Lightning Round: Syracuse falls to Utica, again

Syracuse Crunch goalie Matt Tomkins (90) in net against the Hershey Bears in American Hockey League (AHL) action at the Upstate Medical University Arena in Syracuse, New York on Friday, December 8, 2023. Syracuse won 4-1. Photo by Scott Thomas (Scott Thomas Photography)It was a rough weekend for the Syracuse Crunch. After beating Hershey 4-1 on Friday to run their winning streak to five games, they dropped a weekend home-and-home to the Utica Comets, mustering just one goal in each game. Devante Stephens scored his third of the year (with another assist going to Mitchell Chaffee) to tie the game in the third period, but Utica responded with two goals in just under three minutes to take the lead. Matt Tomkins suffered his first loss as a member of the Crunch as he made 26 saves on 29 shots.

…