Syracuse out to an early lead in series vs. Rochester

North Division Semifinals
Game 1 - Fri., April 20 - Crunch vs. Rochester - W, 6-2
Game 2 - Sat., April 21 - Crunch vs. Rochester - W, 6-5
Game 3 - Wed., April 25 - Crunch at Rochester - 7:05 p.m.
Game 4* - Fri., April 27 - Crunch at Rochester - 7:05 p.m.
Game 5* - Sat., April 28 - Crunch vs. Rochester - 7 p.m.
*If necessary

Crunch grab a 2-0 series lead in North Division Semifinals
The Crunch opened the Calder Cup Playoffs with a pair of home wins over the Rochester Americans, taking a 2-0 lead in their best-of-five North Division Semifinals. The series shifts to Rochester for Game 3 Wednesday night. An if necessary Game 4 is scheduled for Rochester on Friday and then a potential Game 5 would be in Syracuse Saturday.
Syracuse began its Eastern Conference Championship defense with a 6-2 win over the Amerks in Game 1, led by Gabriel Dumont's first career playoff hat trick. The Crunch offense stayed hot with a 6-5 triumph in Game 2, with Matthew Peca leading the way with four points.
Top Performers
Matthew Peca leads all players in the Calder Cup Playoffs with five points (1g, 4a) through two games. He had an assist in Game 1 then a recorded his first-career four-point game (1g, 3a) in Game 2. His power-play goal opened the scoring in Game 2. Peca's four assists are tied for the most in the AHL.
Peca, who turns 25 Friday, is in his third playoff season. In 27 career Calder Cup Playoffs games, Peca has 21 points (6g, 15a). He had 14 points (4g, 10a) in 22 games in 2017.
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Gabriel Dumont paced the Crunch to their Game 1 win Friday night, scoring his first career playoff hat trick in a four-point effort (3g, 1a). Including the regular season, Dumont has three career hat tricks with two coming in his 61 regular season and playoff games with the Crunch.
The last Crunch playoff hat trick was scored by Philippe Paradis in Game 5 of the 2013 Eastern Conference Finals.
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Jamie McBain made his return to the Calder Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2010 with the Albany River Rats. He promptly had a three-point (1g, 2a) Game 1 and he has four points (1g, 3a) through the first two games of the series. That places him in a second-place tie among scorers in the playoffs.
His Game 1 goal was his first since Jan. 10 vs. Binghamton; he also hadn't recorded a point since Feb. 10. In 10 career Calder Cup Playoffs games, McBain has 10 points (5g, 5a).
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Alex Volkov scored his first two Calder Cup Playoffs goals in Game 2 Saturday night, including the game-winning goal in the third period.
It was his first multi-goal game of the playoffs; he led the Crunch with six in the regular season. He also led the team with 23 goals in the regular season.
A 2-0 series lead
The Crunch lead a best-of-five playoff series 2-0 for the third time in team history. In the previous two instances, the Crunch have gone on to sweep the series in three games; they knocked out the Philadelphia Phantoms in 2002 and the Portland Pirates in 2013.
It's the eighth time, including best-of-seven series, that the Crunch lead a series 2-0. They are 4-3 in their previous seven series when leading 2-0, but the Crunch have won their last three, including last season's North Division Finals vs. Toronto.
Offensive outburst
Syracuse scored six goals in both games last week and leads the AHL offensively after one week of Calder Cup Playoffs action.
It's the first time since Feb. 13-15, 2013 that the Crunch have scored at least six goals in back-to-back games.
The Crunch also have had a balanced attack after two games. In both games, 12 different players recorded a point; the Crunch did that just once in 76 regular season games (Nov. 22 vs. Rochester). Seventeen of the 18 skaters who have played in the playoffs have at least one point.
Upcoming: North Division Semifinals vs. Rochester
The North Division Semifinals shift to Rochester for Game 3 Wednesday night; if necessary Game 4 is in Rochester Friday and Game 5 is in Syracuse Saturday.
Syracuse and Rochester met at Blue Cross Arena four times in the regular season with the Crunch holding a 2-1-0-1 record in Rochester. The last game was a 1-0 shutout win April 11, led by Connor Ingram's 38 saves.
Amerks captain Kevin Porter (1g, 2a) and Seth Griffith (3a) are tied for the team lead with three points in two games. In net, Linus Ullmark suffered a pair of losses to begin his playoff career with a 5.60 goals-against average and an .800 save percentage.
Week 29 ResultsFriday, April 20 | NDSF Game 1 vs. Rochester | W, 6-2
Rochester 2 0 0 - 2 Shots: 10-10-10-30 PP: 1/5
Syracuse 2 1 3 - 6 Shots: 14-13-7-34 PP: 1/4
1st Period-Dumont 1 (Verhaeghe, McBain), 3:22. McBain 1 (Dumont, Volkov). 2nd Period-Masin 1 (Stephens, Peca), 1:44. Bradley 1 (Walcott, McBain), 8:27. 3rd Period-Dumont 2 (Cernak, Joseph), 14:46 (PP). Dumont 3 (Condra), 19:08 (EN). . . . Pasquale 1-0-0 (30 shots-28 saves). A-5,112
Saturday, April 21 | NDSF Game 2 vs. Rochester | W, 6-5
Rochester 1 2 2 - 5 Shots: 11-4-10-25 PP: 1/5
Syracuse 2 2 2 - 6 Shots: 6-8-8-22 PP: 1/3
1st Period-Peca 1 (Bodie, Condra), 3:48 (PP). Joseph 1 (Peca, Masin), 18:31. 2nd Period-Archambault 1 (Stephens, Peca), 1:29. McNeill 1 (Condra, Lynch), 2:15. 3rd Period-Volkov 1 (McBain, Peca), 4:52. Volkov 2 (Bodie, Foote), 5:59. . . . Pasquale 2-0-0 (25 shots-20 saves). A-5,979
Category Average/Total AHL Rank (Reg. Season)
Power Play 28.6% (2-for-7) 3rd (24th)
Penalty Kill 80.0% (8-for-10) T-9th (3rd)
Goals For 6.00 GFA (12) 1st (T-11th)
Goals Against 3.50 GAA (7) T-7th (3rd)
Shots For 28.00 SF/G (56) 11th (12th)
Shots Against 27.50 SA/G (55) T-4th (4th)
Penalty Minutes 11.00 PIM/G (22) T-8th (3rd)
Category Leader
Points 5 Peca
Goals 3 Dumont
Assists 4 Peca
PIM 4 Bodie, Volkov
Plus/Minus +4 Condra, Masin
Wins 2 Pasquale
GAA 3.50 Pasquale
Save % 0.873 Pasquale