Crunch right wing Kyle Palmieri picked up right where he left off to close out the 2010-11 season, picking up three points (1g, 2a), including the overtime game-winner to lift Syracuse to a 5-4 win over the defending Calder Cup Champion Binghamton Senators tonight at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena.
Former Crunch forward Nikita Filatov had a three-point night (2g, 1a) for Binghamton, including an assist on Mark Parrish's goal with 6.7 seconds left in regulation to force overtime in a wild game.
Patrick Maroon got the Crunch's season started with a jolt just 44 seconds into the game when he slipped a shot past Binghamton netminder Mike McKenna to give the Crunch the early 1-0 lead with Palmieri picking up the lone helper on the tally.
Binghamton had an answer less than a minute later when Filatov scored his first goal of the season on Jeff Deslauriers at the 1:22 mark with assists going to Kaspars Daugavins and 2010-11 AHL scoring champion, Corey Locke.
The score stayed that way until 6:18 into the second stanza when newly-acquired Troy Bodie picked up the rebound of a Sean Zimmerman point shot and fired a backhand past McKenna to put the Crunch back up at 2-1.
The Crunch took their first two-goal lead of the game, again striking quickly into the period when Nick Bonino corralled the puck and stuffed a wraparound attempt past McKenna for the 3-1 advantage just 17 seconds into the third.
Binghamton again had a prompt answer and again it was Filatov with the marker to cut the Crunch lead to 3-2 just 55 seconds later.
The Crunch seemed to be in good shape after having the chance to go back up by two on the power play when Eric Gryba took a high-sticking penalty at the 10:53 mark, but Daugavins was able to get the shorthanded equalizer just 30 seconds into the Crunch man-advantage to knot the score at 3-3.
Just as Binghamton had done earlier by scoring quickly after a Crunch tally, the Crunch did the same to the Senators when Dan Sexton ripped a turnaround wrister from the left circle that found the back of the cage for the power play goal to make it 4-3 46 seconds after Binghamton tied it.
A late penalty for too many men on the ice gave Binghamton a golden opportunity to tie the game, and they did just that after pulling McKenna for the 6-on-4 advantage when Parrish poked the puck past Deslauriers with 6.7 seconds remaining to force sudden death.
It looked as if the Senators had the momentum heading into the extra session, but Palmieri secured two points for the Crunch when his wrister rang off the post and past McKenna at the 3:09 mark to put the game away.
The Crunch return home to face the Adirondack Phantoms during Mirabito Opening Night, tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. at the War Memorial at Oncenter. The Biggest Loser season 11 winner, Olivia Ward, and her sister, runner-up Hannah Curlee, will be in attendance. The first 1,500 fans in attendance will receive a headband, courtesy of Mirabito.
CRUNCHABLES: Palmieri led the Crunch in game-winning goals last season (5)…Mark Bell, Bryan Rodney and Nathan Smith all wore an 'A' as alternate captains tonight for the Crunch…The Crunch won just two games against the Senators last year and did not win once at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena…The Crunch last defeated the Senators in Binghamton on March 7, 2010 on an overtime goal from David Liffiton.
