Rocket Blast Past Crunch in Regular Season Finale

SYRACUSE, NY – The Syracuse Crunch came into tonight’s game winners of 12 straight at home, but they couldn’t get lucky number 13 as they fell to the Laval Rocket 5-1. The Rocket went on a five-and-0 run to close the game, and despite those late struggles, Head Coach Ben Groulx says he’s not concerned with the team’s performance going into the Calder Cup Playoffs.

“It’s the last game of the year,” Groulx said. “It would’ve been nice to win, but it is what it is. I tip my hats off to our players. Where we were two and a half months ago and where we finished, it’s pretty amazing. I think the chemistry of our team is great. They get along well. They went through a lot of adversity during the year, and they pushed through, and they pushed back, and they never backed down, and they found a way. I like that, and I think they believe in themselves. So, it’s a great group to coach.”

“Yeah we had it rough, we really didn’t have the start we wanted, but I think a lot of the older guys really upped their game and really took us to where we are right now,” Gage Goncalves said. “It’s really paid off for the younger guys like myself and even the defense, so just gotta keep going.”

The Crunch will be back in action Friday night against this very same Laval team, but while the Rocket may be getting reinforcements from Montreal, who did not make the NHL playoffs, the Crunch are actually losing a man. Riley Nash was just recalled to the Tampa Bay Lightning for their own playoff push.

Reporting from Upstate Medical University Arena, I’m Mike Ostrowski, CitrusTV Sports.