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B-Sens Weekly

April 1, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Binghamton Senators News Release


LAST WEEK...

Friday, Mar. 28: St. John's 1, Binghamton 2

Shots: St. John's 41, Binghamton 40

PP: St. John's 0 for 2, Binghamton 1 for 3

The Binghamton Senators remained atop the East Division with a 2-1 win over the visiting St. John's IceCaps on Friday night. The B-Sens notched two goals in the third period to overcome the 1-0 deficit and defeated the IceCaps for the first time this season. Andrew Hammond played stellar in net allowing just one goal on 41 shots faced.

Binghamton controlled the puck for much of the opening period as they managed to put 17 shots on goal. St. John's Tyler Beskorowany stopped all of the Sens chances through the first 20 minutes while Hammond turned aside all 14 IceCaps tries to send the teams to the intermission deadlocked at zero.

St. John's opened the scoring at the 16:59 mark of the middle frame when Jason Jaffray buried a loose puck on the mouth of the crease for his 18th goal of the season.

Less than one minute later, it appeared as though the IceCaps were going to double the lead when they pressured hard in the Sens' defensive zone. However, Hammond and his teammates were stellar as they stopped a handful of doorstep shots to keep the deficit at just one heading into the final intermission.

Binghamton managed to even the score at one apiece when Matt Puempel pushed home his 25th goal of the year at the 7:29 spot of the third. Stephane Da Costa picked up the primary assist as he weaved the puck through heavy traffic before finding Puempel on the crease. With the assist, Da Costa increased his point-scoring streak to nine straight games.

The B-Sens grabbed the lead about a minute past the midway point of the period when Shane Prince one-timed a pass from Da Costa past Beskorowany. Binghamton managed to hold off a heavy attack from St. John's late in regulation to cling to the 2-1 victory in the final meeting of the four-game season series.

In addition to Hammond's hardnosed 40-save performance, Binghamton was led by Puempel, who ended the night with a goal and an assist, while Da Costa finished with two helpers. Beskorowany played tough in the losing effort stopping 38 of Binghamton's 40 shots on goal.

Saturday, Mar. 29: Binghamton 4, Syracuse 3 (Shootout)

Shots: Binghamton 29, Syracuse 27

PP: Binghamton 1 for 6, Syracuse 2 for 4

Cole Schneider was the lone skater to covert in the shootout giving the B-Sens a 4-3 victory over the Crunch. Hammond stopped 24 of 27 shots faced and all five shootout tries to earn his 22nd victory of the season.

Binghamton grabbed the first goal of the night when Derek Grant notched an unassisted tally at 9:13 of the opening period.

Syracuse evened the score seconds after returning to full strength when Jonathan Marchessault roofed the puck over Hammond to complete a 3-on-1 rush.

Hammond stopped 10 of 11 shots faced through the first 20 minutes of play while Kristers Gudlevskis turned aside eight of nine B-Sens scoring chances to send the teams to the locker room tied 1-1.

The Crunch grabbed the first lead of the night off of Nikita Nesterov's fourth goal of the year 14:39 into the middle frame. The power-play goal was set up by Brett Connolly and Mike Angelidis.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau evened the score at 2-2 with less than one minute to play in the period with Binghamton on a two-man advantage.

Geoff Walker found the back of the net 9:32 into the third period on another power-play goal to give the hosts the 3-2 lead.

However, Alex Grant notched his first goal in a B-Sens uniform with less than six minutes remaining to force overtime.

Following a scoreless overtime stanza, Schneider converted his first round shootout goal to give the B-Sens their fourth victory in a row. Alex Grant led the Sens offensively with a goal and an assist while Connolly earned two helpers in the defeat.

Sunday, Mar. 30: Binghamton 2, Albany 3 (Shootout)

Shots: Binghamton 25, Albany 27

PP: Binghamton 0 for 0, Albany 2 for 3

Binghamton fell 3-2 in a shootout to the Albany Devils despite holding a 2-1 lead heading into the final period of play. David Wohlberg scored with just under 11 minutes remaining to force overtime before Scott Wedgewood stopped all five Binghamton skaters in the shootout to give the hosts the come-from-behind win.

Binghamton scored the lone tally in the opening period following a turnover deep in the Devils' defensive zone. Shane Prince stole the puck behind Albany's net and found Puempel out front who beat Wedgewood for his 26th goal of the year. Scott Greenham turned aside all 10 shots faced in the period while Wedgewood stopped five of six.

Albany converted on a power-play opportunity 9:13 into the middle frame to even the score at one apiece. Reid Boucher was credited with the tally off assists from Alex Urbom and Scott Timmins.

The B-Sens retook the lead with less than three minutes remaining in the second when Alex Grant beat Wedgewood for his 9th goal on the year, second as a Binghamton Senator. Fredrik Claesson and Schneider picked up the assists as Binghamton took a 2-1 lead heading into the final intermission.

Albany tied the game up once again at the 9:13 mark of the third period when Wohlberg converted on a 2-on-1 rush for his fourth goal of the season. Despite good scoring chances for each team in the waning moments of regulation, the score remained 2-2 to force overtime.

Following a scoreless overtime, the teams went to the skills competition where Rod Pelley converted on his first shootout attempt of the year to give the Devils the 3-2 win.

