Binghamton Senators Lose Finale

Lehigh Valley spoils BSens last game ever with a 4-1 victory

And then there was none.

After 15 years of Binghamton Senators hockey it all came to an end with Lehigh Valley taking the final game by a score of 4-1 at The Floyd on Saturday. An oversized, sell-out crowd cheered on their hockey team one last time as the BSens will embark on the Canadian side of the border in Belleville next season. In exchange, Binghamton fans will soon be embracing their new affiliate, the New Jersey Devils, as AHL hockey will continue to thrive in the Southern Tier region of NY.

With a playoff atmosphere like crowd that was reminiscent to a 2011 Calder Cup post season home game, fans were loud and proud showing their support with an all time high of 4,896, and despite many turned away at the gate.

There were video contributions from players that played in Binghamton on their way to the NHL, as well as home-made signs showing their love from the over capacity crowd. Opening video was awesome as well and I’ll include it with several others in my final piece after the current season ends in Ottawa, with them hopefully grabbing a hold of the Stanley Cup.

The game was on par with how the season went with little offensive output and poor execution from the blue-liners as the club has zero depth.

The Phantoms jumped to a 3-0 lead after two periods as the Sens didn’t respond with a goal until midway through the third period when forward Casey Bailey ripped a wrister from the slot for his 21st of the season on a nice drop pass from Nick Paul. It was the first goal on home ice in the last five periods giving the fans finally something to cheer about.

But it was short-lived as Phantom’s forward Danick Martel scored his 20th out in front, with a short pass by Greg Carey from behind the net that regained Lehigh Valley’s three goal lead past Binghamton.

POST GAME NOTES

  • Phantoms’ rookie goaltender Martin Ouellette had 45 saves in his fourth game of the season, while on the other end of the ice Chris Driedger let in all four goals on a mere 21 shots. Defense was thin as several Lehigh Valley players were all alone in front, which was a season long problem that plagued this team.
  • Binghamton ends the season with a 28-44-2-2 record as the team missed the playoffs for the third straight season and with the second worse record in the AHL.
  • Players skated around the outer part of the rink with a final salute to the fans led by Captain Mike Blunden. Blunden had a few words in an announcement, which was then followed by Head Coach Kurt Kleinendorst showing their appreciation with the support. Then, with jersey’s off the player’s back, they were given to some selected fans in a contest that was previously held.
  • Team awards were held; Fan Favorite - Casey Bailey, Extra Effort - Ben Harpur, 7th Player - Jack Rodewald, Defensive Forward - Max McCormick, Top Defenseman - Harpur, Star of the Year - Phil Varone, Man of the Year - Matt O’Connor, Rookie - Andreas Englund, MVP - Harpur.
  • Akeson-Varone-Blunden, McCormick-Paul-Bailey, Perron-Nehring-Gagne,  Boucher-Flanagan-Rodewald. Englund/Carlisle, Gormley/Rumble, Murray/Beaudoin. Sieloff, Lepine injured. Erkamps, Hagel and LeBlanc healthy.
  • I’ll have the 4th Quarter Grades report coming up with votes and reviews from The Panel, as well as my final farewell piece./

HIGHLIGHTS

Not worth it.

UPCOMING GAMES

None. Ever. The End.

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