Mitchell Chaffee's Two Goals Power Syracuse Crunch to 5-2 Sweep

Mitchell Chaffee’s two goals, the second an empty-netter with 2:06 remaining, capped a 5-2 win for the Syracuse Crunch over the Belleville Senators at CAA Arena, completing a home-and-home sweep and improving Syracuse to 26-16-3-1. Brandon Halverson made 21 saves on 23 shots, and Syracuse’s power play finished 2-for-3 while holding Belleville scoreless on two man-advantages.

"The teams exchanged blows in the opening frame and went into the first intermission tied at two." The Crunch struck first on the power play just 1:37 into the game when Conor Geekie dished from the bottom of the right circle to Jakob Pelletier at the right point. Pelletier returned the puck to Geekie, who snapped a clean shot from the right faceoff dot for the opening goal. Belleville answered at 8:20 of the first when Lassi Thomson tucked a bouncing puck into the crease; the first period closed 2-2, though team notes do not identify Belleville’s other early-period scorer.

"After a quiet beginning to the second period, the Crunch took a 3-2 lead after the 15-minute mark and then added two more tallies in the third period to earn the win." Syracuse pushed ahead late in the second, then turned the game away in the third when, while playing four-on-four with just under four minutes left, Brendan Furry found Chaffee in the neutral zone and Chaffee fired home from the right circle to create a two-goal cushion. The final dagger arrived after Max Groshev poked the puck free from a Belleville skater; Chaffee finished in the middle of the circles in the defensive zone for the empty-net clincher.

From a performance standpoint, Chaffee supplied the finishing touch, but the game was a team effort. Geekie and Pelletier logged goal-and-assist nights, and Groshev’s two assists underscored his role as the Crunch’s primary distributor. Halverson’s 21 saves preserved the lead, while Belleville netminder Hunter Shepard turned aside 18 of 22 shots. Syracuse’s special teams flipped the script from recent struggles, 2-for-3 on the power play demonstrated a disciplined, timely advantage that changed the complexion of the game.

Beyond the box score, this win matters for both player development and the franchise business. Multi-point nights by players like Geekie, Pelletier, and Groshev enhance individual upward mobility in the NHL pipeline and give Syracuse a marketable storyline as it heads into the All-Star break. A home-and-home sweep also helps sustain ticket demand and local momentum for a club navigating a crowded playoff chase.

The Crunch return from the AHL All-Star break on February 14 with a road date against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Syracuse will look to carry its special teams efficiency and finishing touch into the stretch as it jockeys for postseason positioning and continues to showcase talent for NHL clubs.