The Syracuse Crunch shook off an ugly start and turned it into a needed response on home ice, erasing a two-goal hole to beat the Rochester Americans 4-2 at the Upstate Medical University Arena and snap a three-game skid.
Syracuse got goals from four different skaters in the comeback: Lucas Mercuri, Sam O’Reilly, Jansen Harkins and Clark Bishop. The result lifted the Crunch to 2-3-0-0 and left the season series against Rochester tied at 1-1-0-0.
Rochester looked in control early. Aidan McDonough opened the scoring midway through the first period by burying a shorthanded breakaway, and just three minutes later Matthew Peca made it 2-0 with a one-timer from the right circle on a 5-on-3 power play, with Conor Sheary setting it up.
The game flipped in the second period, when Syracuse started chipping away. Mercuri got the Crunch on the board at 9:32, redirecting Bishop’s point shot from the slot for his first goal of the season. Then O’Reilly, down on one knee, swept in his first professional goal from the bottom of the right circle five minutes later to pull Syracuse even.
From there, the Crunch took over in the third. Harkins finished a 2-on-1 rush with Max Groshev at 7:06 after the puck bounced off the end boards and landed in the crease. Bishop followed with the insurance marker five minutes later, poking in his own rebound after Talyn Boyko made the first stop.
Mads Sogaard finished with 15 saves on 17 shots for Syracuse. Boyko stopped 24 of 28 for Rochester. Syracuse also did damage on special teams, going 2-for-5 on the power play while killing off four of five Rochester chances.
The Crunch head to Hamilton to face the Hammers on Saturday afternoon.
In Other News...
Crunch May Have Found A Needed Spark After Rough Start
After a rough opening stretch, Syracuse may have found a little life in Rochester. The Crunch trailed by two before turning things around at Upstate Medical University Arena, where Matteo Pietroniro, Sam O'Reilly, Jansen Harkins and Clark Bishop all scored in a 4-2 comeback over the Americans, and Mads Sogaard steadied the group in goal with a 15-save win.
There was extra significance in the scoring column, too, with O'Reilly breaking through for his first professional goal and Harkins and Bishop each finding the net for the first time with the Crunch. For a Tampa Bay affiliate trying to sort out its early-season footing, a rally like that can carry more weight than the two points alone, especially when a handful of new contributors suddenly start looking comfortable in key spots. [Read more 🡒]
Lightning Finally Broke Through In A Game Vancouver Wouldn't Give Away
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Even in defeat, Vancouver showed some effort in a game it could have let slip much earlier, which has been part of the problem during a rough stretch. The loss was another in a string of setbacks for a club trying to find its footing, and while the result stings, the performance at least suggested a group still competing rather than folding under the weight of the slide. [Read more 🡒]
Lightnings Hot Start Feels Real After Another Rally At Home
Another night at Amalie Arena, another reminder that this start by the Lightning might be built to last. Tampa Bay erased an early 2-0 hole and beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-2, pushing its home mark to 5-0 and its overall record to 6-2-0. Nikita Kucherov was central to the comeback with two goals, while Dennis Hildeby picked up his second win of the season in goal.
Ryan McDonagh also added a notable milestone in the background of the rally, continuing to pile up the kind of defensive work that has long made him a valuable piece of this roster. For a team that has looked comfortable at home and resilient when the game tilts against it, nights like this are starting to feel less like a hot streak and more like a pattern, even before every detail of the effort gets fully sorted out. [Read more 🡒]