Syracuse, NY (January 16, 2011) – Recently named AHL All-Star Kyle Palmieri registered two points (1g, 1a) and Nick Bonino scored his first goal in four games since being reassigned by Anaheim on January 3, but it was not enough for the Crunch, as Adirondack scored twice in the second and third periods, including an empty-netter with 56 seconds left in regulation to defeat Syracuse by a 5-2 score tonight at The Oncenter War Memorial Arena.
The Crunch came out looking to build on last night’s win against Rochester and got on the board first at the 8:02 mark of the first. Palmieri skated in down the left wing and took a shot that hit off the glove of Johan Backlund, nicked the post and dropped into the crease. Bonino, rushing the net, found the loose puck and slammed it in to give Syracuse the 1-0.
Just over one minute later, however, Adirondack answered right back when Kevin Marshall’s point shot found its way through a screen past J.P. Levasseur to make it a 1-1 game.
The score stayed that way until late in the second, when Adirondack scored two quick goals just over two minutes apart to take control of the game.
The first tally came off the stick of former Crunch winger Stefan Legein, whose slapper from the right side deflected off the stick of the Crunch defenseman and past Levasseur at the 16:59 mark. The Phantoms took a 3-1 lead shortly thereafter, when Luke Pither found the rebound of a Denis Hamel slapper in the slot and roofed it over Levasseur’s shoulder.
The Crunch fought back to make it interesting when Palmieri picked up the puck off the back boards after Mat Clark’s shot sailed wide and banked it in off Backlund from behind the goal line to cut it to 3-2 with just under six minutes to play in regulation.
Hopes of a Crunch comeback were dashed though, when former Crunch center Rob Bordson added his second of the season at the 16:56 mark, and Ben Holmstrom slid a backhand into an empty net just over two minutes later.
CRUNCHABLES: Palmieri has three points (1g, 2a) over his last two games…Josh Green has 13 shots on goal over the last two games…The Crunch have now lost all four meetings against Adirondack this season…Four of the Phantoms’ 12 wins this year have come against the Crunch.
Courtesy: Syracuse Crunch
