Syracuse, NY – The Syracuse Crunch cruised past the Utica Comets 5-2 on Friday at the Upstate Medical University Arena.
Brendan Furry led the team with a goal and two assists, while Nick Abruzzese had two helpers. Dylan Duke, Jakob Pelletier, Lucas Mercuri and Conor Geekie each contributed a goal as the team moved to 20-14-2-1 with 43 points.
The Crunch are 6-2-0-0 in their 12-game season series against the Comets.
Crunch goaltender Ryan Fanti earned the win, stopping 35 of 37 shots. Nico Daws converted 31 of 35 between the pipes for the Comets. Both Syracuse and Utica converted 1-of-3 power play opportunities.
The Comets got on the board first with their first shot of the game at 2:47. Ryan Schmelzer backhanded a feed into the slot for Brian Halonen to send.
The Crunch tied the score with a power play goal 4:21 into the middle frame. Abruzzese poked the puck along the right wing to Ethan Gauthier. His wrist shot from the top of the right circle was redirected into the net by Dylan Duke.
Seven minutes later, Syracuse took the lead with quick puck movement. Jarred Tinordi passed the puck to Abruzzese on the left circle, who then sent it into the net, where Pelletier was waiting at the back door.
The Comets tied the game at 2-2 with a power play goal of their own at 6:05. Fanti made the initial save, but Shane Lachance was able to block the puck in a scramble in front of the goal.
Syracuse rallied in the third period, scoring three unanswered goals late in the frame. The first came at 15:27 when Tristan Allard crossed the puck for Furry to sweep. Less than two minutes later, Mercuri got ahead on a short breakaway and beat Daws. Geekie rounded off the scoring when he tapped into an empty net in the last minute of the game.
The Crunch will face the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Saturday.
Crunchables: Brendan Furry tied his single-game career highs in assists (2) and points (3) tonight. Crunch AHL All-Stars Jakob Pelletier and Conor Geekie both scored on Friday.
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