RECAP: LATE CRUNCH GOAL SPOILS HAMMERS COMEBACK
Oct 18, 2026
Game Summary
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The Hamilton Hammers (1-4-0-1) saw their comeback bid fall short Sunday afternoon, dropping a 4-3 decision to the Syracuse Crunch (3-3-0-0) at TD Coliseum to close out their four-game homestand.
Coming off a 4-2 comeback win Saturday, Syracuse jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but the Hammers battled back to even the score at three with goals from Cam Thiesing, Daylan Kuefler and Liam Foudy. Lucas Mercuri struck with five minutes left to seal a 4-3 Crunch win, while Alex Jefferies dished out a pair of assists for his first multi-point game of the season.
Here’s how it happened:
THE SUMMARY
Despite limited chances, with Syracuse holding a 5-2 edge in shots at the end of the period, the Crunch built an early lead with three goals in quick succession. Dylan Duke (1) opened the scoring on the power play just over three minutes in, and Jakob Pelletier (1) struck 19 seconds later. Matteo Pietroniro (1) added a third for Syracuse before Cam Thiesing (1) got the Hammers on the board at 11:02, with Alex Jefferies and Pierre Engvall earning the assists.
The Hammers tightened up defensively in the second period, holding Syracuse without a shot on goal for the opening seven minutes. Daylan Kuefler (1) cut the deficit to one with 1:36 remaining in the frame, beating Syracuse netminder Olivier Rodrigue over the left shoulder.
Liam Foudy (3) pulled the Hammers even less than five minutes into the third, tucking a backhand around Rodrigue. Mitchell Chaffee and Ethan Bear picked up the assists. Hamilton had a golden opportunity to take the lead midway through the frame with a 5-on-3 power play but couldn't capitalize as the game headed into the final minutes of regulation.
Lucas Mercuri (2) found the back of the net for Syracuse with exactly five minutes remaining, putting the pressure back on Hamilton. Despite two late power-play opportunities and a flurry of chances to find another equalizer, the Hammers' comeback fell short in a 4-3 loss.
Josh Kotai made 15 saves on 16 shots in 52 minutes of relief, while Rodrigue turned aside a season-high 30 of 33 shots from the Hammers to earn his first win of the season.
JEFFERIES NOTCHES PAIR OF HELPERS
Alex Jefferies picked up a pair of assists on the afternoon, including a helper on Daylan Kuefler’s second-period goal. The two-point outing marked Jefferies’ first multi-point game of the campaign, bringing his total to three assists on the young season.
A FAMILIAR FOE FOR CHAFFEE
Mitchell Chaffee made an impact against his former club Sunday, picking up an assist on Foudy’s third-period equalizer. The forward spent three seasons in the Tampa Bay Lightning organization, appearing in 90 regular-season games with Syracuse. Chaffee enjoyed a standout 2025-26 campaign with the Crunch, recording 24 goals and 33 assists for a career-best 57 points in 54 games before signing with the New York Islanders in July.
ROAD TRIP INCOMING
Hamilton embarks on a three-game trip beginning Wednesday night against the Toronto Marlies before heading to Laval for back-to-back matchups with the Rocket on October 23 and 24. All three games are available live on AHLTV on FloHockey.
The Hammers return to TD Coliseum on October 29 to host the Hartford Wolf Pack for their Halloween Game. Tickets are available at HamiltonHammers.com.