A game of inches: Admirals squeak by B-Sens in shootout

Published on February 27, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Binghamton Senators News Release


BINGHAMTON, N.Y. - Riding a five-game losing streak into Saturday night's game, the Binghamton Senators tried desperately to break their bad luck. This time, the B-Sens came out of the game with something they have been missing for too long: a point in the standings. The B-Sens' physical play and offensive attack pushed their East Division rivals, the Norfolk Admirals, to the limit. But despite multiple scoring chances and a disallowed goal at the end of regulation, the Senators left for the locker room with their sixth loss in row, while the Admirals celebrated a 3-2 shootout victory.

A minute and a half into the game, the Senators went down a man as Binghamton center Martin St. Pierre was called for a slashing penalty. Shorthanded, the B-Sens cleared the puck down the ice, as center Zack Smith brought the fore check pressure. Smith beat two Admirals to the puck in the Norfolk zone and fired a shot that was stopped by the pad of goaltender Dustin Tokarski. But Smith followed up on his own rebound and banged home Binghamton's eighth shorthanded goal of the season to give the Sens a 1-0 lead.

The Admirals answered back six minutes later. After a soft dump-in into the Binghamton zone, Norfolk winger Brandon Bochenski drove through Drew Bannister and Derek Smith to gather the puck. With Bannister and Smith on his back, Bochenski swung his stick and chipped the puck over the right shoulder of goaltender Chris Holt for his 21st goal of the season, tying the game at one a piece.

With four minutes remaining in the first, Admirals defenseman Ryan McGinnis brought the puck out from behind the net while the Admirals were caught on a line change. McGinnis coughed up the puck in the slot due to fore check pressure from Zack Smith, while line mate Jim O'Brien gathered the loose puck and snapped it under the glove of Tokarski to reclaim Binghamton's lead.

Two minutes into the second period, the Admirals evened the score. Norfolk winger Juraj Simek brought the puck over the Binghamton blue line and fired a shot that was blocked by the shin pads of Paul Baier. But center Blair Jones trailed the play and picked up the loose puck, firing a laser that found the top shelf to quickly notch the score at 2-2.

Following a scoreless third, the game went into overtime. With fifteen seconds left, Jonathan Cheechoo picked up the loose puck along the right boards and busted toward the net. Cheechoo chipped the puck over the left shoulder of Tokarski. However, Cheechoo was shoved into the net, dislodging the cage off its hinges before the puck crossed the goal line, resulting in a no-goal.

The game came down to a shootout, but goals from Paul Szczechura, Simek, and Jones sealed the victory for the Admirals. Denis Hamel had the lone shootout goal for the Senators.

The Senators are back in action Sunday, February 28th, as they travel to Rochester to take on the Americans. Drop of the puck is 6:30 p.m.

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American Hockey League Stories from February 27, 2010


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