SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse Crunch topped the Laval Rocket, 4-3, in a shootout tonight at the Upstate Medical University Arena.
Gage Goncalves had a three-point night (1g, 2a), while Felix Robert tallied a goal and an assist to help advance the Crunch to 10-5-0-2 on the season and 2-0-0-0 in the eight-game season series.
Crunch goaltender Matt Tomkins recorded the win stopping 21-of-24 shots and all three shootout attempts. Jakub Dobes turned aside 32-of-35 shots and 1-of-2 shootout attempts. The Syracuse power play went 2-for-5 and the penalty kill was a perfect 4-for-4.
The Crunch jumped out to a quick lead just 1:14 into the game off some tic-tac-toe passing on the man-advantage. Goncalves sent the puck down to Gabriel Dumont along the goal line. He immediately centered a feed for Robert to fire in. The Rocket responded with two goals of their own to take over the lead by the end of the first period. The first came at the 11:08 mark when Riley Kidney scored from the left circle off a 2-on-1 rush with Mitchell Stephens. Brandon Gignac then put Laval on top with a wrister from the slot.
Mitchell Chaffee evened the score early in the second period. Goncalves’s initial move was stopped, but Chaffee got a stick on the rebound and fired it over the goaltender. Laval regained their lead halfway through the frame when Jan Mysak sent the puck in from between the circles.
Syracuse knotted the score again with a power-play goal 7:28 into the third period to eventually send the game to overtime. Robert set up Goncalves to rip a one-timer from the top of the left circle.
After a scoreless overtime period, the teams went to a shootout. Joe Carroll scored the only goal in the second round to give Syracuse the win.
The Crunch are back in action on Friday when they host the Toronto Marlies.