Bolstered by six players reassigned from the Lightning, the Syracuse Crunch defeated the Utica Comets 7-2 on Wednesday night. Cory Conacher led the way with three points as the Crunch used a five-goal outburst in the third period to pull away.
It was a big win for the Crunch who gained ground on the idle Toronto Marlies. Syracuse now trails them by one point for first place in the division. For Utica, the loss deals a huge blow to their postseason chances as they failed to close the gap on St. John’s for the final spot in the North Division.