Binghamton Senators Fall Short In 6-5 Loss To St. John’s IceCaps
By Jeff Ulmer
For the Binghamton Senators to win this season, they need to be better up the middle in their zone as they allowed four of the six scored from the slot or near the crease in tonight’s 6-5 loss to the IceCaps. Andrew Hammond probably wished he could have this game back as he started out by misplaying a puck backhanded from center ice and into the net to set the tone on how his night was going to be. The Sens make a game out of it with two late goals, but it was a little too late.
B-SENS LINES
Forwards – Puempel-Pageau-Robinson, Prince-Camper-Schneider, Kramer-D Grant-McCormick, New-Dzingel-Thompson.
Defense – Claesson-Mullen, Johnson-A Grant, Sdao-Wideman..Hammond in goal.
Out – Brad Mills, upper body. Alex Guptill healthy scratch. David Dziurzynski 1st of 3 game suspension.
GAME RECAP
Senators find themselves in the hole early thanks to a goal off at 18:36 as Carl Klingberg backhands the puck towards Hammond from center ice. Hammond misplayed the knuckler as it trickled in by his skate while he helplessly watches from his seat and it’s 1-0. Hammond bounces back with a good positional save on JC Lipon as he skates across the slot stopping the shot. St. John’s crisp playing continues out-skating the Senators.
On a power play for Binghamton, Matt Puempel coughs up the puck in his zone by the blue line and Chase Balisy picks it up and sends it up ice to Patrice Cormier as it’s a 2-0 breakaway and shoots high into the cage for the shorthanded tally making it a 2-0 game as the Senators are flatfooted as they do not look sharp at all.
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Chris Wideman cuts the lead in half when a shot from the blueline which caroms off a St.John’s player in front past Connor Hellebuyck to start the second period. However, the IceCaps get it right back 52 seconds later as Blair Riley passes from behind the net to Balisy in front as he lays a nice snapshot in by Hammond’s glove for a 3-1 lead. Senators fight back after Derek Grant picks up a feed from Patrick Mullen off his skates high in the slot and rips it home upstairs making it a 3-2 game.
Binghamton gets some life and ties it up at 8:55 with Garrett Thompson out hustles a pair of defensemen and squeezes the puck with his long reach into the cage for his first of the season. Sens playing much better coverage in the shooting lanes clogging St. John’s up. With Mike Sdao and Riley off each for roughing, Eric O’Dell finds yet another player alone in the slot with Kris Fredheim as he puts it in high around a twirling, spinning Hammond as I have no idea what Andrew was doing on the play.
John Albert makes it a 5-3 contest with a no look pass from Balisy in the corner as Albert was all alone in the crease for the easy goal. Either St. John’s is making this look incredibly easy, or the Senators just don’t have the fight in them. I would be very surprised if they pull this one out as I choose the latter of not enough defensive effort. (Sound familiar?)
St. John’s start the third cashing in with a snapshot from Brenden Kichton up high in the middle from about 35 feet out to give them a three goal cushion as Luke Richardson has seen enough and pulls Hammond in favor of back up Scott Greenham. Hammond’s night is done letting in six goals on 26 shots.
Senators creep back with two late goals in the period with Buddy Robinson poking a loose puck home past Hellebuyck with Fredrik Claesson getting the assist with his shot from the point. Greenham is pulled for the extra attacker and Cole Schneider sets up Aaron Johnson‘s running slapper that finds the back of the net through traffic with .44.6 left but it’s a little too late as St. John’s hold on for the 6-5 win.
NOTES & OBSERVATIONS
- Guptill was a healthy scratch with defenseman turned forward for a game Danny New made his season debut. New was an insurance blanket for Richardson as Claesson was iffy nursing a sore ankle and played the fourth line.
- Hammond was flat out awful on the first goal as he has a bad habit of letting in that one soft goal every single game he has played. Always.
- Dziurzynski’s three game suspension is a result of a hit to the head of Syracuse defensman Joey Mormina (not Tanner Richard like I tweeted) that sent him to the dressing room and he didn’t return to play. No penalty was called but after video review the league made their ruling on Monday.
- Greenham looked pretty good stopping all 8 shots he faced for his first taste of the season. I hope he starts on Wednesday over the struggling Hammond.
- Shane Prince was all over the place tonight, in a good way as he was actively involved on both ends of the ice cycling and creating.
- Sens allowed 34 shots but also produced the same as this has been the norm so far after four games.
PLAYER’S SPOTLIGHT CARD
B+. Thompson had a good game tonight that saw the rookie scoring his first goal of the season. Garrett in taking a pass from center ice, raced towards the net in beating out two defensemen and with his long reach, he stuck with the play nestling the puck in through past the goal line on his own rebound. He finished with two shots and a +3 on the fourth line with Daniel New and Ryan Dzingel as he contributed to the greatest offensive output by the Sens so far this season.. Forward. Binghamton Senators. GARRETT THOMPSON
UP NEXT
Binghamton and St. John’s go right back at it for round 2 on Wednesday night.