Crunch tempt fate one too many times in Calder Cup opener

By Erik Erlendsson | @Erik_Erlendsson | Like us on Facebook
June 2, 2017

Keep tempting fate and fate usually finds a way to come out on top.

For the Syracuse Crunch in Game 1 of the Calder Cup Final, fate came in the form of the Grand Rapids power play and the Crunch kept taunting.

In the final minute of regulation play, fate won out again – as it usually does – when the Griffins converted on their sixth power play chance of the night and pull out a 3-2 victory on Friday.

Tomas Nosek scored his second goal of the night with 13.9 seconds left in the third period as the Grand Rapids Griffins finally broke through on the power play after Syracuse took a too many men on the ice penalty late in a tie game. It was the second power play Grand Rapids had in the third period while Syracuse had just two for the game.

Nosek, who opened the scoring in the opening minutes of the first period, was perched at the right post on a set play to pop home a rebound to win the game.

It capped off a night in which the Crunch were far from their best, being outshot 36-24. Mike McKenna kept the game close up until the end, seconds away from getting the game to overtime.

Back in the Calder Cup Final for the first time since 2013, when the Crunch lost in six games to Grand Rapids, Syracuse did not look up to the task, failing to use their speed on the forecheck to sustain offensive zone pressure.

Yet, the Crunch had the lead late in to the second period.

Kevin Lynch erased the early Grand Rapids lead with a shorthanded goal – the fifth by Syracuse this postseason – finishing off a feed from Cory Conacher to tie the game at 9:25 of the first period. It was Lynch’s second goal of the playoffs.

Just 54 seconds in to the second period, Joel Vermin notched his sixth postseason goal, finishing off a pass from Yanni Gourde. That lead held together for most of the period until the Griffins pulled even as defenseman Nathan Paetsch was alone in the middle slot as a puck popped free to find him in a prime scoring area, where he zipped a wrist shot past McKenna to send the game in to the third period deadlocked at 2-2.

Anthony Cirelli, fresh off an appearance with Erie in the Memorial Cup Final to make his AHL playoff debut, had a chance to break the deadlock with an open chance at the side of the Grand Rapids net, but a bouncing puck jumped over his stick.

Calder Cup Final schedule

Game 1 – Grand Rapids 3, Syracuse 2 (Grand Rapids leads series 1-0)

Game 2 – Saturday, June 3 – Syracuse at Grand Rapids, 7:00

Game 3 – Wednesday June 7 – Grand Rapids at Syracuse, 7:00

Game 4 – Friday, June 9 – Grand Rapids at Syracuse, 7:00

*Game 5 – Saturday, June 10 – Grand Rapids at Syracuse, 7:00

*Game 6 – Tuesday, June 13 – Syracuse at Grand Rapids, 7:00

*Game 7 – Wednesday, June 14 – Syracuse at Grand Rapids, 7:00

*if necessary… All times Eastern