Sens vs. Crunch 2/26/04 Articles: Free-wheeling Crunch clinches playoffs
March 27, 2004

Posted by: Bob Howard
Credit: Lindsay Kramer of The Post Standard

Free-wheeling Crunch clinches playoffs

Moran leads deep Syracuse attack that produces six goals against Binghamton.

March 27, 2004

By Lindsay Kramer
Staff writer

After a one-year hiatus, the only type of hockey that really matters is coming back to Syracuse.

Playoff hockey.

How long will it be here? The possibilities are as wide-ranging as the weather on an early spring day.

Brad Moran scored twice to lead a deep Syracuse Crunch offensive attack Friday night as the team wrapped up an AHL playoff invitation by hammering Binghamton 6-3 at the Onondaga County War Memorial.

The win highlighted Syracuse's love-hate relationship with its chances for a deep run into the playoffs. It again showed itself to be a balanced and opportunistic team while also repeating its habit of treating fat leads like a bar of soap.

The bottom line for now is that Syracuse has taken a simple first step yet one that eluded it last year - sticking around for the postseason.

"It (stinks) not making the playoffs. Last year was the worst summer ever," said Syracuse captain Darrel Scoville, one of the Crunch players who was free to hit the golf course early last year. "The first step is to make the playoffs. We've done that." The AHL playoffs will start the week of April 12, with the top five teams in each of the AHL's four divisions qualifying. The fourth- and fifth-place teams will first meet in a best-of-three mini-round.

In the second round, the winners of the mini-series take on the division champ and the divisional second- and third-place teams face off. The higher seeds will have home-ice advantage.

That's the plum Syracuse is trying to chase down now. With 10 games left in the regular season, it stands in second place in the North, four points behind

first-place Hamilton. Third-place Cleveland is five points behind Syracuse.

The Crunch is playing like it intends to put first place in a bear hug. It has earned at least one point in 10 of its last 11 games.

Furthermore, the Syracuse team that takes the ice for the playoffs should be better than this one. Defenseman Aaron Johnson and forwards David Ling, Alexander Svitov and Mike Pandolfo (called up Friday) are all current Blue Jackets who should join Syracuse by the end of its regular season, if not sooner.

"I mean, it's shaping up pretty good," Scoville said. "Our lineup is only going to get better. Those guys are all skilled players."

But talent has usually been less of an issue for Syracuse this season than the ability to maximize it for 60 minutes. That, again, was the problem Friday. When Syracuse's Joe Motzko scored at the 3-minute, 51-second mark of the second, it gave the Crunch a 4-0 lead.

Syracuse has played some of its least inspiring hockey this season when it should've been in control of the game. Following that trend, the Crunch let Binghamton defenseman Julian Vauclair score back-to-back goals to pull the Senators within 4-2 at the end of two.

When Senators defenseman Steve Bancroft tallied at the 1:28 mark of the third to make it 4-3, it looked like Syracuse's night of celebration would collapse.

But Syracuse center Mark Hartigan scored at the 12:06 mark of the third, and Moran added an empty-netter with 38 seconds left to turn the key on the playoff door.

"We just have to take it to them," Hartigan said of putting opponents away. "It's a matter of just kicking them when they are down, and making sure they stay down instead of giving them momentum."

Two reasons that the stuffing keeps falling out of Syracuse's cushions is a defense that still allows way too many chances and a goaltending situation that remains far from stabilized. Syracuse netminder Pascal Leclaire, Friday's winner, has allowed an average of more than three goals per game in eight starts since returning from Columbus.

As a former No. 1 draft pick whom Columbus likely wants to test in the pressure of the postseason, the second-year pro will have to show he can fit in during the lock-down style of playoff hockey.

"I don't look at my stats," Leclaire said. "Even if you're awesome two or three weeks before, the time it counts is when the puck drops for the playoffs. I'll be ready."

Whether Leclaire can be the Crunch's meal ticket will be proven out in a few weeks. First and foremost, it's time to start printing playoff tickets with Syracuse's name on them again. Syracuse 6, Binghamton 3 Binghamton021 - 3 Syracuse312 - 6 First Period- 1, Syracuse, Moran 21, (Komarniski,Leclaire), :21. 2, Syracuse, McDonell 14, (Reich), 12:40, (pp). 3, Syracuse, MacLean 24, (McDonell,Walser), 17:30, (pp). Penalties-Hartigan, Syr (holding), :33; McDonell, Syr (tripping), 5:56; Smrek, Bin (holding the stick), 12:18; Hamel, Bin (high sticking), 13:17; Tapper, Bin (holding), 15:49; Buckley, Syr (holding), 16:11; Pecker, Bin (slashing), 17:05; Platil, Bin (roughing), 18:36; Cull, Syr (roughing), 18:36; Buckley, Syr (holding), 19:37.

Second Period- 4, Syracuse, Motzko 15, (Scoville,Hartigan), 3:51. 5, Binghamton, Vauclair 7, (Stephens,Payer), 4:26. 6, Binghamton, Vauclair 8, (Kelly), 6:43, (pp). Penalties-Sloan, Syr (interference), 2:43; Kelly, Bin (high sticking), 3:26; McDonell, Syr (tripping), 5:50; Platil, Bin major(fighting), 11:58; Reich, Syr major(fighting), 11:58; Motzko, Syr (high sticking), 15:34; Tapper, Bin (tripping), 19:03; Jackman, Syr (boarding), 19:24.

Third Period- 7, Binghamton, Bancroft 6, (Emery), 1:28. 8, Syracuse, Hartigan 22, (Motzko,Limpright), 12:06. 9, Syracuse, Moran 22, (Reich,Buckley), 19:22, (en). Penalties-Vauclair, Bin (roughing), 4:37; McDonell, Syr (roughing), 4:37; Bancroft, Bin major(fighting), 14:16; Jackman, Syr major(fighting), 14:16; Tapper, Bin (slashing), 18:29; Komarniski, Syr (slashing), 18:29.

Shots On Goal- Binghamton, 9-12-13-34; Syracuse, 9-10-5-24.

Power Play Opportunities- Binghamton, 1 of 7; Syracuse, 2 of 6.

Goalies- Binghamton, Emery (20-21-5), (out 18:16 of third, return 19:22), 23 shots-18 saves; Syracuse, Leclaire (20-13-3), 34 shots-31 saves.

A- 5,753. Referee-Francois St. Laurent;Linesmen-Jim Harper,Dan Murphy.