Sens vs. River Rats 2/25/05 Articles: B-Sens' focus back on winning
February 26, 2005

Posted by: Bob Howard
Credit: Scott Lauber of Press Connects.com

B-Sens' focus back on winning

Vermette scores go-ahead goal

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Press & Sun-Bulletin

ALBANY -- The night they buried the NHL season, Antoine Vermette had to play in a hockey game.

But after he left the ice last Saturday in Manchester, N.H., Vermette slouched at his locker and asked a passerby if something, anything, positive had stemmed from the last-ditch meeting between the owners and players. His mind, quite obviously, was wandering.

Now that he knows this is more than a temporary job with the Binghamton Senators, Vermette insists his focus is back on the back of the net. That's where he ripped a shot 30 seconds after the Senators lost a lead they didn't give up again Friday night in a 5-3 victory over the Albany River Rats.

"We know we're here now, this is our team, and we've got a lot of work to do," Vermette said. "You try not to think about (the NHL lockout), but somewhere inside, it's in the back of your mind. Now I can focus on what I have to do. I can play with more emotion and intensity."

That's a scary thought for the rest of the AHL.

The Senators, tied for the East Division lead, have three players (Denis Hamel, Jason Spezza and Brandon Bochenski) teetering on the verge of 30 goals. They have the AHL's top power play. They have the league's No. 2-ranked offense.

Vermette's goal here was the biggest in a first period that featured four goals on four shots in a span of 3:10. It came one shift after Rats rookie Zach Parise used Spezza as a turnstile on the blue line, then backhanded a pass to Pascal Rheaume to forge a 2-2 tie at 10:38.

On what Vermette described as a "broken play," defenseman Anton Volchenkov chipped the puck between the circles, where Vermette collected it, spun around and whipped it under goalie Ari Ahonen's glove at 11:08 for his third goal in 15 games.

"I got burned on the blue line by Parise, and Vermy came right back and picked the team up," said Spezza, who scored 4:18 into the game off a feed from sidekick Bochenski, then returned the favor at 8:46. "He's got a different role than he did two years ago, but he's so good he can score a lot of goals and still be a guy who does little things defensively."

Brian Pothier's third-period power-play slingshot opened a two-goal lead the Senators needed after Rheaume's goal with 5:38 left made it 4-3. But Ray Emery's pad save off Rheaume and glove stab off a Bobby Allen shot and Hamel's empty-netter with 50.7 seconds left evened the Senators' road record at 13-13-2-2.

"There's potential for more production offensively from him," co-coach John Paddock said of Vermette. "I always thought his speed and shot are two things he has a lot of. He shouldn't be looking to slow the game down and pass. He should be focused on shooting."

Being focused on playing in the AHL is a good first step.