Four game winning streak ends in Syracuse

The Amerks were shut out 4-0 in Syracuse on Saturday night, ending a four game winning streak.  Stefan Meyer took a shot at an open net to tie the game at 1-1 but defenseman Dan Smith of the Crunch dove across the crease to block the puck.  Here’s an excerpt from the Democrat and Chronicle which seems to sum up the game.

(November 11, 2007) — SYRACUSE — Credit for the 22-save shutout went to Syracuse Crunch goalie Tomas Popperle, but defenseman Dan Smith actually made the biggest save in a 4-0 victory over the Rochester Americans.

An instant after Marc-Andre Gragnani’s point shot clanked off the goal post, Smith dived across the goal crease and blocked Stefan Meyer’s shot toward an open net.

Instead of a tie game at 1-1, Smith’s impromptu goaltending heroics kept the Crunch in the lead. To add even more insult to the Amerks, the Crunch sped the other way and scored the clinching insurance goal at 3:08 of the third period, a Derek Dorsett redirection of Derick Brassard’s goal-mouth pass.

“That was pretty much the night right there,” Meyer said. “If I put that in, we’re evened up. The worst part about it, they go down and score.”

We were out of town and did not get a chance to listen to the game to offer more insight, for more here are some links for additional coverage of the game:

The Rochester Americans host the undefeated Chicago Wolves tonight at Blue Cross Arena, game time is 6:05pm.  It’s a Supercuts Sunday so kids can get a $6 ticket with the purchase of an adult ticket.