SYRACUSE, N.Y. (SYRACUSE CRUNCH) –
The Syracuse Crunch were blanked by the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, 4-0, tonight at the Upstate Medical University Arena.
The loss moves the Crunch to 5-3-0-2 on the season and snaps a four-game points streak.
Crunch goaltender Hugo Alnefelt turned aside 16-of-20 shots before being relieved by Brandon Halverson in the third period. Halverson went on to turn aside the lone shot he faced. Taylor Gauthier earned the win stopping all 34 shots in net for the Penguins. The Syracuse power play was held to 0-for-5, while the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton man-advantage went 1-for-4.
After a scoreless first period, the Penguins opened scoring just 37 seconds into the middle frame. Rem Pitlick dropped a pass back for Alex Nylander in the high slot. He skated in, deked around a defender and backhanded a shot in.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton doubled their lead 3:07 into the third period when Ty Smith tipped in a shot from Corey Andonovski. Two minutes later, Jansen Harkins sent in a wrister from the right circle while on the power play. Nylander then potted his second of the game to put the Pens up, 4-0, during a scramble in front of the net halfway through the period.
The Crunch and Penguins travel to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for the second half of the home-and-home series tomorrow.
