SYRACUSE, NY – Syracuse Crunch fell to Laval Rocket, 4-3 in a four round shootout this afternoon at Place Bell.
The Crunch jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but the Rocket scored with 20 seconds left in the second period. They added two more in the third frame, but Syracuse tied it at three with 6:38 left in regulation. After a scoreless overtime, Laval won in the fourth round of the shootout.
The Crunch gained a point in the standings as they moved to 17-10-1-1 on the season and 1-0-0-1 in the eight game series against the Rocket.
Crunch goaltender Brandon Halverson stopped 21 of 24 shots and 1 of 4 shot attempts. Kaapo Kähkönen earned the victory, stopping 33 of 36 shots and 2 of 4 shootout attempts for the Rocket.
Syracuse struck first with 4:40 left in the opening period. Ethan Gauthier stole the puck along the left backboard and cut up the middle. He lifted it over Kähkönen’s shoulder to go off the post and in, giving the Crunch a 1-0 lead.
The Crunch doubled their lead 2-0 just 20 seconds into the second frame. Nick Abruzesse picked up the puck in the mid lane and put it past Conor Geekie who scored from the slot on the breakaway. The Rocket brought the score to within one with one second left in the third when William Trudeau made a one-timer from the point.
Laval tied the score at 2-2 at 4:20 in the final period when Florian Xhekaj sank a one-timer from the left circle. A few minutes later they made it 3-2 with their first lead of the afternoon. David Reinbacher shot from the right circle and Lucas Condotta deflected it in front of the goal. Syracuse tied it at three with 6:38 left on a goal by Wojciech Stachowiak. Mitchell Chaffee handled the puck from the right posts, Brendan Furry skated it low and moved it in front of the net, setting up Stachowiak to pounce on the rebound.
The teams remained tied until overtime to send the game to a shootout. Geekie scored in the first round and Stachowiak and Alex Belzile found the back of the net in the second round. Joshua Roy sank one in the third to extend the shootout, then Sean Farrell scored the game-winner for Laval in the fourth.
The Crunch and the Rocket close out their two-game set at Place Bell tomorrow afternoon.
Season ticket packages for the 2025-2026 season are on sale now and can be purchased in person at the Crunch office located inside the Upstate Medical University Arena at the Onondaga County War Memorial at 800 S. State St. in Syracuse, by calling the office at 315-473-4444 or online at Ticketmaster. For the latest Crunch news, visit www.syracusecrunch.com or follow the club on Facebook (www.facebook.com/syracusecrunch), X (@SyracuseCrunch) and Instagram (@syracusecrunch).
Crunchables: Conor Geekie has a goal in back-to-back games…Nick Abruzzese has an assist in each of the last three games…Conor Geekie’s goal 20 seconds into the second period was the fastest the Crunch have scored this season. The fastest before today was 36 seconds on Dec. 12 against Lehigh Valley.
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