Hymovitz\'s hattrick leads Senators to 6-5 victory
Published on February 7, 2004 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Binghamton Senators News Release
David Hymovitz's natural hattrick, the first in his AHL career in 323 games, sparked the Binghamton Senators' 6-5 win over the Philadelphia Phantoms Saturday night at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena.
After gaining a 6-2 advantage after two periods, the fourth consecutive sellout, and 13th overall this season, of 4,717 fans held its collective breath as the visitors rallied for three goals in the final twenty minutes to turn a laugher into a nail biter.
After a 1-1 opening period, Philadelphia took its final lead of the night at 6:16 of the second period on Kirby Law's team-leading 20th goal of the season.
Serge Payer tied the game at 2-2 with his first goal in ten games (10th of the season) coming at 10:12 of the middle period, Binghamton's first shot of the period.
The Sens took their first lead of the night at 3-2 on an Alexande Gioroux wrister over the glove of starting goaltender Antero Niittymaki (six saves on 10 shots on 36:00).
Then, it was the David Hymovitz Show taking center stage just 17 seconds later when he broke a 22-game goal-scoring slump with with his 4th of the year at 15:22 to bump the Sens lead to 4-2.
Thirty-eight seconds later, with a delayed penalty in effect, Hymovitz drilled a left wing drive past Niittymaki, knocking the Phantoms goaltender out of the game and putting the Sens up 5-2.
Binghamton built the three-goal advantage by scoring on their first four shots of the period and put five of eight shots home in the decisive middle frame.
H/ymovitz finished "the trick" with 20 seconds left in the period when he capped off a 2-on-1 rush by sending his sixth of the year past losing goaltender Chris Houle (eight saves on nine shots in 24:00) off of a Brooks Laich set-up.
With a 6-2 lead heading onto the third period and visions of a sloppily played third period in the previous night's 7-4 win over Hershey fresh in their minds, the Sens nearly coughed up a certain two points in the East Division race.
Outshot 15-3 by the Bears in the final period Friday night, the Phantoms outdid their Pennsylvania neighbors with a 21-5 advantage and managed to put three shots behind All-Star goaltender Ray Emery (34 saves) before running our of time.
Ian MacNeil, B.J. Abel, and Law all scored in a 3:32 span before reaching the midway point of the third period to draw the Phantoms to within 6-5, but Emery and Company held on for the club's 24th win of the season to pull to within seven points of third place Hershey with six games in hand on the Bears.
Each club was penalized eight times for 16 minutes with Binghamton going 1x3 on the power play and holding the Phantoms off the board in three man-up chances.
Following the All-Star break, the Senators are next in action Wednesday night at the Arena when they host the Syracuse Crunch in a 7:05 p.m. faceoff.
American Hockey League Stories from February 7, 2004
- Hrkac Gets the Point - Milwaukee Admirals
- P-Bruins fall to Portland - Providence Bruins
- Bears drop home game to Syracuse, 4-2 - Hershey Bears
- Phantoms lose 6-5 in Binghamton - Adirondack Phantoms
- Sound Tigers, Albany Tie...Again - Bridgeport Islanders
- Monarchs Tripp Up IceCats, 3-1 - Manchester Monarchs
- Ducks cool red-hot Griffins - Cincinnati RailRaiders
- Hymovitz's hattrick leads Senators to 6-5 victory - Binghamton Senators
- Cincinnati Mighty Ducks Preview - Cincinnati RailRaiders
- Aeros Game Day - Houston Aeros
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