Crunch Beat Amerks 3-1 in Syracuse, Fanti Steady as Streak Extends

Syracuse pushed its recent run to nine wins in 10 games with a 3-1 victory over intrastate rival Rochester at Upstate Medical University Arena on March 1, 2026, and goaltender Ryan Fanti earned the win, stopping 20 of 21 shots in the Original Report of the game. The result keeps the Crunch rolling during a stretch that has shifted them back toward the top of AHL contention.

The Rochester Americans' game account supplied a detailed sequence for the opener, reporting the Crunch struck just 38 seconds into the contest after Mitchell Chaffee won a faceoff and Tommy Miller’s point shot caromed off Rochester netminder Levi’s right leg, where Wojciech Stachowiak pounced on the rebound for the score. The Americans’ recap also describes a transition rush off a puck collected by Nick Abruzzese that led to Dylan Duke converting a rebound for what the Rochester site called Duke’s second of the campaign.

Goaltending summaries diverge across sources, highlighting how box-score reconciliation matters for evaluating individual performance. The Original Report ties Fanti’s 20-of-21 performance specifically to the March 1 game. The Rochester Americans’ summary lists Fanti as 33-for-36 with a 4-0-0 record, while Oursportscentral described a separate meeting that went to a shootout in which Fanti stopped 30 in regulation and added three shootout saves. Those differing totals underscore the thin margin between narrative and official gamebook numbers when teams and outlets parcel out recaps.

Individual contributions factor into Syracuse’s surge. The Americans’ excerpt credited Wojciech Stachowiak with a multi-point outing and listed Stachowiak 2+1, Max Groshev 0+3, Dylan Duke 2+0 and Scott Sabourin 1+1 in its box-style summary, with Stachowiak named a three-star. Whether those stat lines align exactly with the March 1 contest should be confirmed against the official gamebook, but they reflect the kind of scoring depth Syracuse has leaned on through this nine-in-10 run.

From a business and media perspective, Rochester’s schedule notes published on Oursportscentral point to the AHL’s mixed distribution model: home broadcasts slated for The Sports Leader 95.7 FM/950 AM and AHLTV on FloHockey, with local CW television carrying select games. Those carriage patterns matter for regional fan engagement and for sponsors as teams like Syracuse and Rochester jockey for attention during a compressed second half of the season.

Syracuse’s stretch matters both on the ice and off it. A 3-1 result at Upstate Medical University Arena and a hot streak centered around reliable goaltending put Crunch players on the radar for NHL organizations watching the AHL pipeline, while Rochester’s response and local broadcast push will shape how quickly that narrative spreads across the market.