SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Cody Kunyk scored two goals for the Syracuse Crunch in a 7-6 loss to the Albany Devils on Friday night. Kunyk, who has missed a few games due to injury, continued to prove why he is such a valuable asset to Syracuse as the season moves forward. Kunyk found the back of the net twice against Albany and found a lot of success on a power play that has struggled mightily all season for the Crunch. Although his efforts were not enough to lift his team to another two points in the standings, Kunyk proved that he could be the next man up on a roster that has been plagued by injuries.
Kunyk’s first goal came early on in the game. The Syracuse center found himself at the right place at the right time off a juicy Scott Wedgewood rebound. Kunyk made a beautiful cut to the net, and found and buried the wide open shot off of a Carter Ashton shot that found the pad of Wedgewood. It was quick and easy and Kunyk was able to find the back of the net with ease to tie the game at 2-2.
Kunyk didn’t just score; he found his teammates to help them find twine. His first assist of the game again came in a clutch spot and tied the game at 3. Kunyk found himself with the puck at the blue line and carried it towards the net. Using great instincts, he kept his head up and looked for a cutting offensive player towards the front of the net. He sent a saucer pass flying in and after an initial save, Kunyk was rewarded for following his shot as the puck squeaked past Wedgewood. It was a heads-up play by Kunyk and a good testament to the center’s hustle on the ice.
The second goal that Kunyk scored in the game was very similar to his first in that the Syracuse center made a beautiful cut to the net and kept great spacing with his teammates to this time take the lead over the Devils. Syracuse had the 3-2 advantage on a bit of a breakaway opportunity. With two players crashing to the net, Kunyk snuck in the back door and cashed in for the second time on the evening.
Overall, Kunyk was involved in three of the six Syracuse goals on Friday evening. It was a very productive night for the center, but unfortunately it was not enough. The penalty kill looked very weak against the Devils, while Albany’s power play was taking advantage of great puck movement. Which could have been a result of another huge loss that the Crunch suffered at the hands of the Devils.
The Crunch captain Mike Angelidis suffered an injury in the first period against Albany. He returned to skate one shift in the second period but was removed for the remainder of the game. Angelidis is second on Syracuse with 16 goals.
Syracuse is back in action Saturday against the Utica Comets. This is the first time the Comets have come to Syracuse since the Frozen Dome Classic when the Crunch defeated the Comets 2-1. So far, the Crunch is 2-1 against rival Utica this season. Syracuse will look to win the season series Saturday night at 7 at the War Memorial.
