A WEEKEND TO REMEMBER!

 Cleveland, Ohio                        


                             




                  (All photos courtesy of 216 sports network photography and Cleveland Crunch)





         Ok, before the weekend we did say that the Crunch were primed to have a great weekend after a long layoff. What we didn't know is that the Crunch would destroy the state of Michigan with extreme malice. The Crunch swept the weekend slate, but not before enjoying and celebrating the career of Crunch great Zoran Karic Saturday night. Zoran's jersey is now immortalized in the rafters along with the championship banners from 1994,1996,1999, and 2021. To see the excitement and memories of Zoran on the field was a moment to remember. Zoran is still down to earth and a great person.





After the Pre-game ceremony, the Crunch proceeded to honor Zoran by taking it to Detroit. The Waza Flo tried hard, but in the end the Crunch were too much for Detroit to handle. Admir Suljevic(2), David Jordan(2), Mike Derezic, Sammy Mutemwa, Boban Cancar and Kevin Blackwood all scored for the Crunch along with multple saves by the "Magician" Marijo Musa would see the game end in a 8-0 shutout in favor of the Crunch. The best part of Saturday night was seeing Zoran smile after every Crunch goal. Surely these Crunch teams remind him of the good ol' days.



Sunday afternoon was no different as the Crunch handled Rapid City FC with no problem. Ryan Minick(3), Admir Suljevic(5), Mike Derezic(2), Parker Czisar(3), Boban Cancar(1), and Aidan Bozak(2) all made life terrible for the Rapid City goal keeper. Rapid City fought hard the entire game, but in the end the Crunch would route Rapid City 16-9. The Crunch never played from behind at all during Sunday's game. Did we mention both games were sold out? Cuz that's kind of important too!



Keep in mind that a few days ago we mentioned that the last time the Crunch got ahold of the division they never looked back on their way to the first undefeated regular season in team history, but also a second appearance in the league title game. So don't be surprised if a division title and playoff appearance happens again. To end the weekend the way the Crunch did to honor Zoran was nothing short of spectacular. The Crunch are back home February 11th in a rematch against the Cincinnati Swerve and the back on the road the next day (Sunday February 12th) in another rematch against Detroit. The Crunch will look to avenge a 9-8 loss to the Swerve in Cincinnati back in December to open the season, and you can bet that the Crunch are out for blood from here on out.



~IT'S CRUNCH TIME!!~

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