Crunch blank the Comets 4-0 at home

Eddie Pasquale and the Syracuse Crunch blanked the Utica Comets, 4-0, tonight at the War Memorial Arena for the team’s league-leading 11th shutout this season.

Taylor Raddysh, Alex Barre-Boulet, Alexander Volkov and Gabriel Dumont all put up goals as the Crunch advance to 37-17-3-2 on the season and stay atop the North Division. The team also has a 5-4-0-0 edge in the 12-game Galaxy Cup season series with the Comets.

Pasquale turned aside all 25 shots for his fourth shutout of the season. Marek Mazanec stopped 17-of-20 in net for the Comets. Syracuse went 1-for-5 on the power play and a perfect 4-for-4 on the penalty kill.

The Crunch opened scoring just 52 seconds into the game. Ross Colton chipped the puck out from the end boards for Raddysh to jam in from the post.

Syracuse doubled their lead with a power-play goal at the 12:02 mark. After Carter Verhaeghe’s wrister from the left wing was stopped, Andy Andreoff pushed the rebound over for Bare-Boulet to chip into an open back door.

Volkov made it 3-0 12:19 into the third period when he picked up the rebound of his own backhander and shoveled it in at the post. Nolan Valleau and Dumont recorded the assists.

With 2:19 remaining in the game, Dumont added a shorthanded empty-netter with the help of Valleau.

The Crunch travel to face the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins tomorrow at 7:05 p.m.