SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse Crunch were downed by the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, 4-1, tonight at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.
The Crunch are on a three-game skid and move to 13-8-0-2 on the season and 1-2-0-0 in the four-game season series against the Penguins.
Crunch goaltender Matt Tomkins turned aside 22-of-26 shots. Magnus Hellberg stopped 24-of-25 between the pipes for the Penguins. The Syracuse power play was held scoreless on four opportunities and the penalty kill went a perfect 5-for-5.
The Penguins opened scoring with just 39 seconds remaining in the first period. Xavier Ouellet fired a shot from the left point that was redirected in by Rem Pitlick.
Jack Rathbone doubled the lead with a wrister from the high slot 7:21 into the middle frame. The Crunch stole one back to cut their deficit to one right off the face off at the 15:01 mark. Tristan Allard took the draw in the left circle, Dan Walker poked the puck out and Shawn Element sent it off the goal post and in. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton quicky responded and took back their two-goal lead just 21 seconds later when Austin Rueschhoff tipped in Dmitri Samorukov’s right-point shot. Matt Filipe then added one off a shorthanded breakaway to make it 4-1.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton maintained their lead through the third period and took the win.
The Crunch travel to face the Utica Comets on Saturday
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