ROCHESTER, N.Y. – After going down by one early in the first period, the Syracuse Crunch fired off four unanswered goals to take control of the game and eventually defeat the Rochester Americans, 6-3, tonight at the Blue Cross Arena.
The win puts the Crunch out to an early 2-0 lead in the 10-game season series with the Amerks. The team also kicks off the 2016-17 season with a 2-0-0-0 record.
Matthew Peca netted two goals, while Cory Conacher recorded a goal and two assists to help lead the Crunch to victory. Joel Vermin contributed a goal and an assist and Tanner Richard tallied two helpers. Adam Wilcox made 18 saves between the pipes for the Crunch. Amerks netminder Jason Kasdorf turned aside 24-of-30 shots. Syracuse went 2-for-6 on the power play, while stopping all seven Rochester man-advantages.
The Amerks were first to light the lamp, but went into the first intermission trailing the Crunch, 2-1. At 5:31, Evan Rodrigues gained control of the puck behind the cage before circling around and sniping one just under the cross bar from the right circle. The Crunch evened the score at 16:11 with some tic-tac-toe passing. Mike Halmo passed to Richard in the slot before receiving the puck back and firing a cross-crease pass for Yanni Gourde to send home.
Syracuse took over the lead with 46 seconds remaining in the first period. Conacher chipped the puck out from the end boards to Peca waiting in the slot. He redirected a one-timer past Kasdorf for his first of the season.
The Crunch built on their lead with two markers in the middle frame. Just 39 seconds in, Michael Bournival got his stick on the puck and slid it just through the goaltenders legs and across the goal line. Jake Dotchin and Daniel Walcott earned points on the play. Halfway through the period, Peca struck again. While on the power play, Conacher pushed a feed from behind the cage for Peca to send over Kasdorf’s shoulder.
Tyson Strachan got one back for the Amerks when he redirected Mac Bennett’s shot from the blueline with 6:29 remaining in the period, but the Crunch struck yet again before the second frame came to a close. Conacher scored with a wrist shot from the slot with the help of Vermin and Matt Taormina to send the Crunch into the second intermission leading, 5-2.
Rochester pulled within two at the 9:31 mark of the third period, but the Crunch were able to net one more before the game ended. Alexander Nylander received a pass from Cal O’Reilly and beat Wilcox blocker side at the 9:34 mark. Vermin scored his second of the year on the power play off assists from Erik Condra and Tanner Richard to secure the Crunch victory.
The Crunch return to the War Memorial Arena to host the Utica Comets on Friday, Oct. 21 at 7 p.m.
Match report courtesy of Syracuse Crunch
