Sens vs. Crunch 4/15/05 Articles: B-Sens close on title; Spezza named MVP
April 16, 2005

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

B-Sens close on title; Spezza named MVP

Bochenski helps erase 3-goal deficit

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Press & Sun-Bulletin

SYRACUSE -- There were a few handshakes and congratulations for Mr. MVP after the game-day skate Friday morning, but as happy as the Binghamton Senators were that Jason Spezza received the highest individual honor the AHL can offer, they had other matters on their minds.

"We've got two games we've got to go out and win," winger Brandon Bochenski said before his two goals made sure the Senators won the first. "We've got a (division) championship to win. That's all we're focused on."

Lord knows what the Senators were focused on when they fell behind by three goals in the first period here Friday night to a team that will be playing golf next week. But, as has been their custom down the stretch, the Senators launched a furious comeback in a 5-3 victory to spoil the Syracuse Crunch's home finale.

The latest rally -- their seventh when trailing after one period -- means the Senators can clinch the second East Division championship in their three-season history with a victory tonight in the regular-season finale against the Hershey Bears or a Philadelphia Phantoms loss at the last-place Albany River Rats.

"We don't want to have to come back like that, but we do want to get wins," Spezza said. "We came out and we stunk. But we have confidence in ourselves. We feel like we can come back."

The opening faceoff was delayed 10 minutes as the Crunch players received their team awards, but the way they played in the first period, the Senators would've been better served staying in the locker room even longer.

With three defensive mistakes in the opening 15 minutes, they dropped into a 3-0 hole, and with Philadelphia leading by three goals over Hershey, it appeared the advantage in the race for first place would swing back in the Phantoms' favor.

But you don't pick up points in 22 of 24 games without knowing how to come from behind, and the Senators wasted 18 seconds of the second period before starting this comeback.

With the teams skating four-on-four, Spezza tallied the first of three assists and extended his point streak to 19 games by wrapping around the net and feeding a pass into the slot, where Anton Volchenkov had crept up from the blue line to blast a shot behind goalie Andrew Penner.

Five minutes later, Antoine Vermette ripped a low shot past Penner's left skate, and 2:13 after that, Bochenski collected the rebound of Spezza's shot and rifled it into an empty left side of the net behind Penner for the tying goal on the power play at 7:34.

"We can get on a run as good as any team," Bochenski said. "If we have to come back, we know we can."

Another Spezza-to-Bochenski connection gave the Senators their first lead with 1:55 remaining in the second period. The rookie with 34 goals skated hard to the front of the net, where the MVP sent a pass for him to redirect before being shoved into the end boards by a high-stick from defenseman Francois Beauchemin.

"I didn't get a good view of it going in," Bochenski said, "but the guys that picked me up told me how it happened."

Chris Kelly added an insurance goal -- the Senators' third power-play goal -- at 6:57 of the third, and Ray Emery made 17 saves over the final two periods after stopping only eight of the first 11 shots to earn his 27th victory.

"When you're down 3-0, you want to get some emotion, and when you score a lot of goals, that's a way to get emotion," coach Dave Cameron said. "But we won't come back from 3-0 in the playoffs, I'll tell you that.

"I think we were fortunate that Syracuse wasn't playing for anything. When it's the playoffs and everyone's playing for keeps, coming back from 3-0 isn't realistic."

SLAP SHOTS

As expected, defenseman Christoph Schubert returned after missing three games with a hand injury and picked up a third-period assist. ... The Manchester Monarchs have signed former Senators winger David Hymovitz to a tryout contract. ... The regular-season finale tonight is sold out. The Senators will present their team awards before the game.