Syracuse, N.Y. – The Syracuse Crunch fell to the Utica Comets, 5-1, Sunday at the Adirondack Bank Center.
The Crunch move to 23-15-2-1 on the season and 7-3-0-0 in the 12-game seasons series with the Comets.
Crunch goaltender Ryan Fanti turned aside 5 of 9 shots before being relieved by Brandon Halverson two minutes into the second period. Halverson went on to stop 17-of-18. Jakub Málek stopped 26 of 27 shots for the Comets. The Syracuse power play was held scoreless on five opportunities while Utica converted on 1-of-5.
The Comets took an early lead 3:40 into the opening frame as Ethan Edwards fired a wrist shot from the left point. Nathan Légaré doubled the lead, 2-0, nearly halfway through the period as he skated down the ice on a breakaway and sent it in from the right circle. With four seconds remaining in the frame, Kyle Criscuolo tipped in a power-play goal from the left side of the crease to make it 3-0, Utica.
Two minutes into the second period, Angus Crookshank notched a shorthanded goal from the right circle to extend the Utica lead, 4-0. Five minutes later the Crunch were on the board as Dylan Duke potted his 20th goal of the season. Ethan Samson fired a shot from the blue line and Duke deflected it from in the slot. The Comets regained their four-goal lead, 5-1, at the 16:40 mark of the middle frame as Jonathan Gruden netted the puck from the left circle.
Utica’s 5-1 lead held through the third period to secure the victory.
The Crunch return home on Friday to face off against the Laval Rocket at 7 p.m.