SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The Springfield Thunderbirds (10-11-1-4) saw their four-game point streak come to an end in a 4-2 defeat at the hands of the Syracuse Crunch (11-9-2-2) on Friday night inside Upstate Medical University Arena.

Though the two teams only square off twice in a season, it was not evident in a physically-charged first period that put the officiating crew to work on more than one occasion in the opening 20 minutes. Ultimately, the 21-year-old goaltenders - Springfield's Vadim Zherenko and Syracuse's Hugo Alnefelt - had every answer, and for a sixth straight game, the T-Birds kept their opponents off the board in the first period. 

Neither team could connect on their first power plays of the night, and Syracuse carried an abbreviated man advantage into the early stages of the second period. The Thunderbirds' tremendous penalty kill came up big to keep the game a scoreless draw through the opening minutes of the second. Springfield had not allowed a goal in the first 40 minutes of any game in two weeks, but that streak ended when Shawn Element got to his own deft deflection to knock a rebound through a fallen Zherenko at 7:10 of the second, giving Syracuse the 1-0 edge.

The Springfield power play had a tough start to a 4-on-3 situation moments later, but before the full two minutes expired, at 5-on-4, Jake Neighbours benefited from a fortuitous bounce off of a Syracuse defender's stick, directing a would-be pass under the legs of Alnefelt for a 1-1 tie at 11:43. 

Two and a half minutes later, in his first game on a conditioning assignment from St. Louis, Logan Brown showed his tremendous puck possession, drawing the defense to him before setting up Steven Santini for a point wrist shot that squeezed over the glove of Alnefelt at 14:13, giving Springfield a 2-1 lead.

Like the Thunderbirds, Syracuse showed their quick response ability as Felix Robert re-directed a wrister by AHL point leader Darren Raddysh over Zherenko's shoulder, tying the game with exactly two minutes to go in the period, and the 2-2 score carried into the third.

Zherenko did everything he could to keep the game even, as the rookie goalie came up with numerous splendid saves, including two post-to-post denials on Gabriel Dumont on his glove side and Ryan Jones on his blocker side. Despite having his fifth straight start of 30-plus saves, it would not be enough for Springfield. Simon Ryfors twisted a one-time shot over the stick of Zherenko at 4-on-4 at the 10:59 mark of the period, and when the T-Birds attempted to pull Zherenko, Gemel Smith stole a pass and deposited it into an empty net with 1:45 to go, rounding out the scoring.

The T-Birds continue their upstate New York weekend on Saturday with a visit to Utica and a tangle with the Comets. Puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m. at the Adirondack Bank Center.

Thunderbirds fans can reserve their seats for the 2022-23 season and lock in the best prices and member benefits by calling (413) 739-GOAL (4625) or visiting www.SpringfieldThunderbirds.com.