Whenever an AHL team is comprised primarily of young talent there is always a steep learning curve. Players that dominated the stat sheet in the junior ranks are now forced to try and make plays in a league where there is little open ice and little room for error. The Syracuse Crunch were taught their first lesson of the season in their 3-1 loss to the new-look Rochester Americans.
Things were looking good for the boys in blue early as they came flying out of the gate to jump to a quick shots advantage. A hooking penalty on Amerks defenseman Brendan Guhle put Syracuse on the power play just 60 seconds into the contest but the good guys weren’t able to capitalize on the rapid shift of momentum.
Nobody would find the back of the net until the 18:32 mark of the period when Zach Redmond found Justin Bailey in the high-slot where he made no mistake burying a long drive past Crunch starting goaltender Michael Leighton. This wouldn’t be the last the Crunch heard from Bailey on Friday night.
Rochester picked up the offense right where they left off when the puck dropped on the middle stanza. Just over 60 ticks into the period, Steve Moses collected a quick drop pass from Kyle Criscuolo and rifled the puck over the left shoulder of Leighton to extend the Americans lead to two goals.
Rochester would add a third goal late in the regulation period when Bailey notched his second tally of the evening on an unassisted play.
The Crunch were able to thwart Amerks goaltender Linus Ullmark’s shutout bid at the 17:34 mark of the frame when 20-year-old rookie forward Mitchell Stephens knocked home a loose puck in the crease for his first goal of the new campaign. The helpers on the play went to Adam Erne and Mat Bodie.
Despite the late surge the Crunch would come up short, dropping the season opener by a score of 3-to-1. Michael Leighton finished the game with 17 saves on 20 shots faced while his opponent Ullmark turned aside 28 out of 29 Crunch bids.
The Crunch will get their chance at redemption on Saturday night when they return to the War Memorial to host those same Rochester Americans. The start of the game will be pushed back for player introductions and the raising of the division and conference championship banners.
