Senators Artcles: B-Sens rule the East; Division title team's second in three years
April 17, 2005

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

B-Sens rule the East

Division title team's second in three years

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Press & Sun-Bulletin

BINGHAMTON -- Brandon Bochenski said he didn't want to know how the Philadelphia Phantoms fared Saturday afternoon in Albany, but that, of course, was impossible.

With the Binghamton Senators needing either a win over the Hershey Bears or a Phantoms loss to the River Rats to clinch the AHL's East Division championship, scoreboard-watching was second only to stretching as the primary pregame activity, even for the rookie winger.

Only it wasn't necessary after a 5-2 shellacking of Hershey.

The quick-strike offense has been the Senators' signature through this wildly successful season, so there was no more appropriate way for them to nail down first place than with three goals in 9:27 of the second period, a Denis Hamel hat trick and clutch goaltending early from Ray Emery in a 5-2 rout before a festive sellout crowd in the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena.

"After we won (Friday) night, the guys just said, 'OK, we're at home. Let's take care of this tonight,'" Hamel said after the Senators re-emerged on the ice with "We Are The Champions" blaring over the sound system to accept the F.G. Oke Trophy for the division title from AHL vice president Jim Mill.

"Before the game, we knew Philly won (4-0), and that gave us a better reason to win in front of our fans and finish a season that's been great."

In netting his fourth career AHL hat trick, Hamel began and ended the Senators' latest offensive outburst and raised his team-leading total to 39 goals, third-most in the AHL behind Manchester's Mike Cammalleri and Rochester's Thomas Vanek.

A banner reading "Hamel For Mayor" was draped over the railing between Sections 24 and 25, and fans hurled inflatable hammers on the ice after the player known to his teammates as "Hammer" scored his third goal with 4:33 gone in the third period.

"I was really surprised," Hamel said of the fans' tribute. "I know a lot of people know what my nickname is, but I didn't expect that. It's a good thing I scored three goals, so they got to use them."

The Bears, playing out the schedule after being eliminated from playoff contention last Sunday, had the better of the chances in the first period, but a sharp Emery (37 saves) made several big stops through traffic to keep the game scoreless.

"No question, he kept us in it," winger Josh Langfeld said. "He's our guy. We rallied around him. It's too bad they got a couple in the third period. We wanted to get him the shutout, and we let him down."

Langfeld helped lift up the Senators 5:43 into the second when his pass out of the left corner found Hamel parked in the slot for a backhander over goalie Tom Lawson. Then, at 12:26, Langfeld rocketed Antoine Vermette's feed on a two-on-one into the top corner of the net for the Senators' league-leading 24th shorthanded goal, two shy of matching the all-time AHL mark.

The rout was on when Hamel scooped up a loose rebound and lifted it over Lawson for a power-play goal at 15:10, Andy Hedlund's shot from the blue line eluded the goalie 52 seconds into the third and Hamel capped his second hat trick of the season to build a 5-0 bulge.

"I've said before, I know the boys are going to score three or four goals," Emery said. "Two goals is a bad night for us. I know if I can keep it close, they're going to score."

Not even goals by Hershey's Ryan Steeves and Mike Souza could dampen the celebration of the Senators' second division title in their three-season history. The crowd stood and applauded, former Senators enforcer Dennis Bonvie patted Emery on the helmet and shook co-coach John Paddock's hand as time expired, and fans gathered around the locker room and waited for the Senators to emerge after the game.

"We set a goal to win the division, and we achieved it," Langfeld said after the Senators won their sixth straight game. "It doesn't get better than that."

But it will, if the Senators can mount a long playoff run. And their refusal to lift the Oke Trophy (they let it sit on a table at center-ice) indicated they have loftier goals.

"The division was a big deal," Emery said, "but what we worked for was to get on a roll going into the playoffs. That's the important thing."

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Binghamton's first-place finishes

Seven teams in Binghamton's 30-year hockey history have finished in first place. Here's how they fared in the postseason.

* 1981-82 Whalers: 48-28-6, 98 points, lost in finals to New Brunswick.

* 1984-85 Whalers: 52-20-8, 112 pts., lost in semifinals to Baltimore.

* 1991-92 Rangers: 41-30-9, 91 pts., lost in second round to Rochester.

* 1992-93 Rangers: 57-13-10, 124 pts., lost in second round to Rochester.

* 1994-95 Rangers: 43-30-7, 93 pts., lost in second round to Cornwall.

* 1995-96 Rangers: 39-34-3-7, 88 pts., lost in first round to Syracuse.

* 2002-03 Senators: 43-26-9-2, 97 pts., lost in semifinals to Hamilton.

-- SCOTT LAUBER