HERSHEY, PA -- Playing their third game in three days, the Syracuse Crunch battled, but could not ultimately overcome the team with the AHL’s best record, falling 4-3 in a late afternoon match-up with the Hershey Bears before 9,588 fans at the Giant Center.
Hershey opened the scoring at the 4:47 mark of the first when Mathieu Perreault dished a pass from behind the goal line to Chris Bourque, who snuck a wrister through the stick side of Dan Taylor to make it 1-0.
The Crunch did not sit back and earned a power play when Andrew Gordon was called for hooking at the 5:02 mark. One minute into the ensuing man-advantage, Jordan LaVallee-Smotherman found the rebound of Brendan Bell’s point shot and swatted a backhand from the top of the crease past Braden Holtby to tie it at 1-1.
Hershey re-took the lead just three minutes later when Andrew Gordon fed Alexandre Giroux in the slot and the former AHL MVP rocketed a slapper past Taylor for the 2-1 Bears lead.
Hershey made it 3-1 at the 16:36 mark when Sean Collins’ wrister from the point fooled Taylor and floated past him for the two-goal lead.
That was short-lived, however, as Derek MacKenzie answered just 26 seconds later to pull the Crunch back to within one when he picked up the puck along the left wing boards and swiftly shuffled it towards the goal where it threaded the needle through traffic and Holtby inside the right post to make it 3-2.
Dan LaCosta replaced Taylor to start the second period after Taylor allowed three goals on eight shots
After a combined five goals in the first frame, the second stanza saw only one goal, and it came at the 14:16 mark on an unbelievable play by Crunch defenseman Mike Ratchuk.
Ratchuk carried the puck into the offensive zone and held on to the puck even after getting tangled up and falling to the ice. From his back, Ratchuk slid a backhand pass over to Maksim Mayorov on the right side and the second year Russian winger sniped a bid past Holtby to tie the contest at 3-3.
Hershey started the third period on a carry-over power play when Mike Blunden was given an extra minor for roughing in a scrum with Sean Collins at the 19:23 mark of the second.
It took the Bears just 12 seconds into the third to capitalize when Keith Aucoin was sprung in on a breakaway and tucked a shot over the glove of LaCosta to make it 4-3. The Crunch would have two more power plays before the end of regulation, but could not convert.
LaCosta left the game with five and a half minutes remaining after suffering an undisclosed injury, forcing Taylor back in to finish the game.
CRUNCHABLES: Dan Taylor made his second start and third appearance of the year for the Crunch…Jordan LaVallee-Smotherman has two goals in the last two games after being held without a goal for 19 straight contests…Maksim Mayorov has three goals over the last four games…Derek MacKenzie extended his point streak to three games (2g, 1a).
Courtesy: Syracuse Crunch
