Crunch Sweep Springfield

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(Gallery by Brett Carlsen | bcarlsen@syracuse.com)

In what now seems like a lifetime ago, 30 American Hockey League teams began the season in October hoping to win the Calder Cup.

Within the next couple of days, only four will remain in contention for that hardware.

The Syracuse Crunch have steamed its way to the front of that line.

The Crunch took the express route by sweeping its way into the Eastern Conference finals on Friday night, dismissing Springfield 5-2 before 5,090 berserk fans in the War Memorial.

The final blow gave third-seeded Syracuse a 4-0 series win and seven victories in as many tries in two series this postseason. It also lifted the Crunch to just the second final four in the 19-year history of the franchise, a perch that the players envisioned reaching and then surpassing from the first puck drop of the season.

"Our expectations was always to be here,'' said Syracuse forward J.T. Wyman, who scored twice. "It was very clear from the start of the season. I think we're happy we're here. But we're not satisfied.''

The only other time Syracuse won two playoff series in one postseason, and thereby reaching the AHL semifinals, was in 1995-96.

Now, after the fury, comes a brief wait. Syracuse will take on the winner of the Providence-Wilkes-Barre/Scranton series in the conference finals. The Bruins lead that match three games to one after the Pens fought off elimination by winning Friday.

"It's good for guys that might be a little bruised,'' Syracuse captain Mike Angelidis said of getting his series over ASAP. "You can never get enough rest in the playoffs. It's a grind.''

Syracuse didn't need to spill much sweat in clipping the No. 2 Falcons, which, while a co-member of the AHL, wasn't close to aligning itself in the Crunch's league. Syracuse whipped Springfield by a combined 18-7 margin and never trailed in any of the four games. In those four contests, the Crunch and goalie Cedrick Desjardins allowed just four even-strength goals.

"We didn't give Springfield a whole lot. We generally kept them to the outside,'' said Crunch coach Rob Zettler. "We were committed to both ends of the ice.''



Mark Barberio, Matt Taormina and Dan Sexton also potted scores for the Crunch, which swept a best-of-7 series for the first time in franchise history.

"The fact that it's a sweep is a big bonus,'' Wyman said. "There are obviously times momentum shifts throughout the series. We were able to handle it really well. We're happy about the sweep, but we're ready for the next round.''

The Falcons battled to extend the series all game, creeping to within 3-2 with 11:25 left in the third on a score by Andrew Joudrey. But just 30 seconds later Taormina virtually punched the Crunch's ticket to the next round by snapping a hard shot from the slot past Springfield goalie Curtis McElhinney.

"They got that goal (by Joudrey), we just had to regroup, calm down, get back to our gameplan,'' Taormina said. "I think that goal was a little dagger.''

Sexton added an empty-netter at the 18:01 mark to set the final margin. Seconds later, after the final horn and with the ancient building creaking from the noise, one broom flew from the stands onto the ice, then another, then another.

"I think about the foundation that (former coach Jon Cooper) built, and Tampa built, and what was expected of the players,'' Zettler said when asked about his reflections on the season to date.

"How they handle themselves on the ice, how they handled themselves off the ice. That takes time to build. We're only halfway home right now. It feels really good.''

Syracuse put 18 shots on net in the second period, and Wyman unleashed the only one that changed the scoreboard. His hard shot from the left circled zipped high past McElhinney's glove side at the 17:20 mark for a 3-1 Crunch lead.

Yet another sign of the depth of the talent on this Crunch squad was that even when the top line of Ondrej Palat, Tyler Johnson and Richard Panik was held to one combined point (a helper from Panik), secondary scorers like Wyman took over.

"You look through the course of history, winning teams have the depth to fill a void when there is one,'' Wyman said.

That score countered a power-play marker by Springfield's Ryan Craig at the 3:38 mark which halved the Crunch's advantage to 2-1.

Wyman started the party just 6:04 into the contest. Philip-Michael Devos set the table with a centering pass from the left wing to Wyman alone outside the crease, and on his second whack Wyman jammed the puck past McElhinney.

Vladdy Namestnikov dished out the fat helper on Barberio's tally 1:48 later. Namestnikov flew past the Falcons defense down the right wing and cut to the middle.

McElhinney got a piece of cue shot, but the puck took a siesta just outside the goal line. Barberio swooped in the knock it in at the 7:52 mark.

- Boxscore