Glens Falls, NY (November 11, 2011) - Kyle Palmieri and Nate Guenin each recorded two points as the Syracuse Crunch held off the Adirondack Phantoms for a 3-2 victory tonight at the Glens Falls Civic Center.
With a goal in each period and 26 saves from goaltender Iiro Tarkki the Crunch improved their season record to 6-3-2-1.
The first goal of the game came when J.F. Jacques deflected a Nate Guenin shot from the right point past Phantoms goaltender Michael Leighton to give the Crunch a 1-0 lead with just 2:28 remaining in the first period. The goal, Jacques' fourth of the season, was assisted by Nate Guenin and Nathan Smith.
The Crunch were able to build on their lead thanks to their special teams play during the second period. The penalty kill unit successfully killed two consecutive Phantoms power play opportunities before Patrick Maroon scored a power-play goal on the team's second man-advantage of the game.
Maroon scored at the 15:03 mark of the second period when he backhanded a rebound past Leighton to give the Crunch a 2-0 lead going into the second intermission. Dan Sexton and Kyle Palmieri recorded assists on the play.
After missing five games due to injury Palmieri seemed to have picked up where he left off, scoring his team-leading ninth goal of the season just 2:49 into the third period to extend the Crunch's lead 3-0.
The Phantoms battled back with two power play tallies in the third period. Jason Akeson scored on the man-advantage halfway through the period and Ben Holmstrom made it a 3-2 game with just 13 seconds remaining in regulation.
The Crunch were able to fend off the Phantoms for a final score of 3-2.
The Crunch are back in action Saturday, November 12 at 7:30 p.m. when they host the Albany Devils at the War Memorial Arena. All current and retired members of the United States Military will be able to attend the game free of charge. To redeem their complimentary ticket members of the military can stop by the Crunch Office or War Memorial Box Office with valid identification.
Crunchables: The Crunch have scored at least one power-play goal in their last six games. The Crunch are 6-0-0-1 when they score the first goal of the game…Nate Guenin picked up his first point as Crunch captain by assisting on J.F. Jacques' first period goal… The Crunch's power play came into tonight's contest ranked second in the AHL with a 28.8% success rate.
**Courtesy Syracuse Crunch**
