SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse Crunch defeated the Utica Comets, 4-1, this afternoon at the Adirondack Bank Center.  
 
Dylan Duke led the Crunch in scoring with two goals while Nick Abruzzese and Brendan Furry also found the back of the net. Six additional Syracuse skaters added a tally on the afternoon. 
 
The Crunch advance to 35-17-3-1 on the season and 8-3-0-0 in the 12-game seasons series with the Comets.
 
Crunch goaltender Ryan Fanti earned the win putting a stop to 27-of-28 shots. Nico Daws turned aside 20-of-23 shots in net for the Comets. Syracuse and Utica were both held scoreless on two man-advantage opportunities each.  
 
The Crunch opened scoring 4:48 into the opening frame. Nick Abruzzese skated through the left circle where he picked the puck up and sent it in on net. It lingered in the crease for a few moments before trickling in behind Daws.
 
Dylan Duke doubled the Crunch lead, 2-0, at the 15:50 mark of the second period. The original shot toward the net was blocked but Duke cashed in on the second chance from the right circle.  
 
With 5:30 to play in the final frame, Syracuse extended its lead, 3-0, when a Utica skater gave the puck away to Jakob Pelletier as he was skating through the left circle. Pelletier then set up Brendan Furry to fire home a one-timer from in the slot. Just 1:45 later, Xavier Parent notched the Comets' only goal after capitalizing on a Crunch turnover. Duke tallied his second goal of the afternoon with 59 seconds remaining in play as he potted an empty-net goal to ice the game. 
 
Next up, the Crunch host the Toronto Marlies on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
 
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: The Crunch have won 12 of the last 13 games…Brendan Furry has four goals in the last five games…Mitchell Chaffee has seven points in the last five games (1g, 6a)…Jakob Pelletier has a seven-game points streak (2g, 9a)…Dylan Duke has recorded 12 multi-point games this season.