Sens vs. Sound Tigers 3/13/05 Articles: Shootout loss ends B-Sens' rally
March 18, 2005

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

Shootout loss ends B-Sens' rally

Vermette scores twice to lead comeback

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Press & Sun-Bulletin

BINGHAMTON -- Denis Hamel isn't fond of shootouts, but there he was, after scoring in the fifth round of Wednesday night's, planting a kiss on the hockey stick with which he did it.

Two rounds later, he returned to disdaining the custom of deciding games with penalty shots.

Hamel's sudden-death bid died in Bridgeport Sound Tigers goalie Dieter Kochan's glove, and the Binghamton Senators, who didn't play well enough long enough to merit two points, settled for one in a 4-3 shootout loss before a crowd of 3,978.

"We played maybe 35 or 40 (good) minutes," Hamel said. "When you play just 35 or 40 minutes a game in this league, it's going to cost you."

At the moment, the price may seem small. The Senators have collected at least one point in 13 of their last 15 games and remain the pacesetter in the AHL's East Division, two points better than Philadelphia and Norfolk.

But first-place teams are supposed to win at home in March against .500 teams that have just six victories in 33 road games.

Playing with a lineup overhauled by injuries, illness and Tuesday's loan of captain Richard Seeley to Norfolk, Bridgeport built a 2-0 lead by 2:31 of the second period. Once again, the Senators weren't sharp defensively, allowing too many chances and exposing goalie Ray Emery (37 saves).

"For some reason, we didn't show up again," center Antoine Vermette said. "Sure, we came back, but we should never be down two goals."

Vermette was on the ice for the second goal when Rob Collins was left alone for a rebound on the power play. He atoned by tallying twice before the period ended, but missed a penalty shot with 1:15 left before intermission.

Bridgeport's Justin Papineau and Senators center Jason Spezza swapped third-period power-play goals, and Kochan (41 saves) and Emery traded clutch saves to force the shootout, where each stopped four straight shots. But the Sound Tigers scored on their next three, and after Hamel and Spezza beat Kochan, Hamel was stopped in the seventh round.

"We didn't do enough of the little things to get two points," co-coach John Paddock said. "It isn't a complete relapse to what we were doing wrong (defensively), but I'd say we were only playing at about 80 percent. It's part of the game, like everything else, that's got to be ."