SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse Crunch defeated the Belleville Senators, 5-2, tonight at the CAA Arena. The Crunch surged to a 4-0 lead by the halfway point of the second frame. The Senators rattled off two consecutive goals to close in on Syracuse, but a goal from Conor Geekie late in the third period sealed the victory for the Crunch. Conor Geekie led scoring with two goals while Conor Sheary and Derrick Pouliot tallied two assists each. Six other Syracuse skaters recorded one point each. The Crunch earned a crucial two points as they improve to 31-21-8-4 on the season and finish the eight-game season series against Belleville with a 6-2-0-0 record. Crunch goaltender Brandon Halverson earned the win stopping 20-of-22 shots faced. Leevi Meriläinen turned aside 13-of-17 shots for the Senators before being relieved by Malcolm Subban in the second period. Subban stopped 9-of-10 shots he faced. The Crunch converted on 2-of-9 power play opportunities while going a perfect 4-for-4 on the penalty kill. Syracuse opened scoring 3:11 into the opening frame. Gabriel Dumont and Gabriel Fortier were both poking at a loose puck near the crease and Dumont pushed it past Meriläinen. Roman Schmidt doubled the lead for the Crunch with 6:07 remaining in the first period. He picked up the puck off a Meriläinen pass along the right-side wall where he sent it toward the net. Dylan Duke gave Syracuse a 3-0 lead 4:53 into the second period. Max Crozier fired a one-timer which got knocked down in front of the crease and Duke jammed the rebound in. The Crunch added another goal on the power play nearly halfway through the frame. Conor Sheary set up a wide-open Conor Geekie with a pass from the left corner and Geekie potted it off the post from the right circle. The Senators were finally on the board at the 15:25 mark of the period when Jan Jeník sent the puck in off his backhand in front of the crease. Belleville trimmed the Crunch lead 5:43 into the final frame. Xavier Bourgault sent a pass up the right wing to Philippe Daoust who netted it from the slot to make the score 4-2. The Crunch regained the three-goal lead eight seconds into a Senators major penalty in the final minutes of play. Sheary and Geekie teamed up for the second time as Sheary dished a pass across the slot to Geekie who fired a one-timer from the right circle for his second power play goal of the night. The Crunch return home to face off against the Toronto Marlies on Friday. Single game tickets and ticket packages for the 2024-25 season are on sale now and can be purchased in person at the Crunch office located inside the Upstate Medical University Arena at Onondaga County War Memorial at 800 S. State St. in Syracuse, by calling the office at 315-473-4444 or online through Ticketmaster. For the latest Crunch news, visit www.syracusecrunch.com or follow the club on Facebook (www.facebook.com/syracusecrunch), X (@SyracuseCrunch) and Instagram (@syracusecrunch). Crunchables: Seven of Conor Geekie’s nine goals this season have come on the power play…The Crunch have a five-game road win streak…Conor Sheary has a four-game points streak…Conor Geekie has a six-game points streak.