With a three game losing streak hanging over them, the Binghamton Senators scored a huge 3-2 overtime win on Thursday over the Norfolk Admirals in front of 4,414 fans at the Broome County Arena.
Brian Lee, who has battled injury over the last couple weeks and was up with Ottawa from a time picked a great time to score his first American Hockey League goal since October. He Lee took a pass from teammate Ryan Keller, skated into the offensive zone, moved past a sliding Admirals player, who went down to block the shot then snapped the game winner over Norfolk goalie Dustin Tokarski's left shoulder with 1:31 gone in the extra session.
Ryan Keller and Denis Hamel registered the assists on the OT tally.
The Lee game winner put a cap on a very exciting night in Binghamton where the fireworks started early.
Just 19 seconds into the contest, the Senators Brandon Svendsen got a steal in the Sens offensive zone and snuck the puck in behind Tokarski. The goal was unassisted. That was the only goal of the first period but it could have been worse for Norfolk, who killed off a double minor for high sticking called against left winger Matt Syroczynski with 12:56 left in the period. The Admirals however, were able to kill it off.
The period also featured a fight between Binghamton's Tim Spencer and Norfolk's Vladimir Mihalik. Neither guy went to the ice, as most of the action took place against the glass, but Spencer seemed to get the best of the scuffle.
With 23 seconds left in the period, the Senators Tom Zanoski was tagged with a hooking penalty, which carried over to the second period.
Starting the period a man down is difficult enough, but the problem was compounded when Binghamton's Derek Smith picked up a holding call just 12 seconds into the second period, putting the Admirals on a 5-on-3 power play.
Norfolk won the faceoff and kept the pressure on from the get-go. Holt had to make eight saves, including a few difficult stops. He earned a loud ovation for his effort as the penalty expired and with play moving to the other end, acknowledged the crowd by clapping his stick and glove together.
Martin Karsums finally solved Holt 10:49 into the second period. A scramble in front of the Binghamton net caused a crowd in front of Holt and the puck found a Binghamton stick, but Karsums was back a bit from the crowd and intercepted the clearing attempt, snapping a laser from in close to tie the game at one.
The Senators got a 5-on-3 of their own when the Admirals Matt Lashoff was hit with a cross-checking penalty. The call was not a popular one with the Norfolk bench and they let referee Terry Koharski know it, resulting in an unsportsmanlike conduct bench minor and putting the Sens on a 5-on-3 of their own at the 11:45 mark of the period.
Binghamton regained the lead 1:29 after the penalties were assessed. Senators captain Denis Hamel scored his team-leading 15th goal of the season and his third in three games with a shot from the top of the zone. Craig Schira and Kaspars Daugavins earned the helpers.
An odd sequence helped Norfolk tie the game at two with 10:24 left in regulation. The puck took a funny carom off the side boards, either hitting a seam in the boards just right, or because it bounced off a stick that had dropped to the ice. Holt went behind the net to retrieve the puck, got a stick on it, but then collided with another player. With the net empty, Admirals defenseman Matt Lashoff scored from the high slot.
It was an unassisted goal and the one that got the game into overtime, where Lee, playing in just his second game since returning from injury, was able to get the deciding goal in overtime and earn first star honors. It was a clean sweep for the Sens as Holt earned second star with his 36 saves and Hamel got third star with a goal and an assist.
Game Notes: The Senators wore throwback Broome Dusters jerseys for the game. The jerseys were auctioned off following the game. Ottawa announced yesterday that they will allow Daugavins to represent his native country of Latvia in the 2010 Olympics, which begin in February.
For more info: Norfolk at Binghamton gamesheet
The Senators will return to action on Saturday night at Hershey. The puck will drop at 7:00 PM EST. You can listen to the game on 1430theteam.com.
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