In an emotional fight filled affair, the Hershey Bears got two early goals and won the fight’s as well sending the Binghamton Senators to defeat by a score of 5-2. Both club’s made sure they connected on their hits as well as getting involved in the chippiness as the Bears appeared to be the hungrier one tonight between the two rivals.
GAME RECAP
Shane Prince nails Dane Byers from behind into the boards and gets the wrath of Joel Broda in a mugging as the first period begins. Shortly after Hershey’s Liam O’Brien shoots the puck late after the whistle and is attacked by Darren Kramer in the corner as tempers are high with Tim Spencer hammering Kramer and Michal Cajkovsky going after Fredrik Claesson (!). Hershey feeds off their adrenaline and get a fluke goal as Chris Conner shoots the puck towards the front of the cage from behind as it strikes Chris Brown‘s skate and in past Andrew Hammond.
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1:25 later Philippe Cornet gets credit for the Bears second goal as the puck bounces over Hammond’s chest as he was laying flat on the ice for a 2-0 lead. Senators spending a lot of time in their own zone as Luke Richardson uses a TO to settle his club down, but it doesn’t help as Hershey is controlling the tempo. Binghamton gets a late power play with Garrett Mitchell’s hard hit on Jean-Gabriel Pageau as it’s a double minor but they manage only one shot on goal in the four minute penalty.
Derek Grant‘s tip in by goaltender Pheonix Copley gets the Senators on the board from a pass by Matt Puempel for a power play tally. Bears respond though just 47 seconds later on a power play of their own when Stanislav Galiev takes a cross ice feed from Conner and whistles home a quick wrist shot that Hammond had no chance on to restore their two goal lead.
Hershey’s Tim Kennedy makes it a 4-1 contest as he skates across the goal mouth with three Senators standing around as the puck slides through into the back of the net. In the corner section tempers again are heated when Dustin Gazley pushes Danny New to the ice after the whistle and out of the scrum Brad Mills and O’Brien exchange punches along with Max McCormick wrestling Cajkovsky to the ice. As the period draws to a close David Dziurzynski pounds Tomas Kundratek into the boards as he is laid out in pain that draws the ire from the Hershey bench.
Third period featured another goal by Derek Grant, his second of the game as he scooted along the wall and in towards net lifting the puck up high past Copley’s shoulder for a 4-2 score. Senators play their best of the game in the third but don’t get the right results as Connor adds an empty netter to end it.
NOTES & OBSERVATIONS
- 114 combined PIM in this emotional contest that featured five fights between the two long time rivals. Seemed that fueled the Bears more so as they simply outplayed the Senators for two periods.
- Senators first period was one to forget as they were outshot 13 – 3 as Hammond had two fluke goals go by him. Seems to always find him at times. Shots for the game 31 – 19 Bears.
- For the second night in a row, Alex Grant hit the iron as the sound went pinging around Giant Center, also on the power play like Friday night.
- Rough game for Hammond getting those two flukey ones in that set the tone the rest of the night.
- Puempel had a rough go at it as the puck didn’t stick to his tape very often in him losing puck controls and getting man handled in the physical stuff.
- Mills is a scrapper, as he was all over O’Brien in the second period fight landing some good rights.
- Patrick Mullen not one of his better games as he was over matched in losing the puck. Chris Wideman also wasn’t his best as the puck jumped over his stick in the offensive zone quiet alarmingly. Best to put this loss to bed rather quickly.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT CARD
B-SENS LINES
Forwards – Guptill-Pageau-Schneider, Puempel-D Grant-Robinson, Dziurzynski-Camper-Prince, Kramer-McCormick-Mills
Defense – Claesson-Grant, Johnson-Mullen, New-Wideman
Out – Ryan Dzingel, Garrett Thompson and Mike Sdao are healthy scratches.
UP NEXT
Senators will face the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Wednesday for the first time in Allentown, Pa.
*Cover Pic Courtesy of Jeff Ulmer