Syracuse Crunch defeat Belleville Senators, 5-2

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse Crunch defeated the Belleville Senators, 5-2, this afternoon at CAA Arena.
Derrick Pouliot led the team with two goals and an assist, while Dylan Duke contributed one goal and two helpers. Gabriel Szturc also had a multi-point performance adding his first two professional assists. The Crunch improve to 3-2-0-0 on the season and take a 2-0-0-0 lead in the eight-game season series against the Senators.
Crunch goaltender Matt Tomkins stopped 30-of-32 shots. Mads Sogaard turned aside 13-of-15 shots before being relieved by Leevi Merilainen a minute into the third period. Merilainen went on to stop 5-of-7. Syracuse special teams had a successful night going 3-for-7 on the power play and 4-for-5 on the penalty kill.
The Senators struck first with a power-play goal 6:24 into the opening frame. Garrett Pilon set up Jeremy Davies for a slap shot from the point.
Joel Teasdale put the Crunch on the board and evened the score while on the power play halfway through the second period. Niko Huuhtanen sent the puck down to Teasdale along the goal line. He then stickhandled in front of the crease and beat Mads Sogaard with a backhander.
Syracuse took their first lead of the game one minute into the final stanza. Duke’s shot from the slot was stopped, but the rebound kicked out for Pouliot to send in. The Crunch made it a two-goal lead halfway through the frame with another tally on the man-advantage. Lucas Edmonds received the puck as he entered the zone and fired in a wrister from the right circle. Belleville trimmed the Syracuse lead by one when Pilon buried a shorthanded goal with 3:53 remaining, but the Crunch quickly stole it back with another power-play goal. Steven Santini fed Pouliot from the point and set him up for a shot from the top of the left circle for his second of the game. Duke sealed the victory for the Crunch with an empty-netter in the final minute of play.
The Crunch return home on Friday to host the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at 7 p.m. for the annual Pink in the Rink game.
Single game tickets and ticket packages for the 2024-25 season are on sale now and can be purchased in person at the Crunch office located inside the Upstate Medical University Arena at Onondaga County War Memorial at 800 S. State St. in Syracuse, by calling the office at 315-473-4444 or online through 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: Joel Teasdale recorded his 100th AHL point in his 200th professional game today. He has now scored in both games against Belleville this season…Derrick Pouliot notched his first points in a Crunch uniform (2g, 1a)…Lucas Edmonds scored his first goal of the season…Gabriel Szturc tallied his first two professional points (2a).