Binghamton Senators Continue Their Turnaround In 4-3 Win Over Rochester

The Binghamton Senators cruised for two periods but made things difficult once again at home for the second consecutive time, but with different results as tonight they held on for a 4-3 win over the Rochester Americans. The win is the team’s fourth out of their last five and fifth out of seven as they climb their way back in the East Division race and are now over .500 on the season. Scott Greenham in net for the win as he ups his record to 3-0-1 making 31 of 34 saves.

GAME RECAP

Slow beginning with each team feeling the other out but Shane Prince alters that with his wrister beating Nathan Lieuwen high stick side to give Binghamton a 1-0 lead. Alex Grant was the set up man as Prince shoot’s from the right dot on a power play with Rochester’s Johan Larsson in the box for tripping. Ryan Dzingel nearly connects with a fleeting Jaen-Gabriel Pageau as he ran out of real estate and couldn’t get good wood on the shot.

Danny New skates in along the boards and finds Matt Puempel in front as he buries it home past Lieuwen at the beginning of the second period to up the lead to two. Soon after Patrick Mullen’s slapshot hits the post as the Senators are flying forcing Rochester to eat a timeout at 13:33.

Darren Kramer shoots on goal and the rebound shanks out to Mullen along the boards, as he takes a turn of peppering Lieuwen but Senators swarm the net looking for another rebound as David Dziurzyski grabs the loose puck and shoots over Lieuwen for his second goal of the season giving his team a 3-0 lead. Senators close out the second with a power play and are buzzing but don’t score.

The Amerks’ Drew Bagnall gets his team on the board with his snap shot in front from a backhanded feed by Larsson in behind the goal line to cut the lead to two. Here comes Rochester when Mikhail Grigorenko‘s wrister finds the back of the cage beating Greenham to make it now a 3-2 contest. Senators are lured into the slow play by the Amerks as they are on their heels playing careful hockey.

But Pageau saves the day with his individual effort taking the puck into the offensive zone and ripping a hard wrist shot glove side that Lieuwen had no chance on to give the Senators a 4-2 lead. Hold your hats, the Amerks aren’t cooked just yet. With Lieuwen off for the extra attacker, Jordon Samuels-Thomas squeezes the puck from the side into the net with a pile up in front distracting Greenham, as he is soon off in celebratory mode with 2:07 left of hockey in the third. Things get tense but Binghamton hangs on for the ‘W’.

NOTES & OBSERVATIONS

• This game eerily had some resemblance of  Wednesday’s 4-3 loss to St. John’s in taking a three goal lead into the third period for both games.
• Thanks to Pager’s insurance goal late in the third a loss tonight would have really stung as Rochester had a depleted line-up.
• 19 Rochester shots in the third compared to nine for the Senators. Lucky tonight but that has to be addressed and not take any leads for granted, especially in the third.
• Greenham wasn’t tested until late in the game but despite giving up three goals in that period he played alright making 31 of 34.
• Goaltender Chris Driedger was sent back to Evansville via Elmira to join the team for their two game series. Dreidger was not in net in Friday’s 3-2 OT loss to the Jackals.

PLAYER’S  SPOTLIGHT CARD

B-SENS LINES

Forwards – Dzingel-Pageau-Schneider, Puempel-D Grant-Robinson, Thompson-Camper-Prince, Kramer-McCormick-Dziurzynski

Defense – Claesson-Grant, Johnson-Mullen, New-Wideman

Out – Brad Mills, Gm. #17 of 20 gm. AHL Suspension, Mike Sdao and Alex Guptill are healthy scratches.

UP NEXT

Senators take on this same Rochester team next Friday in Amerks territory.

*Cover Pic & Insert Courtesy of SenShot’s Photographer Alicia Strauch