SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse Crunch were downed by the Toronto Marlies, 5-1, tonight at the Upstate Medical University Arena.
Mitchell Chaffee scored the lone goal for the Crunch as the team’s five-game winning streak came to an end. Syracuse is now 35-18-3-1 on the season and 1-1-1-0 in the four-game season series against Toronto.
Crunch goaltender Brandon Halverson stopped 21-of-25 shots, while Dennis Hildeby earned the win turning aside 30-of-31 shots in net for the Marlies. The Syracuse power play was held scoreless on three opportunities, but the penalty kill went a perfect 3-for-3.
The Marlies opened scoring five minutes into the game when Alex Nylander set up Noah Chadwick for a wrister from the bottom of the right circle. They doubled their lead on an odd-man rush late in the frame. Luke Haymes skated the puck down the left wing before sending it across the slot for Nylander to chip in.
Toronto made it 3-0 at the 4:32 mark of the middle frame. Ryan Tverberg crossed the blue line, deked around a defender and beat Halverson from between the circles.
The Crunch finally solved Hildeby four minutes into the third period. Ethan Samson fired a shot from the blue line that was tipped in by Chaffee from the slot. The Marlies quickly responded and regained their three-goal lead at 9:08 when Haymes scored from the right circle. Nylander then potted his second of the game into an empty net in the final minutes of play to lock in a Toronto win.
The Crunch host the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Friday.
