SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse Crunch clinched a Calder Cup Playoffs berth as they defeated the Rochester Americans, 5-3, tonight at Blue Cross Arena. 
Rochester jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the opening frame, but Syracuse rattled off three consecutive goals in the second period to take a 3-1 lead heading into the second intermission. The Crunch then added two more goals to begin the final frame. The Americans attempted a late comeback effort with two goals in the final seven minutes but the comeback ultimately fell short, giving the Crunch a 5-3 victory.
Nick Abruzzese and Conor Geekie led the Crunch in scoring with two goals each, while Jakob Pelletier, Dylan Duke and Matthew Peca each added two assists. Mitchell Chaffee also tallied a goal and four other Crunch skaters found themselves on the scoresheet.
The Crunch improve to 36-19-3-2 on the season and 5-4-0-0 in the 12-game seasons series with the Amerks.
Crunch goaltender Brandon Halverson earned the win turning aside 29-of-32 shots. Scott Ratzlaff put a stop to 16-of-21 shots in net for the Americans. Syracuse converted on 2-of-3 power-play opportunities while Rochester scored on 1-of-3 man advantages.
The Americans were on the board first at the 15:45 mark of the first period as Zac Jones skated through the slot and snuck the puck into the net.
