SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Gabriel Dumont and Michael Bournival each scored two goals for the Syracuse Crunch as the team suffered their first loss of the season to the Utica Comets, 5-4, tonight at the War Memorial Arena.
The loss puts the Crunch at 2-1-0-0 on the year, while the Comets picked up their first win and moved to 1-2-0-0.
Crunch goaltender Kristers Gudlevskis made four saves in the first period before being relieved by Adam Wilcox. Wilcox went on to turn aside 10-of-11 shots on goal. Richard Bachman stopped 19-of-23 for the Comets. Syracuse converted on 1-of-4 power play opportunities, while their opponent struck on both of their man-advantages.
The Comets were first on the board just 1:58 into the first period when Chad Billins beat Gudlevskis on the power play. Two minutes later, Utica extended the lead off the faceoff. Michael Chaput won the draw and threw the puck to the top of the right circle for Alexandre Grenier to send home.
The Crunch finally responded at the 6:29 mark of the first frame. Dumont netted his first of the season when he snuck one past Bachman with the help of Slater Koekkoek. Bournival evened the score with a short-handed marker minutes later. Dumont picked up the assist on the equalizer.
The Comets tallied two more before the first period came to a close. Michael Carcone cleaned up the rebound of Jayson Megna’s shot from the left circle on the man-advantage to reclaim the lead. With 4:23 remaining in the first, Curtis Valk built up a two-goal lead from inside the right circle.
Dumont opened the middle frame with his second of the game at 2:38. After Luke Witkowski carried the puck into the zone, he passed off to Dumont who scored on a spinning backhanded shot.
Halfway through the third period, Megna tipped in Billin’s attempt to regain the two-goal lead over the Crunch. With 2:50 remaining in the game, Bournival brought the Crunch within one, but the team was unable to climb back and fell, 5-4.
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