SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The Syracuse Crunch defeated the Bridgeport Islanders, 4-1, tonight at the Total Mortgage Arena.
Gage Goncalves notched two goals and an assist in the victory. Conor Sheary and Derrick Pouliot also recorded multi-point games, as Sheary recorded one goal and one assist and Pouliot added two assists.
The win advances the Crunch to 17-11-5-4 on the season and 1-0-0-0 in the two-game season series with the Islanders.
Crunch goaltender Matt Tomkins turned aside 29-of-30 shots faced. Jakub Skarek stopped 32-of-35 for the Islanders. Syracuse special teams went 1-for-4 on power play opportunities while the penalty kill went a perfect 2-for-2.
After a scoreless first period, the Crunch were first on the board at the 4:28 mark of the middle frame. Sheary snagged an Islanders turnover and passed it up for Goncalves to skate in on a breakaway and lift past Skarek. Goncalves added his second of the game just over two minutes later. Logan Brown fed the puck through the crease to Goncalves who lifted it under the crossbar to give Syracuse a 2-0 lead. The Crunch notched their third goal of the frame on the power play at the 18:41 mark. Goncalves fired the puck from the right circle and Sheary tipped it in from the slot.
The Islanders found the back of the net to make the score 3-1 with 4:36 remaining in the third period. Eeta Liukas centered the puck from the right corner to Cam Thiesing who dumped in a one-timer from in front of the net. The Crunch sealed their victory late in the frame with an empty-net goal as Gabriel Dumont fired the puck toward the net and Gabriel Fortier tipped it in for a 4-1 lead.
Syracuse will travel to Providence to close out the two-game season series with the Bruins tomorrow night.
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: Gage Goncalves recorded his third career multi-point game (2g, 1a) and his first goal of the season with the Crunch...Derrick Pouliot has notched eight assists in his last six games...Logan Brown has tallied a point in each of his last four games (2g, 2a).