Crunch fall in shootout at Hartford, 2-1

by Steven DiOssi | @StevenDiossi | Like us on Facebook
December 10, 2016

The Syracuse Crunch dropped a 2-1 decision to the Hartford Wolf Pack in a tight game decided in a shootout at XL Center on Friday.

The Crunch were able to earn one point in the loss, as they completed the first game in a three-in-three this weekend.

Adam Wilcox recorded 28 saves through overtime but was unable to stop both Wolf Pack attempts during the shootout.

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The Crunch opened the scoring when Brian Hart put a rebound off an Adam Erne slap shot past Wolf Pack goaltender Brandon Halverson at 2:30 of the first period. Just 15 seconds later, the Wolf Pack answered as Adam Tambellini beat Wilcox from the slot to tie the game. What looked to be a high-scoring contest a few minutes in quickly became a goaltending duel.

Brian Hart puts us on the board with a juicy rebound. @Adamerne73 tallies the . #SYRvsHFD #WeAreOne #BLUnited pic.twitter.com/aBe61x8U9z

— Syracuse Crunch (@SyracuseCrunch) December 17, 2016

Daniel Walcott was called for hooking at 4:31 of the first period but the Crunch were able to kill off the first of three penalties on the evening. The Crunch were put on back-to-back power plays but were kept off the scoreboard by Hartford’s penalty killing unit. Erne was taken off for roughing at 16:07 of the period but the game remained tied after 20 minutes of play.

The Wolf Pack’s power play unit got their third opportunity of the game when Michael Bournival was called for high-sticking at 7:15 of the second period but they were unable to convert with the man advantage. The teams combined for 17 shots on goal in the third but both goaltenders were unbeatable.

The Crunch led the game in shots, 25-24, but the teams remained tied at one goal a side through regulation. Wilcox stopped all five Wolfpack shots in overtime, while Halverson was able to keep both Syracuse shots out of the net to force a shootout.

Tambellini and Nicklas Jensen were each able to beat Wilcox on their shootout attempts, while Tanner Richard and Yanni Gourde were stopped by Halverson, as the Wolf Pack secured the victory and earned the two points.

The Crunch fell to 1-3 in shootouts and are now 15-6-0-3 overall in 2016-17. The Crunch continue their three-game road trip against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Saturday and conclude with a matchup against the Providence Bruins on Sunday.

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