SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse Crunch fell to the Belleville Senators, 6-4, tonight at CAA Arena.  
 
The Senators were first on the board in the second period and added two more tallies early in the third. After a back-and-forth scoring battle throughout the final frame, Belleville hit the empty net and took the win.  
 
The Crunch move to 40-24-3-4 on the season and 4-3-0-0 in the eight-game seasons series with the Senators.
 
Crunch goaltender Brandon Halverson turned aside 24-of-27 shots before being relieved by Harrison Meneghin early in the third period. Meneghin went on to stop 2-of-4 shots faced. Kevin Reidler earned the win putting a stop to 24-of-28 shots in net for the Senators. The Syracuse special teams were held scoreless on two power-play opportunities while keeping Belleville off the scoresheet on its five man advantages.
 
After a scoreless opening frame, the Senators took a 1-0 lead with 13:54 to play in the second period. As a Belleville powerplay ended, Graeme Clarke passed the puck across for Hoyt Stanley fired a one-timer from the top of the left circle.
 
Blake Montgomery put Belleville up, 2-0, at the 2:05 mark of the third period as he rushed up the ice and slipped the puck in off his backhand. The Senators extended their lead shortly after as Arthur Kaliyev punched home a rebound off Carter Yakemchuk's shot. Ethan Samson potted the first Crunch goal at the 8:38 mark of the frame as he gathered the rebound from a blocked Spencer Kersten shot and fired it in from the point.
 
The Senators then responded and regained a three-goal lead less than a minute later. Yakemchuk attempted a toe drag in the slot which got knocked away, but it fell to Xavier Bourgault who picked it up and snapped it through. The track meet continued as Gabriel Szturc found himself on the scoresheet at the 12:47 mark of the frame. Szturc picked up the puck in the right circle and sniped it through to make the score 4-2. Samson found the back of the net 19 seconds later for his second goal of the night. Reece Newkirk and Samson rushed up the ice, Newkirk passed the puck across the bottom of the slot and it went off Samson and in. 
 
Bourgault notched his second score of the game while playing 4-on-4, extending the Senators' lead to 5-3 with 5:49 remaining in the game. Belleville rushed up the ice on a 2-on-1 and Yakemchuk passed the puck to the front of the crease for Bourgault to deflect in. Szturc got his second tally to bring the Crunch within one goal with 2:57 to play. Matteo Pietroniro fired a shot from above the left circle, Szturc picked up the rebound and potted it from in front of the crease. Keean Washkurak hit the empty net with 1:20 left in the game to seal the victory for Belleville.
 
The Crunch close out the regular season in Syracuse tomorrow night with a rematch against the Senators.
 
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: Harrison Meneghin made his AHL debut and recorded his first AHL point…Ethan Samson recorded his first career two-goal game.