SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse Crunch blew past the Laval Rocket, 7-3, tonight at the Upstate Medical University Arena.
The win snaps a five-game skid for the Crunch and advances the team to 14-13-2-3 on the season. Syracuse is now 2-2-0-0 in the eight-game season series against Laval.
Crunch goaltender Max Lagace earned the win turning aside 28-of-31 shots. Joseph Vrbetic stopped 18-of-23 in net for the Rocket before being relieved by Kevin Poulin in the second period. Poulin went on to stop 11-of-13. The Syracuse power play was highly productive going 3-for-4, while the penalty kill was 4-for-5.
The Rocket were first on the board just one minute into the game when Rem Pitlick netted a wrister from between the circles. A little over three minutes later, the Crunch evened the score. Lucas Edmonds sent the puck out from along the end boards for Cole Koepke to take a shot from the bottom of the left circle. His initial shot was stopped, but he shoveled in his own rebound to tie the game.
Laval regained their lead at the 8:03 mark with a power-play goal. Pitlick’s shot from the left point was blocked, but Rafael Harvey-Pinard grabbed the rebound and dished a feed over for Alex Belzile to score from a sharp angle along the goal line. Syracuse answered yet again to knot the score at 15:46 when Shawn Element fired a long left-point shot that deflected off a Laval skater and past Vrbetic.
Syracuse took over the lead with three goals in the middle frame. The scoring onslaught started just 1:39 into the period when Simon Ryfors went intentionally wide for Gabriel Dumont to redirect in on the back door. Three minutes later, Gage Goncalves potted a goal from along the right-wing boards. The Crunch made it a 5-2 lead halfway through the period as Trevor Carrick chipped the puck in from the bottom of the left circle.
The Crunch continued scoring with two power-play goals to start the third period. Just 4:11 into the frame, Alex Barre-Boulet skated down the right wing and beat Poulin short side. Less than a minute later, Barre-Boulet fed Simon Ryfors for a one-timer in the right circle. Laval stole one back at the 7:58 mark with a goal from Joel Teasdale as he cut across the slot, but the Crunch stifled a comeback effort and took the win.
The Crunch travel to face the Lehigh Valley Phantoms tomorrow.
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