The Springfield Thunderbirds entered Friday night’s game with the league’s top power unit. So the last thing the Syracuse Crunch wanted to do was give them opportunities with the man-advantage. So what did they do? Well, they gave the T-Birds six power plays, including a five-minute major. Yet, it was the Crunch emerging victorious as they blew the game open in the third period, scoring four goals en route to a 6-1 victory.
Seven Crunch players recorded multiple point games, including newcomer Jan Rutta whose first period goal proved to be the game winner. The Crunch not only killed off five of the Thunderbirds six power plays, they also added a short-handed goal late in the third to seal the victory.