SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Dylan Duke recorded a hat trick as the Syracuse Crunch defeated the Utica Comets, 6-2, tonight at the Adirondack Bank Center.
The win advances the Crunch to 9-4-0-0 on the season and 3-0-0-0 in the 12-game season series with the Comets.
Utica scored the lone goal of the first period, but Syracuse powered back in the second with five consecutive goals. Both the Crunch and the Comets scored a tally in the final frame. Dylan Duke scored three power-play goals to give him his first career hat trick while also adding a helper. Declan Carlile and Conor Geekie posted multi-point games with two assists each.
In total, thirteen Crunch players earned a point on the night.
Crunch goaltender Brandon Halverson earned the win turning aside 25-of-27 shots faced. Nico Daws put a stop to 13-of-19 shots for the Comets. The Syracuse power play converted on 3-of-5 opportunities while holding Utica scoreless on its four man-advantages.
Lenni Hämeenaho put the Comets up, 1-0, at the 15:04 mark of the opening frame. Mikaël Diotte sent a shot in from the right point and Hämeenaho was in front of the net to tip the rebound in.
Syracuse had a busy second period, scoring five goals on eight shots in the frame. Stachowiak netted the first of the night for the Crunch four minutes into the period. After a battle along the right boards, Gauthier popped the puck out to Stachowiak who potted a wrister from the right dot. Dylan Duke scored his first power-play goal of the night two minutes later to give Syracuse its first lead of the night. Conor Geekie fired a one-timer from the right circle that ricochetted off Duke and in. Duke added his second goal on the man-advantage just after the halfway mark of the frame. Nick Abruzzese sent a cross-ice pass to Duke, he held it for a second and then ripped it in from the top of the right circle.
Tristan Allard extended the Crunch lead, 4-1, at the 15:27 mark of the second frame. Lucas Mercuri dished the puck across the ice to the left circle for Niko Huuhtanen to immediately send to Allard who fired it home from the slot. Brendan Furry tallied the final Crunch goal of the middle frame to put them up 5-1 with two and a half minutes to play in the period. Gabriel Szturc centered the puck from along the goal line and Furry potted a one-timer from the slot.
Nearly six minutes into the final period, Duke completed his hat trick with his third power-play goal of the night. Jakob Pelletier sent the puck across the front of the net for Duke to dump in from the right side of the crease. The Comets made the score 6-2 a minute later as Ethan Edwards hammered in a rebound.
The Crunch return home on Friday when they host the Hershey Bears for the annual Military Appreciation Night game presented by Visions Federal Credit Union.
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