Game Notes: 12/30/07 v. Rochester Americans
Crunch Wrap Up the Year with a Win
Rochester, NY (December 30, 2007) – The Syracuse Crunch defeated the Rochester Americans tonight, 4-0 at the Blue Cross Arena in front of 7,130 fans.
The Crunch would tally the game’s first goal at the 5:01 mark of the period just as a power play was expiring. Philippe Dupuis raced in on a 2-on-1 and drew the defenseman down, getting him to think he was going to pass. Instead, Dupuis skated around him, made a nifty move to his backhand and roofed it over the shoulder of Rochester starter David Shantz.
The highlight-reel goal gave the Crunch a 1-0 lead. Clay Wilson and Brett Motherwell picked up the helpers.
The rest of the period was a defensive battle as Syracuse had to kill off a couple of penalties, including a slashing call on Derek Dorsett at 19:33 that carried over into the second. Shots were 6-5 in favor of the Crunch in the frame.
Syracuse would grab a 2-0 lead four and a half minutes into the second stanza. Aaron Rome threw a wrister on net and after a rebound bounced out it was Adam Pineault who knocked it past Shantz for his seventh of the season and second in as many games.
Syracuse out-shot Rochester in the second period 13-7. Kowalski was good when he had to be, turning aside all seven shots he saw in the frame.
The Crunch would bolster their lead halfway through the third when Motherwell made a nice feed up the ice to spring Tom Sestito on a breakaway. Sestito snapped a shot over the glove of Shantz to give Syracuse the 3-0 advantage.
Sestito struck again for his second of the contest and fifth of the campaign just two and a half minutes later when he backhanded home a Pineault shot from the point past Shantz to give the Crunch a 4-0 lead.
CRUNCHABLES: Goaltender Craig Kowalski earned his second straight start tonight after getting his first win in a Crunch uniform against Manitoba last night…Kowalski earned his first American Hockey League shutout with the win tonight…Tonight was the Crunch’s second shutout of the season …Crunch left wing Tom Sestito notched his first career AHL multi-point game with two goals.