SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Tanner Richard recorded his first career hat trick as the Syracuse Crunch pummeled the Rochester Americans, 7-2, tonight at the War Memorial Arena.
Along with Richard, Matthew Peca, Yanni Gourde, Joel Vermin and Adam Erne all lit the lamp for the Crunch as the team moves to 7-3-0-1 on the season. Five Crunch players recorded a multipoint game with Richard tallying three goals, Gourde a goal and two assists, Peca one goal and a helper, Cory Conacher three assists and Jeremy Morin and Erik Condra two assists each.
Crunch netminder Adam Wilcox earned his fourth consecutive win, making 29 saves on 31 shots. Jason Kasdorf stopped 22-of-29 for the Amerks. Syracuse went 1-for-2 on the power play and a perfect 3-for-3 on the penalty kill.
The Crunch were first on the board early in the opening period, but the Amerks were there to even the score halfway through the frame. Just 2:46 in, Peca won a race to the end boards and threw the puck on net. It slid just under Kasdorf’s foot to light the lamp. Condra and Daniel Walcott earned the assists. Alexander Nylander then dropped a pass back for Paul Geiger to net from the slot.
With 2:56 remaining in the first, the Crunch went back up on top. Gourde fed Conacher for a one-timer from the point. His shot was stopped, but Richard got a stick on the rebound and shoved it in.
Gourde made it a two-goal lead five minutes into the middle stanza. After receiving a pass from Morin, he skated in, deked right to pull the goaltender out of position and slid the puck into an open net. Dominik Masin recorded his first professional point with the secondary helper.
Before the second period came to a close, Syracuse went up 4-1. While on the power play, Vermin ripped a slap shot from the top of the left circle off assists from Conacher and Matt Taormina.
The Amerks cut the lead back to two at the halfway through the third period before the Crunch added three more to secure their fourth victory over Rochester this season. At 12:38, Erne sent the puck off a goal post and in for his third of the season. Assists went to Morin and Peca. One minute later, Richard notched goal number two of the night. He redirected Conacher’s centering pass. Gourde tallied the secondary helper.
With 24 seconds remaining in the game, Richard completed his hat trick. He carried the puck down the left wing side, stopped and fired a wrist shot past Kasdorf with the help of Condra and Michael Bournival.
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