SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse Crunch stumbled against the Laval Rocket, 7-5, tonight at the Upstate Medical University Arena.
The loss drops the Crunch to 17-16-2-1 on the season and 1-3-0-0 in the six-game season series against the Rocket.
Goaltender Spencer Martin stopped 4-of-7 shots before being relieved by Mike Condon in the second period. Condon went on to turn aside 17-of-20. Cayden Primeau earned the win with 26 saves in net for the Rocket. Syracuse converted on both of their power play opportunities and went 2-for-3 on the penalty kill.
The Crunch were first on the board 4:27 into the game. Patrick Sieloff’s point shot went wide, but Danick Martel was able to collect the puck behind the net and chip out a centering feed for Cory Conacher. He cut across the zone and tucked a backhander past Primeau’s skate.
Two minutes later, the Rocket evened the score when Riley Barber picked off a pass and sent it home from the slot.
Syracuse went back on top with 56 seconds remaining in the opening frame. Taylor Raddysh came in on a 2-on-1 with Ross Colton and sniped a shot from the right circle. Sieloff made it a multi-point night with the secondary helper.
Laval scored three consecutive goals within the first three minutes of the second period to steal the lead. Just 37 seconds into the frame, Christian Folin fired in a centering feed from Yannick Veilleux. At 2:18, Alexandre Alain beat Martin from the right circle off an assist from Xavier Ouellet. Only 16 seconds later, Kevin Lynch picked up the puck at the left-wing boards and scored after he cut in front of the net.
The Crunch responded with a power-play goal at the 6:42 mark. Cal Foote set up Colton for a one-timer from between the circles.
The Rocket regained their two-goal lead with a power-play goal late in the middle frame when Charles Hudon one-timed a feed from Xavier Ouellet in the right circle.
At 9:26, Daniel Walcott chipped in a rebound off assists from Ben Thomas and Dennis Yan, but Laval added two more to build a three-goal lead. At 13:56, Hudon scored his second with a wrister from the right circle. Karl Alzner then hit the empty net.
With 10 seconds remaining in the game, Cameron Gaunce found the back of the net on the power play off assists from Mathieu Joseph and Conacher.
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