Crunch Sweep Senators Behind Chaffee’s Two-Goal Night, Special Teams Surge
The Syracuse Crunch headed into Belleville looking to complete a home-and-home sweep-and they did just that, skating out of CAA Arena with a convincing 5-2 win over the Senators. It was a game that saw the Crunch take control in the second half and never look back, powered by timely scoring, strong special teams, and a standout performance from Mitchell Chaffee.
Let’s break it down.
Trading Punches Early
The first period was a back-and-forth affair, with both teams landing blows and heading into the intermission deadlocked at two apiece. Syracuse wasted no time getting on the board.
Just 1:37 into the game, the Crunch cashed in on their first power play of the night. Conor Geekie and Jakob Pelletier-two of Syracuse’s AHL All-Stars-linked up with some slick puck movement, capped off by Geekie ripping a snapshot from the right faceoff dot to make it 1-0.
Belleville responded midway through the frame when Lassi Thomson buried a bouncing puck near the crease to even things up. But the Crunch weren’t done.
With under five minutes to go in the period, Geekie and Pelletier flipped roles. Geekie found Pelletier entering the right circle, and Pelletier blasted home a one-timer to reclaim the lead.
Still, Belleville had an answer. Just 49 seconds later, Carter Yakemchuk pulled off a wraparound goal to knot the score at 2-2, setting the stage for what felt like a possible track meet.
Crunch Clamp Down, Take Over
But that’s where Syracuse tightened things up-and tilted the ice in their favor.
After a quiet start to the second, the Crunch’s power play struck again. This time it was Gabriel Szturc finishing off a clean sequence. Lucas Mercuri did the dirty work along the boards, Dylan Duke found Szturc in the left circle, and the rookie forward hammered home a one-timer to give Syracuse a 3-2 lead late in the second period.
That goal proved to be the turning point. From there, the Crunch locked in defensively and let their depth take over.
Chaffee Puts It Away
Mitchell Chaffee made sure there would be no comeback story for Belleville. With just under four minutes to go in regulation and the teams skating four-on-four, Brendan Furry hit Chaffee in stride through the neutral zone. Chaffee didn’t hesitate, firing a laser from the right circle to extend the lead to 4-2.
Then, with the Senators’ net empty and time winding down, Max Groshev forced a turnover and Chaffee did the rest-launching the puck from his own zone into the yawning cage to seal the win and his second goal of the night.
It was a fitting finish for Chaffee, who scored in both games of the weekend set and continues to be a reliable source of offense for Syracuse.
Special Teams Shine
One of the biggest stories of the night? Special teams.
Syracuse went 2-for-3 on the power play and killed off both Belleville man-advantages. That kind of efficiency on both sides of special teams is the difference in tight games-and it’s something the Crunch will be looking to carry into the back half of the season.
Goaltender Brandon Halverson also deserves his flowers. He turned aside 21 of 23 shots and was steady when he needed to be, especially after the first period when the Crunch clamped down defensively.
What’s Next
With the win, Syracuse improves to 26-16-3-1 on the season and takes a 3-2 edge in the eight-game season series against Belleville. The team now heads into the AHL All-Star break on a high note and will return to action on February 14 with a road tilt against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Crunchables
- Jakob Pelletier’s first-period goal was his 20th of the season.
- Conor Geekie extended his point streak to five games (2 goals, 4 assists).
- Geekie and Pelletier each notched a goal and an assist in the opening frame.
- Mitchell Chaffee has scored in back-to-back games against Belleville.
The Crunch are starting to find their rhythm, and if this weekend sweep is any indication, they’re gearing up for a strong second half.