The Syracuse Crunch couldn’t keep pace with the Utica Comets on Saturday night, falling 5-2 at the NBT Bank Arena.
Utica set the tone early with the game’s only goal in the first period, cashing in on the power play just 2:20 into the contest. Vladislav Kolyachonok let a one-timer go from the blue line, and Gabe Klassen got a tip down low in front of the net to put the Comets on top.
Syracuse found its footing in the second period and finally got on the board at 6:31. Duke got a stick on Jansen Harkins’s shot from the right circle and redirected it past David Rittich to cut the deficit to one. But the Comets answered at 14:57 when Shane Lachance wrapped around the net and fed Colin White, restoring the two-goal cushion.
The Crunch had another response in them. Matteo Pietroniro set up Jakob Pelletier at 16:03 to pull Syracuse back within a goal, but the momentum didn’t last long. Just 24 seconds later, Lenni Hämeenaho buried a cross-ice feed from Ben Steeves to make it 4-2 Utica.
That was enough support for Rittich, who finished with 24 saves on 26 shots. Mads Sogaard stopped 16 of 20 for Syracuse, which went 1-for-5 on the power play while Utica converted twice on three chances.
The Comets added an empty-net goal from Gabe Klassen in the closing minutes to close out the result.
The loss drops Syracuse to 5-5-1-0 on the season. The Crunch are back home tomorrow to host the Hartford Wolf Pack.
In Other News...
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Charle-Edouard DAstous helped fuel the rally by tying it in the third, and the comeback set the stage for Nikita Kucherov to finish it in overtime. For a team trying to build momentum on the road, this was the kind of win that says as much about resilience as it does about skill, and it leaves the Lightning with another reminder that their current run has real staying power. [Read more 🡒]
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The Lightning also come in needing a steadier effort away from home, where results have been harder to come by this season. Special teams could loom large, with both clubs bringing strong pieces to the ice and key players on each side capable of swinging the game in a hurry. For Tampa Bay, the bigger question is whether it can match Minnesotas pace and structure long enough to leave with points from a rink that has rarely been kind to it. [Read more 🡒]
Jakob Pelletier Keeps Delivering Despite Another Crunch Letdown
The Syracuse Crunch had another night where the result did not match the effort, falling 3-2 to the Hartford Wolf Pack in overtime at the Upstate Medical University Arena. Jakob Pelletier kept his recent surge rolling with a goal, and Lucas Mercuri added the other Syracuse tally, while Olivier Rodrigue turned aside 22 of 25 shots in a game that stayed tight from start to finish.
For the Lightning organization, Pelletiers production has become one of the more encouraging developments in Syracuse, even if the Crunch are still looking for the kind of finish that turns close games into points. Hartfords Callum Tung made 24 saves to get the win, leaving Syracuse with another frustrating one-goal loss and more proof that the offensive pieces are there, even if the payoff keeps slipping away late. [Read more 🡒]