The Syracuse Crunch got themselves back into the game late, but the rally still ended one goal short.
Down 2-0 against the Rochester Americans at Upstate Medical University Arena, Syracuse clawed all the way back to force overtime before Trevor Kuntar buried the winner 1:59 into the extra session for a 3-2 Rochester victory.
Brendan Furry started the comeback in the second period, and Ethan Gauthier finished the job with 1:06 left in regulation. Lucas Mercuri and Dylan Duke set up both Syracuse goals, with each player collecting two assists on the night.
Rochester set the tone early in a first period that turned physical fast, with three fights inside the opening 13 minutes. Gavin McCarthy opened the scoring at 10:42, snapping a wrist shot from the bottom of the right circle. A few minutes later, Matthew Peca struck from the same area on the power play to make it 2-0.
The Crunch needed a response, and Mercuri helped provide it in the second. He fed Furry as he entered the zone, and Furry finished with a forehand-to-backhand move before sliding the puck past Matthew Villalta.
Syracuse kept pressing in the third until Gauthier cashed in after a blocked shot attempt. Stationed beside the post, he got his stick on the loose puck and nudged it over the line to tie the game.
In goal, Mads Sogaard made 22 saves for Syracuse. Villalta stopped 22 of 24 shots for Rochester. The Americans won the special teams battle, going 1 for 3 on the power play, while the Crunch came up empty on three chances.
The point leaves Syracuse at 3-4-1-0 on the season and 1-1-1-0 in the season series against Rochester. Mercuri now has three multi-point games through the first eight contests, and Duke picked up his first multi-point effort of the year.
The Crunch head next to face the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
In Other News...
Lightning Get A Harsh Reminder Against The NHLs Best
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Jake Guentzel gave Tampa Bay a pair of goals, but the Lightning could not keep pace once Colorado settled in and started tilting the game. Nathan MacKinnon was right at the center of it throughout, setting the tone for the Avalanche offense and leaving Tampa Bay with another look at the margin for error it faces against an elite opponent. [Read more 🡒]
Lightning Exposed A Bigger Problem In This Loss To Colorado
The Lightnings 6-3 loss to Colorado was more than just another blemish on the schedule. Tampa Bay gave up an early goal and spent most of the night chasing the game, even as Jake Guentzel provided a spark with two goals. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 18 shots, but the Avalanche kept finding ways through, with Nathan MacKinnon driving the pace and forcing the Lightning into a reactive game for much of the night.
What made the defeat sting was how little margin Tampa Bay had once Colorado settled in. The Avalanches top line dictated the flow, and the Lightning never really solved it, leaving the larger issue front and center as the game wore on. For a club that expects more from its defensive structure, the concern is not just the result itself but how quickly the cracks showed once Colorado turned up the pressure. [Read more 🡒]
Crunch Showed Late Fight Before A Frustrating Finish
The Syracuse Crunch found their offense in time to make a game of it at the Upstate Medical University Arena, with Brendan Furry and Ethan Gauthier both scoring in a tight 3-2 overtime loss to the Rochester Americans. Lucas Mercuri and Dylan Duke picked up the assists, and Mads Sogaard turned aside 22 shots for Syracuse in a contest that stayed close enough to swing either way.
Rochester had the edge when it mattered most, with Trevor Kuntar delivering the winner in overtime after a game that never lacked intensity. Matthew Villalta also finished with 22 saves, and the Crunchs late push only underscored how much they had to work to earn even a single point before the finish turned frustrating. [Read more 🡒]