Crunch Clinch Playoff Berth With 3-2 Overtime Win Over Hershey

April 17, 2025

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse Crunch clinched their seventh-consecutive Calder Cup Playoffs berth as they defeated the Hershey Bears, 3-2, in overtime tonight at the Giant Center.

Wednesday, April 16, 2025, the Hershey Bears vs the Syracuse Crunch. The Crunch beat the Bears by a score of 3-2 in overtime.

The Bears were on the board early in the first period, but the Crunch scored twice in the second frame to gain a 2-1 lead. Hershey knotted the score a few minutes into the final frame to force overtime, where Conor Sheary scored the game-winner.

Dylan Duke led the scoring for the Crunch with two assists, while five other skaters registered a point each. Syracuse advances to 36-22-8-4 on the season and finishes the four-game season series against the Bears with a 2-0-1-1 record.

Crunch goaltender Brandon Halverson earned the win putting a stop to 21-of-23 shots faced. Hunter Shepard turned aside 15-of-18 shots in net for the Bears. Syracuse special teams converted on 1-of-2 power play opportunities and held Hershey scoreless on their lone man-advantage.

Hershey opened scoring 4:42 into the first period. Nicky Leivermann fired a shot from the left point and Hendrix Lapierre tipped it in from the slot.

The Crunch knotted the score at the 11:31 mark of the second frame. Max Crozier spun in the bottom of the left circle and threw the puck to the front of the net for Gabriel Szturc, who dished it in from the top of the crease. Syracuse doubled their lead to make the score 2-1 five minutes later while on the man-advantage. Shepard made the save on a Dylan Duke shot from the right goal line, but the rebound popped out into the slot for Gabriel Dumont to stuff in.

Three minutes into the final period, the Bears evened the score to force overtime. Lapierre sent a cross-ice pass to Alex Limoges who found the back of the net from the bottom of the left circle.

Just 23 seconds into overtime, Conor Sheary picked up the puck on a Hershey turnover, skated into the zone on a breakaway and backhanded it past Shepard to seal the victory for Syracuse.

The Crunch travel to Utica on Friday to take on the Comets.

With Crunch match report