SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse Crunch fell to the Utica Comets, 5-1, tonight at the Adirondack Bank Center.
The Crunch moved to 15-10-5-3 on the season and 3-2-0-0 in the 14-game season series with the Comets.
Crunch goaltender Matt Tomkins turned aside 19-of-24 shots faced. Isaac Poulter stopped 20-of-21 for the Comets. Syracuse special teams went 0-for-5 on power play opportunities while the penalty kill was a perfect 4-for-4.
The Comets opened scoring just 1:31 into the opening frame. Simon Nemec sent the puck in from the right point for Mike Hardman to redirect in from the slot. Utica added another less than three minutes later to make it 2-0. Tomkins stopped the original shot from Colton White, but Shane Bowers backhanded the rebound in. Logan Brown scored the lone Crunch goal of the night with 6:41 remaining in the period. Dylan Duke attempted to stuff the puck in, but it bounced off the pad of Poulter and Brown dished in the rebound.
After a scoreless second period, Jack Malone extended Utica’s advantage, 3-1, at the 4:43 mark of the final frame. He skated into the zone and fired a shot from the top of the left circle, which redirected off the stick of Tobie Bisson and past the left glove of Tomkins. Nemec quickly added another for the Comets at the 6:48 mark with a one-timer from the point. Joe Gambardella gave Utica a 5-1 lead with a little over two minutes left to play as he rimmed a shot from the right circle off the far post and in.
The Crunch face off against the Toronto Marlies in Syracuse on Friday.
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