(Rochester, April 8)…The Binghamton Senators continue to cage the Rochester Americans in on the losing side of things by defeating the red, white and blue 4-2 in front of a season-high 6,875 fans tonight at The Blue Cross Arena. After looking to cap-off the season on a positive note despite being silenced earlier in the week by the Adirondack Phantoms 6-0, Rochester’s lack of offense and inability to protect the man-down led to the loss and a (31-38-5-4) record, good for the basement in the North Divison. The B-Sens, who are looking to position themselves nicely heading into the playoffs, improve to (42-29-3-5). The Amerks are also on a three-game losing streak, similar to the season-high streak they snapped last weekend and have dropped 10 of their last 11 showings.
Winger Ryan Keller (1+2), who leads the team with a commanding 32 goals, earned the top star of the game with fellow B-Sen Geoff Kinrade (2+0) right behind him in the honors column after dishing out two power-play goals. Also, Pat Cannone (1+1), fresh-off of signing an Amateur Tryout (ATO) with the team just hours earlier, debuted nicely with a multi-point effort.
Netminder Robin Lehner defended the “baby Sens” offensive effort with 26 saves in the contest.
Rochester, who has a few players of their own closing the season out on a try-out, saw a positive debut from forward Mike Hedden (1+1), who started his Professional Tryout (PTO) by dishing out two points. Big-man Eric Selleck (1+1), who continued to add to his penalty-minute total with two minors in the box, earned the third star of the game with his performance and Captain Chris Taylor (0+2) also added to his point count (47).
Goaltender Tyler Plante, who was replaced in the third by backer Marc Cheverie could only stop 14 of 18 shots he faced fresh-off his promotion to the Florida Panthers, while Cheverie was a perfect three-for-three.
The Senators got on the board first with the man advantage at the 7:18 mark of the opening frame, when Kinrade finished off some slick puck movement around the offensive zone. With Rochester’s TJ Fast in the box for hooking, Kinrade received a pass from the right circle across the slot off the stick of Pat Cannone, who just joined the club on an ATO today from the Miami University of Ohio. Kinrade’s one-timed snap shot from the left face-off dot beat Plante high to the short-side, giving him his fifth goal of the season. Keller picked up the secondary assist on the tally.
In a matter of just five minutes of play in the second stanza, the B-Sens dished out two more unanswered goals to take a 3-0 lead over the Amerks. The first came at 2:07 when winger Keller sent a pass to Cannone from behind the net. Cannone, who was set- up in front of the net, then slipped the puck past Plante for the tally. The goal gives Cannone his first professional goal and a multi-point game in his ATO debut with Binghamton. Blueliner Craig Schira was also a factor in the goal, adding the assist.
The next came just minutes later after Binghamton showed finesse with some fancier passing in their zone. The Senators then put the moves to work and capitalized on the power-play when Rochester’s Paul Baier was sent to the box for a hooking minor three minutes into the period. Kaspars Daugavins received the puck in the left faceoff circle and immediately sent it across the slot to Kinrade who was ready in the circle opposite. Upon grabbing the puck, Kinrade fired it past Plante short-side, extending their lead to 3-0 for his second goal of the game, both which were on the man-advantage.
Rochester would then gain momentum for the first time on the night with two back-to-back goals of their own only 20 seconds apart to cut Binghamton’s lead to a managable one point. The first tally came at 9:45 after Amerks’ Taylor cut-off a Binghamton defender behind the net, the Senators’ David Salone then tried to dump the puck out of their zone, but the puck got tripped-up by Rochester’s Selleck skate upon departure. After taking the bounce, the puck dribbled to the slot where winger Hedden, who’s skating in his first game after joining the club on a PTO picked it up and beat B-Sens goaltender Lehner five-hole.
Selleck, who assisted in the first goal, sliced Binghamton’s lead to one after he capitalized on his own opportunity at 10:05. After gaining control of the puck along the left side of the boards deep in the Senators’ zone, Selleck sent a wrister, which Lehner couldn’t seem to pick up on, and beat him to the back of the net. Selleck’s fourth goal of the season put the Amerks within one with a 3-2 score. Hedden and Taylor also picked up the helpers and both have multi-point games for the team.
Keller then added to his team-leading goal total (32) with his first goal and second point of the night to close the frame at 4-2. Winger Mike Hoffman passed from the top of Rochester’s zone to Keller who took the shot from the right faceoff circle to regain their two-goal advantage on the power-play seconds after Selleck was sent to the box for a tripping call. The goal was the third of the night that the Amerks managed to surrender on the man-down.
Rochester heads north of the border on Saturday, April 9th to take on the North Division rival Toronto Marlies in an afternoon engagement at Ricoh Coliseum. The 3:00 p.m. matinee will be carried live SportsRadio 1280 WHTK and FM 107.3, Rochester’s Sports Talk. The Amerks sport a 4-3-0-0 mark against the Marlies this season, including an unblemished 3-0-0-0 advantage within the Canadian borders. Toronto has claimed the last two meetings with the Amerks, including its 6-5 win in Rochester back on March 11th.
