SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse Crunch defeated the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, 4-1, tonight at the PPL Center.
The Crunch netted two goals in the first 15 minutes of the second period before the Phantoms scored their lone goal of the night in the final minute of the frame. Syracuse responded with two goals in the final period to earn a second victory in their back-to-back weekend.
Nick Abruzzese led Crunch scorers with a goal and an assist while Jakob Pelletier tallied two helpers. Eight other Syracuse skaters recorded a point in the win.
The Crunch advance to 21-14-2-1 on the season and 2-0-0-0 in the four-game seasons series with the Phantoms.
Crunch goaltender Jon Gillies earned the win putting a stop to 27-of-28 shots faced. Yaniv Perets turned aside 17-of-20 shots for the Phantoms. The Syracuse power play converted on 1-of-4 man-advantages while Lehigh Valley converted on 1-of-6.
After a scoreless opening frame, the Crunch struck first 4:02 into the second period while on the man-advantage. Jakob Pelletier fired a shot from the top of the right circle and Dylan Duke tipped it in from in front of the net. Syracuse then doubled its lead 10 minutes later. Milo Roelens skated along the boards to the bottom of the right circle and fed the puck to the low slot for Tristan Allard to bang it past Perets. The Phantoms were on the board with a power-play goal in the final minute of the frame as Anthony Richard potted a one-timer from the right circle.
Tommy Miller extended the Crunch lead, 3-1, at the 12:43 mark of the final frame. He sent a pass from the top of the right circle and it bounced off a few bodies and ricocheted into the net. With just under three minutes remaining, the Crunch hit the empty net to ice the game. Conor Geekie had a wide-open net on a breakaway through center ice and he handed the puck off to Nick Abruzzese for the final tally of the game.
The Crunch host the Rochester Americans on Monday at 1 p.m. for the annual Monday Matinee presented by Lifespan Speech and Swallowing Services.