Toronto Marlies knock off Syracuse Crunch 3-2 in overtime

 By Ben Anderson


    The Toronto Marlies took down the Syracuse Crunch 3-2 in overtime on Friday night at the Upstate Medical University Arena.


    Vinni Lettieri scored the game-winner just one minute into the extra period for his second goal of the game to lead the Marlies to victory.


    This was a game that Syracuse desperately wanted to win. The Crunch was coming off a 5-0 loss against Laval, the first time this season that Syracuse was shutout and the first home shutout since Feb. 28, 2025 vs Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.


    The Marlies entered after suffering back-to-back losses on the road against Manitoba.


    The Crunch came out hot and ready, getting an early power play and scoring the first goal of the game in the opening two minutes with Ethan Gauthier finding the back of his net for his second goal of the season. The goal was the first in three games that the Crunch scored on a power play. 


    “I thought we were really organized early on,” Syracuse Crunch head coach Joel Bouchard said. “I really liked the way we battled.”


    The Marlies answered back on their own power play goal just eleven minutes later. Borya Vallis attacked from the far side of the goal, and spun around the goalie to find the back of the net for his team-leading fifth goal of the season to tie the game at 1-1 at the 12:27 mark in the first period. 


    The Marlies ended the first period showing fast offense with 3 shots on goal in the final minute of the period. Toronto outgained Syracuse in shots on goal 5-4 in the first period. 


    Toronto cranked up the pressure in the second period, scoring once again on a power play. 


    Lettieri scores from the far side face-off circle for his 4th goal of the season to give the Marlies a 2-1 lead. 


    After the goal, frustrations and tempers started to flare, with both teams turning up the physicality.


    The rise in tempers finally resulted in a brawl at mid-ice between Syracuse’s Shawn Element and Toronto’s Sawyer Boulton. Both players received 5 minutes in the penalty box for fighting.


    The chaos continued shortly after the brawl as the Crunch’s goal was knocked out of place after a collision, resulting in a delay in the action with officials having to put it back into place. 


    The shoving and punches came back at the end of the period with multiple scrums happening at the middle of the ice of which the officials had to break up.


    Overall in the second period, the Crunch was again outgained on shots on goal 9-7, and started letting frustration get the best of them. 


    Syracuse calmed down coming out of the break. Gauthier scored his second goal of the night just 1:15 into the third period to tie the game at 2-2.


    “I feel like tonight I was holding onto the pucks and getting some confidence.” Gauthier said. 


    Oliver Rodrigue started making some great saves for the Crunch in the third period, deflecting attack after attack from the Marlies. 


    Boulard said that he likes what he has seen thus far out of the Crunch, but now wants to see it result in wins.


    “I thought guys were engaged,” Boulard said. “We performed better, Now it’s a matter of connecting it for a little bit for sixty minutes.”


    With the loss, the Crunch fell to 5-7-2, while the Marlies improved to 8-4-3. 


    Syracuse returns to action on Saturday when it travels to Utica to take on the comets. 


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