots between the pipes for the Monsters. Syracuse converted on 1-of-3 power play opportunities, while the penalty kill went a perfect 9-for-9.
 
The Crunch opened scoring just 49 seconds into the game. Geekie grabbed the puck at the left half-wall and fired it towards the net where Pelletier was able to chip it in.
 
Chaffee doubled the team's lead when he was awarded a penalty shot halfway through the middle frame. Two minutes later, the Monsters responded when Roman Ahcan scored from the left circle. Syracuse regained their two-goal lead during 4-on-4 play at the 17:41 mark with Lundmark's first goal of the season. Matthew Peca centered the puck as Lundmark came down the slot and beat Fedotov five-hole.
 
Syracuse continued to build on their lead and scored again just 18 seconds into the third period. Reece Newkirk carried the puck around the back of the net and centered it for Mercuri, but the puck bounded off his skate and out for Allard to send in from close range. Cleveland came back within two halfway through the period when Jack Williams scored with a wrister from the bottom of the right circle, but the Crunch halted a comeback effort and added two more goals in the final 2:12 of the game. Chaffee potted his second of the night into an empty net before Szturc added a power-play goal from the slot with just six seconds remaining.
 
The Crunch and Monsters face off again tomorrow night.
 
Ticket packages for the 2025-26 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: Jakob Pelletier has the longest active points streak with 12 games (4g, 13a)…Simon Lundmark scored his first goal with the Crunch tonight…The Crunch had their most successful penalty kills since going 9-for-9 on Oct. 26, 2011 against the Lake Erie Monsters.