REGULAR SEASON ENDS ON SATURDAY
 
The Syracuse Crunch locked in home ice advantage for the North Division Semifinals by earning one win in Week 27.
 
The Crunch lost against the Rochester Americans, 3-2, Wednesday at Upstate Medical University Arena. They rebounded with a 5-1 win over the Utica Comets on Saturday that secured at least a second place finish in the North Division. Syracuse was bested by the Toronto Marlies, 4-1, Sunday. Syracuse's two losses were only its fourth and fifth regulation setbacks after scoring the game's first goal.
 
The Crunch enter the final week of the season with a 40-23-3-4 mark and 87 points. They trail Laval for first place in the division by three points with two games remaining for both clubs.
 
CRUNCH REACH 40 WINS
 
The Crunch's win on Saturday against the Comets secured the team's first 40-win regular season since the 2021-22 campaign. It is the first time they've won 40 games since the league shifted to a 72-game schedule.
 
Syracuse has nine 40-win seasons in franchise history, and the franchise record is 47 wins. The Crunch also have 37 regulation wins, which is the most they've had since 2018-19 (39). 
 
TOP PERFORMERS
 
Dylan Duke was one of two Crunch players to pick up at least one point in all three games last week. He finished the week with one goal and two assists and ranks third on the Crunch with 58 points in 70 games. His 32 goals lead the team and are tied for second in the league.
 
Duke is the only player to appear in all 70 Crunch games so far this season. He also skated in his first NHL game of the season last Tuesday in Ottawa. It was his third career NHL game.
 
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Forward Noah Steen picked up his first AHL goal during Saturday's win over the Comets. The tally came in his third career AHL game after he joined the Crunch following his SHL season with Orebro HK.
 
The 21-year-old was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the seventh round of the 2024 NHL Draft.  
 
PELLETIER REWRITES RECORD BOOK
 
Jakob Pelletier logged a point in both Crunch games he skated in last week to extend his scoring streak to a franchise-record 20 straight games since Feb. 20. He broke Mark Hartigan's previous team record of 18 games set during the 2005-06 season. Pelletier is the first AHL player to score in 20 straight games since 2006-07.
 
Pelletier enters the final week of the season looking to become the second Crunch player to win the John B. Sollenberger Trophy as the league's leading scorer. He tops the field with 77 points (28g, 49a) in 63 games, and he has a seven-point lead on Alex Barré-Boulet with two games remaining for both players. He also needs one assist to become just the fourth Crunch player with 50 helpers in a single season.
 
UPCOMING WEEK         
          
Friday, April 17 at Belleville | 7 p.m.
Saturday, April 18 vs. Belleville | 7 p.m.
The Crunch close out their 32nd regular season with a home-and-home set against the Belleville Senators. The teams meet at CAA Arena in Belleville on Friday and then turn around to square off at Upstate Medical University Arena on Saturday.
 
The Crunch have won four of the six previous meetings this season. The road team has won five of the six contests, and the Crunch are 3-0-0-0 in Belleville this season.
 
The Senators have been eliminated from playoff contention. They are 27-33-8-1 this season and sit in last place in the North Division with 63 points. It's the second straight season they have failed to qualify for the postseason.
 
Arthur Kaliyev leads the AHL with 39 goals in 67 games. He leads the race for the AHL's Willie Marshall Award as the top goal scorer by seven tallies. He has three goals in five games against the Crunch.
 
WEEK 27 RESULTS
 
Wednesday, April 8 | Game 68 vs. Rochester | L, 3-2
Rochester     1 1 1 - 3     Shots: 5-9-4-18              PP: 1/2
Syracuse        1 1 0 - 2     Shots: 5-6-8-19              PP: 0/2
1st Period-Peca 12 (Duke, Abruzzese), 3:54. 2nd Period-Tinordi 2 (Abruzzese, Peca), 11:03. Halverson 23-10-6 (18 shots-15 saves) A-4,033
 
Saturday, April 11 | Game 69 vs. Utica | W, 5-1
Utica          1 0 0 - 1         Shots: 15-4-9-28           PP: 0/4
Syracuse    2 2 1 - 5         Shots: 12-14-8-34         PP: 2/6
1st Period-Abruzzese 15 (Chaffee, Peca), 15:05 (PP). Mercuri 13 (Chaffee, Pelletier), 17:19. 2nd Period-Mercuri 14 (Newkirk, Kersten), 2:45 (PP). Szturc 7 (Duke, Kersten), 17:44. 3rd Period-Steen 1 (Pietroniro, Samson), 9:31.  Halverson 24-10-6 (28 shots-27 saves) A-6,189
 
Sunday, April 12 | Game 70 vs. Toronto | L, 4-1
Toronto     2 0 2 - 4         Shots: 9-5-7-21              PP: 0/1
Syracuse    1 0 0 - 1         Shots: 10-10-8-28         PP: 1/2
1st Period-Duke 32 (Pelletier, Abruzzese), 2:43 (PP).  Halverson 24-11-6 (20 shots-17 saves) A-4,220
 

Category	Average/Total	AHL Rank (Prev)
Power Play	22.9% (56-for-252)	5th (5th)
Penalty Kill	81.7% (179-for-219)	T-17th (17th)
Goals For	3.27 GFA (229)	10th (T-10th)
Goals Against	2.61 GAA (183)	T-3rd (4th)
Shots For	27.86 SF/G (1950)	18th (17th)
Shots Against	25.46 SA/G (1782)	2nd (3rd)
Penalty Minutes	14.33 PIM/G (1003)	8th (9th)

 

Category		Leader
Points	77	Pelletier
Goals	32	Duke
Assists	49	Pelletier
PIM	132	Mercuri
Plus/Minus	+32	Mitchell
Wins	24	Halverson
GAA	2.39	Halverson
Save %	.906	Halverson

 

North Division	GP	W	L	OTL	SOL	PTS	PCT	GF	GA	PIM	HOME	ROAD	LAST 10	STREAK	S/O
1. x Laval	70	41	21	3	5	90	0.643	228	192	1177	23-8-2-3	18-13-1-2	5-2-1-2	2-0-1-0	6-5
2. x Syracuse	70	40	23	3	4	87	0.621	229	183	1003	22-11-1-1	18-12-2-3	4-4-0-2	0-1-0-0	1-4
3. x Cleveland	70	35	26	6	3	79	0.564	209	222	880	18-11-4-2	17-15-2-1	2-6-0-2	0-1-0-2	3-3
4. x Toronto	70	34	26	5	5	78	0.557	221	223	997	19-11-1-3	15-15-4-2	4-6-0-0	1-0-0-0	3-5
5. Rochester	69	31	29	5	4	71	0.514	209	220	787	15-15-3-2	16-14-2-2	5-5-0-0	0-2-0-0	2-4
6. Utica	69	27	31	6	5	65	0.471	188	217	823	16-13-2-4	11-18-4-1	5-3-1-1	0-1-0-0	3-5
7. Belleville	69	27	33	8	1	63	0.457	217	251	1028	12-18-3-1	15-15-5-0	4-5-0-1	0-1-0-0	3-1