Crunch Chronicles

On Episode 69 of Crunch Chronicles, presented by Wendy's, Lukas Favale is joined by Jon Mirasty.

Mirasty spent four seasons in Syracuse with the Crunch during both the Columbus and Anaheim affiliations. Mirasty signed with the Crunch for the 2007-08 season and contributed to one of the toughest teams in hockey.

A member of the 'Nasty Boys', Mirasty racked up 181 penalty minutes in 55 games as the Crunch had one of thei...

On Episode 68 of Crunch Chronicles, presented by Wendy's, Lukas Favale is joined by Brett Connolly.

Connolly played for the Crunch for two seasons beginning in 2012-13. A first-round pick (6th overall) by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2010, Connolly started the 2012-13 season with the Crunch while the NHL was in a lockout.

The second-year pro produced 31 goals and 63 points, ranking fourth and ninth in the AHL respectively, to he...

On Episode 67 of Crunch Chronicles, presented by Wendy's, Lukas Favale is joined by Ryan Lohin.

Lohin played parts of two seasons for the Crunch during his time with the Tampa Bay Lightning organization. A seventh round draft pick in 2016, Lohin went to UMass-Lowell from 2016 to 2019. At the end of his 2018-19 campaign, Lohin signed his entry-level contract and joined the Crunch for the remainder of the season.

Lohin skated in ...

On Episode 66 of Crunch Chronicles, presented by Wendy's, Lukas Favale is joined by JF Labbe.

Labbe spent parts of three seasons with the Crunch during the first few seasons of their affiliation with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Acquired by Columbus in a November 2000 trade, Labbe helped turn the Crunch's 2000-01 season around.

The former AHL MVP goaltender posted a 15-15-5 record with a 2.86 goals-against average and a .924 save pe...

On Episode 65 of Crunch Chronicles, presented by Wendy's, Lukas Favale is joined by Jeff Halpern.

Halpern joined the Tampa Bay Lightning organization in 2015-16, serving first as a player development coach and then as a full-time assistant.

After one season in a player development role, Halpern was hired as an assistant coach for the Crunch ahead of the 2016-17 season, joining incoming head coach Ben Groulx's staff. The Crunch we...

On Episode 64 of Crunch Chronicles, presented by Wendy's, Lukas Favale is joined by Nick Riopel.  Riopel signed an AHL contract with the Crunch during the 2015-16 season and remained part of the organization until the 2017-18 campaign. The goaltender split time between the Crunch and the ECHL during his seasons with the organization. He dressed as the backup goaltender multiple times over the years, but he only appeared in one game...

On Episode 63 of Crunch Chronicles, presented by Wendy's, Lukas Favale is joined by Jeremy Reich.  Reich spent five seasons playing for the Crunch, beginning in 2000 at the start of the team's affiliation with the Columbus Blue Jackets. That was Reich's rookie season, and he skated in 56 games and compiled 15 points and 108 penalty minutes. His role continued to evolve during his tenure with the Crunch. He peaked at 195 penalty min...

On Episode 62 of Crunch Chronicles, presented by Wendy's, Lukas Favale is joined by Ken Klee.  Klee spent two seasons as an assistant coach for the Crunch beginning with the 2017-18 season after he was hired in July 2017. A veteran of over 900 NHL games played, Klee was responsible for the team’s defensemen and penalty kill and he helped the team to two of their best regular seasons ever in 2017-18 and 2018-19. In 2017-18, the Crun...

On Episode 61 of Crunch Chronicles, presented by Wendy's, Lukas Favale is joined by Lauren Kochian.  Kochian spent time working in the Crunch's front office, first as a public relations intern in the late 90's, before continuing her career in public relations with the new Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. After spending some time working in sports, Kochian parlayed what she learned to move into marketing and development for Arc of On...

