Syracuse Crunch Fall to Senators 7-4

It was a solid effort from the Crunch on offense, and there really wasn’t much they could do better. They outshot the Senators 42 to 30, and it wasn’t the shots were bad; they had 40+ solid shots on goal. Leevi Meralainen, the Senators’ goaltender, robbed the Crunch many times with multiple sprawling saves. At the start of the third period, a Geekie shot landed on the goal line, but Cameron Crotty swiped it away. Luck just wasn’t on their side.

Rough Night On Defense

The main problem was the defense. Whether it was Brandon Halverson or the defenders missing an assignment, it wasn’t pretty.

You can’t put all the blame on Halverson. On a goal scored by Wyatt Bongiovanni in the second period, the center of the ice was left wide open, and he scored on a one-timer. Bogniovanni would finish the game with two goals and the second one would come from the slot, being left wide open again.

On a Senators power play halfway through the first period, Arthur Kailyev took a shot from the right circle, and it was saved by Halverson. After the Sens set the power play up, Kailyev was left open in the same spot, and that time, he potted a goal.

When the Crunch had a power play in the second period, they let Garrett Pilon slip through and get a breakaway shot, and Halverson saved it with the blocker. The special teams overall for the Crunch over the season have looked ugly, and they seem to let people behind often.

End Of My Syracuse Crunch

You can’t let up seven goals and expect to win a hockey game, no matter how good you are. At some point, something has to give, and nothing showed. The Crunch started the game hot with a 1-0 lead, but from there kept falling behind, and they couldn’t catch back up. It just felt like the Senators always had a step forward, even when the game was tied. At the end of the day, it was a good effort from the team.

The Crunch go on to play the Rochester Americans on Wednesday in a huge North Division matchup. Right now, the two teams are tied at the top with 14 points, but the Americans have played one more game than the Crunch. In a razor-thin North Division fight that’s expected to go until the end of the season, every point matters. The season series between them is currently 1-1. It’ll be the biggest game of the year for both teams in the young season so far.