Greenham finished with 24 saves on 26 shots faced in his first loss in a B-Sens uniform. Wedgewood turned aside 23 of 25 chances to earn the hard-fought victory.

Record: 40-21-1-5 (86 points)

Standings: Binghamton increased its East Division lead to two points as they managed five out of the possible six points from this past week's contests. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton remains in second place with a 38-22-3-5 record (84 points) through 68 games played. Norfolk sits in third place with 77 points and a 34-24-2-7 mark over 67 games, one point ahead of Hershey (34-25-4-4). Syracuse remains in last place with a 27-29-4-7 record and 65 points in 67 games played.

THIS WEEK...

Friday, April 4 @ Rochester Americans (Buffalo Sabres)-7:05p.m.

The B-Sens look to continue its success against the Amerks this season in the eighth and final meeting of the year this Friday in Rochester. Binghamton has dominated the first seven games, winning six while outscoring Rochester 31 to 18 over seven games. Rochester sits in second place in the North Division with a 30-27-6-4 record (70 points) over 67 games played. The Amerks have struggled with a 1-7-2-0 mark over the past 10 games.

Phil Varone leads all Amerk's skaters with 51 points (14 goals, 37 assists) over 60 games played. Center Luke Adam paces Rochester in goals scored with 27 in 52 games this year.

Goaltender Nathan Lieuwen has played in 32 games this season going 17-11-2 with 2.34 goals-against average and a 0.922 save percentage. Matt Hackett has seen action in 33 contests while compiling a 13-17-2 record with 3.07 goals-against average and a 0.898 save percentage.

Saturday, April 5 vs. Norfolk Admirals (Anaheim Ducks)-7:05p.m.

Binghamton welcomes Norfolk Saturday night in an East Division battle. The Admirals, who sit third in the East Division, trail the first place B-Sens by nine points.

Andre Petersson, who played 47 games with Binghamton before being traded to Norfolk at the deadline, leads all Admirals skaters with 47 points (20 goals, 27 assists). Devante Smith-Pelly heads all Norfolk skaters with 27 goals in 54 games played.

Rookie John Gibson is tied for first among American Hockey League goaltenders with five shutouts on the season. Through 44 games, Gibson has gone 20-17-4 with 2.38 goals-against average and a 0.917 save percentage. Back up Brad Thiessen has played in 11 contests while gathering a 3-4-2 record with 2.40 goals-against average and a 0.931 save percentage.

Sunday, April 6 vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (Pittsburgh Penguins)-3:05p.m.

Binghamton hosts its rival Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Sunday afternoon in a game that could potentially determine who will hold the top spot in the division. The Penguins trail the B-Sens by just two points in the East Division.

Right Winger Tom Kostopoulos leads the Penguins in goals (21) and total points (44) over 65 games this season.

Goaltender Jeff Deslauriers has played in 40 games this year compiling a 20-15-3 record with 2.58 goals-against average and a 0.895 save percentage. Peter Mannino, who has seen the majority of playing time in net over the past month, is 8-3-1 over 14 games this season with 1.58 goals-against average and a 0.933 save percentage.

Promotions:

Saturday night will be the B-Sens annual Face Off Against Cancer presented by Lourdes Hospital. Tickets are available for $15 with $2.00 being donated to the American Cancer Society. These tickets are only available through the Binghamton Senators Executive Office which is located on the third floor of the Arena and open daily between 9:00a.m. and 5:30p.m. Fans can also purchase tickets by calling the office at (607) 722-SENS (7367).

There will be a ceremonial puck drop with a local cancer survivor pregame.

Joining the pregame festivities on Saturday will be the winners of the 2014 Broome Sports Foundation Scholarships. The scholarships are awarded annually to local high school and college students who participate or have participated in local hockey programs.

Various Relay for Life teams will have tables along the concourse with raffles and drawings raising money for the American Cancer Society. Special "Cowick Fights For A Cure" t-shirts will be available for $20 with $7 going directly to his campaign initiative.

Any cancer survivors in attendance Saturday are welcome down to the ice for a Survivor's Lap during the game's first intermission break.

Sunday night will be Binghamton Senators' Annual Mascot Mania presented by McDonald's. A number of local mascots from high schools, businesses and other sports teams will be on hand to interact with the fans in attendance as well as participate in a first intermission broomball game.

Some of the mascots who will be in attendance include Stinger the Broome Community College Hornet, Blade from the Elmira Jackals and the Hamburglar.

Fans can stop by their local McDonald's to receive a coupon or bring in a McDonald's receipt to receive a special $15 ticket with $2.00 being donated to the Ronald McDonald House. This ticket offer is only available at the B-Sens Executive Office.

Sunday is also a Matthews Auto Rewards Night where fans that present their Matthews Rewards Card at the time of purchase can receive $3.00 off their tickets. This offer is valid at either the B-Sens Executive Office or the Broome County Box Office and is limited to two tickets per card.

SENS SNIPPETS...

Defenseman Alex Grant recorded goals in back-to-back games this past weekend for the first time in a B-Sens uniform. Grant, who was acquired by Ottawa from Anaheim in a trade, has played in 11 contests with Binghamton this year collecting two goals and four assists to go with a plus-five rating.

After scoring four points (two goals, two assists) in the B-Sens three games this past weekend, rookie Matt Puempel increased his point streak to a career-best seven consecutive games.

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