Syracuse Crunch Slip Past Hartford Wolf Pack, 2-1

MLN Newswire - www.mlntherawfeed.com -Syracuse, NY (November 21, 2009) – The Syracuse Crunch held Hartford to a season-low 23 shots against and got second period goals from Maksim Mayorov and Kevin Harvey to secure a 2-1 win over the Wolf Pack tonight, in front of 5,416 fans at the War Memorial at Oncenter.

Both teams came out and played a fast-paced first period in the first of two match-ups between these clubs this year.  The Crunch and Hartford traded power play opportunities in the first 20 minutes, but neither converted as shots were tied at 8-8 after one.

The Crunch broke through on the scoresheet with the team’s fifth shorthanded goal of the season at the 5:18 mark of the period.  Maksim Mayorov took a pass from Dylan Reese and glided in down the right side.

Mayorov pulled up looking to pass, but instead shot the disk, ripping a wrister from the off-wing into the top right corner over Chad Johnson’s shoulder to give the Crunch a 1-0 lead.

Syracuse took a 2-0 lead just over eight minutes later when Kevin Harvey went hard to the net and re-directed a Nick Holden point shot past Johnson.

The Crunch held Hartford to just five second period shots.

The Syracuse defense tightened up, but the Wolf Pack came on strong in the third period.  The Crunch kept Hartford off the board until Ilkka Heikkinen’s wrister found its way through Kevin Lalande with less than two seconds left in regulation to spoil his shutout bid.  The goal came while shorthanded and with Johnson pulled for the extra-attacker.

CRUNCHABLES: Trevor Frischmon, Jon Mirasty and Alexandre Picard were the only three current Crunch players in the lineup the last time Syracuse and Hartford faced each other back on December 22, 2007…Harvey returned to the lineup tonight after missing five games due to a suspension…Tonight marked the first time in three games the Crunch have given up less than five goals…Syracuse out-shot its opponent tonight for the first time in 13 games.

Commissioner Bud Selig shaved drug suspensions of players and broke the rules of MLB. Will Manny Ramirez and three others do a year? What will happen to dozens of minor league players whose records, teams, and leagues are affected? Read the whole story at SZ ( www.mlnsports.com).