The Syracuse Crunch host the Hamilton Hammers Friday night at Upstate Medical University Arena in their only game during a 12-day stretch.
Syracuse won the teams' first meeting 4-3 on Oct. 18, and Friday marks the second of six matchups this season, according to the Crunch's game preview.
Pelletier and Szturc lead Syracuse into the matchup
The Crunch are coming off a 7-2 win at Lehigh Valley last Saturday, when Jakob Pelletier scored a hat trick and Gabriel Szturc added two goals.
Syracuse allowed a goal 30 seconds into the game before scoring six straight. Jansen Harkins and Elliot Desnoyers scored in the first period to give the Crunch a 2-1 lead. Pelletier scored three times during a four-goal second period, and Szturc scored once in the second and again in the third.
Olivier Rodrigue made 21 saves for his second straight win. The game capped a stretch of five games in eight days for Syracuse.
Pelletier's three goals came in a span of 18 minutes, 21 seconds, with his first standing as the game-winner. It was his second career hat trick and first since March 9, 2022, against San Diego.
The 25-year-old has four goals and three assists in nine games. Saturday was his first multi-point game this season after recording 23 last season, when he won the AHL scoring title. He was the first Crunch player with a hat trick since Dylan Duke at Utica on Nov. 11, 2025.
Abruzzese reaches 200 AHL points
Nick Abruzzese had the primary assist on all three Pelletier goals, tying his career high with three assists and three points. His first assist of the night was his 200th AHL point in 276 games.
It was the third three-assist game and eighth three-point game of Abruzzese's career. The 27-year-old leads Syracuse with eight points and is tied for the team lead with five assists.
Hammers arrive with two straight wins
Hamilton is 3-6-0-1 with seven points through 10 games, last in the North Division. The Hammers have won two straight after opening 1-6-0-1.
Liam Foudy leads Hamilton with 11 points and eight assists. Captain Matthew Highmore scored the overtime winner Thursday and is tied for the team lead with four goals, including two game-winners.
Friday is the Hammers' first visit to Syracuse. The last Hamilton franchise to play in Syracuse was the Bulldogs on March 15, 2014.
Penalties have piled up in recent games
Syracuse's game against Rochester last Friday included three first-period fights and 64 combined penalty minutes. The next night at Lehigh Valley, the Crunch had 52 penalty minutes and the Phantoms had 97.
The combined 149 minutes were the most in an AHL game this season, according to the Crunch. Syracuse ranks second in the league at 24.56 penalty minutes per game, while its opponents average 27.11 in games against the Crunch.
Pregame coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. on ESPN Radio Syracuse. Paid video streaming is available through AHLTV on FloHockey, with radio coverage through ESPN Radio Syracuse.
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