On Episode 60 of Crunch Chronicles, presented by Wendy's, Lukas Favale is joined by Doug MacLean.  MacLean served as the first General Manager of the Columbus Blue Jackets. He helped usher the Blue Jackets into the NHL for the inaugural season in 2000-01, and it was his relationship with Crunch Owner Howard Dolgon that led to the affiliation between the two clubs. MacLean was the Blue Jackets' General Manager through the 2006-07 se...

On Episode 59 of Crunch Chronicles, presented by Wendy's, Lukas Favale is joined by Marc Methot.  Methot spent three seasons playing for the Crunch during the Columbus Blue Jackets affiliation. A sixth-round pick in the 2003 NHL Draft by Columbus, Methot began his pro career with the Crunch in 2005-06. The defenseman skated in 70 games as a rookie, contributing 13 points. He spent the majority of his second pro season in Syracuse, ...

On Episode 58 of Crunch Chronicles, presented by Wendy's, Lukas Favale is joined by Robert Dome.  Dome spent two seasons in Syracuse during the late '90s as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins organization. After being selected in the first round of the 1997 NHL Draft, Dome joined the Crunch as an 18-year-old in the 1997-98 season. He scored 21 goals and added 46 points in 36 games for the Crunch that season, earning a spot in the ...

On Episode 57 of Crunch Chronicles, presented by Wendy's, Lukas Favale is joined by Michael Bournival.  Bournival spent three seasons in Syracuse with the Crunch between 2016 and 2019. He joined the Lightning organization as a free agent in the summer of 2016 and split his first season between the Lightning and Crunch. He played a big role in the playoffs in 2017, collecting 15 points (8g, 7a) in 22 games to help the Crunch advance...

On Episode 56 of Crunch Chronicles, presented by Wendy's, Lukas Favale is joined by Sarah Costello.  Sarah is currently the Sr. Manager, Lightning Foundation & Community Events for the Tampa Bay Lightning. She's in her ninth season in Tampa, and oversees all things community relations and charitable foundation for the Lightning. She began her journey as an intern with the Syracuse Crunch - first in public relations, then in com...

On Episode 55 of Crunch Chronicles, presented by Wendy's, Lukas Favale is joined by Nick Holden.  Holden spent two full seasons in Syracuse with the Crunch during the team's affiliation with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He began his pro career by joining the Crunch at the end of the 2007-08 season, and made his pro debut during the Crunch's incredible win streak. He played the next two seasons with the Crunch, contributing 45 points ...

On Episode 54 of Crunch Chronicles, presented by Wendy's, Lukas Favale is joined by Jared Nightingale.  Nightingale spent one full season and parts of one more in Syracuse at the start of the Tampa Bay Lightning affiliation. Nightingale joined the Crunch for the 2012-13 season after signing an AHL contract with the Crunch as a free agent that summer. It marked his seventh pro season, and the veteran carved out a solid role on a loa...

On Episode 53 of Crunch Chronicles, presented by Wendy's, Lukas Favale is joined by Troy Bodie.  Bodie spent one season in Syracuse with the Crunch in 2011-12, when the team was affiliated with the Anaheim Ducks. An immediate leader on the team, Bodie was an alternate captain for the Crunch and accumulated 15 points and 119 penalty minutes in 69 games. He helped the Crunch earn a spot in the Calder Cup Playoffs. After playing in bo...

On Episode 52 of Crunch Chronicles, presented by Wendy's, Lukas Favale is joined by Cory Conacher.  Conacher spent parts of five seasons in Syracuse over two different stints with the Crunch during their affiliation with Tampa Bay. Conacher was a member of the Crunch's first team during the Lightning affiliation in 2012-13. He produced 28 points in 36 games to begin the season before being recalled to the Lightning when the NHL Loc...

On Episode 51 of Crunch Chronicles, presented by Wendy's, Lukas Favale is joined by Mike Ayers.  Ayers played one season with the Crunch. He joined the team early in the 2005-06 season on a professional try-out (PTO). He earned a second PTO before eventually signing an SPC (standard player contract) with the Crunch later that season.  In 23 games that season for the Crunch, the Hingham, Massachusetts native posted a 12-8-1 record w...