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The Syracuse Crunch defeated the Rochester Americans, 5-3, on Wednesday at Blue Cross Arena. The Crunch improve to 8-2 on the season and 2-1 in the 12-game season series with the Americans. Wojciech Stachowiak led Syracuse scorers with two goals and an assist. Max Groshev added three helpers while Dylan Duke and Scott Sabourin also notched multi-point outings. Ryan Fanti backstopped the Crunch by turning aside 33-of-36 shots faced. Devon Levi put a stop to 24-of-29 for the Americans. The Syracuse power play converted on 2-of-3 opportunities while Rochester scored on 1-of-6 man advantages. The Crunch were first on the board just 38 seconds into the opening frame after an icing call against Rochester led to an offensive zone faceoff for Syracuse. Devon Levi made the initial save on a shot by Tommy Miller from the right point but Wojciech Stachowiak picked up the rebound and hammered it home. The Americans knotted the score at the 6:06 mark as Viktor Neuchev made a drop pass to Jake Leschyshyn who sent it in from the slot. Stachowiak added his second goal of the night to give the Crunch a 2-1 lead while on the power play. He sent in a wrister from the left dot that bounced off Levi’s pad and in. Dylan Duke extended the Crunch lead, 3-1, at six minutes into the second period. Nick Abruzzese had a breakaway and a shot that was saved by Levi, but Duke trailed the play and potted the rebound. At the 12-minute mark of the second period, Scott Sabourin tipped the puck in while on the man-advantage to put Syracuse up, 4-1. Stachowiak sent a shot in from the left circle that ricocheted off Sabourin as he was falling to the ice. The Americans began a third period comeback effort with two goals in the first seven minutes of the final frame. Leschyshyn potted his second goal of the game while on the power play as he redirected the puck while it was in the air in front of the net. Zach Metsa then brought the score within one with a snapshot from the right circle off the rush. Dylan Duke added insurance for Syracuse with 4:36 left to play as he sent a shot in from the far side of the left circle and over the shoulder of Levi. The Crunch will travel to Charlotte for a pair of contests against the Checkers on Friday and Saturday.
