SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse Crunch were edged by the Belleville Senators, 4-3, tonight at CAA Arena.
The loss puts the Crunch on a three-game skid and moves the team to 15-16-3-1 on the season. They are now 1-2-0-0 in the eight-game season series against the Senators.
Crunch goaltender Amir Miftakhov turned aside 27-of-31 shots. Filip Gustavsson stopped 8-of-10 shots in net for the Senators before being relieved by Mads Sogaard to start the second period. Sogaard went on to stop 11-of-12. Syracuse was unable to convert on two power play opportunities, while Belleville went 2-for-9.
The Crunch opened scoring just 2:21 into the game when Simon Ryfors passed the puck down to P.C. Labrie along the right-wing boards. He turned and fired a shot that snuck past Gustavsson. The team doubled their lead at 14:38. Andrej Sustr sent a long right-point shot on net that was stopped, but Gage Goncalves was there to chip in the rebound.
The Senators responded with two goals of their own late in the first period to tie the game. At 15:30, Matthew Wedman capitalized on a second chance when he got his stick on a rebound and backhanded it in. Logan Shaw then wristed one in from the right faceoff dot while on the power play with 53 seconds remaining in the frame.
Syracuse regained their lead 5:36 into the second period. Labrie set up Charles Hudon for a short breakaway where he sent the puck off the post and past the netminder. Belleville knotted the game for a second time when Dillon Heatherington scored with a wrister from the top of the left circle.
The Senators stole the lead to eventually take the game off a power-play goal with just 1:33 remaining in the contest. Michael Del Zotto sent home a left-point shot through traffic to tally the game-winner.
Syracuse and Belleville rematch each other on Friday.
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