Sens vs. Albany 1/23/04 Articles:B-Sens stifled by lowly Rats
January 24, 2004

Posted by: Bob Howard
Credit: Press Connects.com

B-Sens stifled by lowly Rats

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Press & Sun-Bulletin

ALBANY -- Leave it to the Albany River Rats, the perennial last-place Albany River Rats, to show the Binghamton Senators what they're missing. Or, more accurately, who they're missing.

Ever since Brian Pothier graduated to Ottawa and the NHL before this season, the Senators have lacked a dominant defenseman, a royal rearguard, to lead the rush and still retreat to break up a breakaway.

There's a lot of Brian Pothier in Rats defenseman Ray Giroux, who, more than anything, was the difference in Albany's 3-0 victory Friday night over a Senators team that could only wonder how much better it would be if only it had a defenseman like that.

"A guy like that is huge," captain Chris Kelly said, and not just because Giroux hooked his arm just enough to thwart his breakaway attempt midway through the second period of a 1-0 game. "You know how important Pots was. He killed penalties, ran the power play, he did everything. Look in the NHL. Every team has one, or a couple, defensemen like that."

Most AHL teams do, too. Even the Rats, who hadn't won back-to-back games all season until they defeated Bridgeport and the Senators this week and have missed the playoffs in three straight seasons, can always rely on Giroux, whose goal and two assists were cause for him to take a bow as the game's No. 1 star.

On a power play midway through the first period, Giroux crept in from the blue line, took a behind-the-net feed from Adrian Foster and ripped it past goalie Billy Thompson for a 1-0 Rats lead.

Late in the second, Ryan Murphy flipped Giroux's rebound behind Thompson, and at 4:45 of the third, Giroux sprung Joe Hulbig and Craig Darby on a two-on-one that led to Hulbig's goal.

Oh, and there was the play Giroux made on the breakaway. Kelly said Giroux "can-opened" him -- or lifted his arm like a can opener would lift a lid -- to help goalie Ari Ahonen seal a 29-save shutout, his first of the season.

"It makes a huge difference having a (defenseman) like that," assistant coach Mike Busniuk said after seeing his record fall to 1-3 while subbing for bench boss John Paddock, who may be back for tonight's home game against Rochester after attending his father's funeral Thursday in Manitoba. "When you're able to control play on the back end, it makes all the difference.

"But he got three points, and we never touched him once. You know he's going to get his points, but let's make him work for them."

The point is, defensemen like Pothier and Giroux are critical to the success of any team.

And even the Rats have one.

* Slap shots:Center Serge Payer didn't play after suffering a mild concussion Thursday when he and defenseman Steve Bancroft collided in practice. To replace him, the Senators signed Elmira Jackals right wing Nathan Gilles to a tryout contract. Gilles played on the fourth line. ... Right wing/assistant coach Jody Hull has rejoined the team two weeks after surgery to fix a torn stomach muscle. Hull isn't allowed to resume practicing for two weeks or playing in games for four. ... Vancouver has sent much-traveled former Senators defenseman Wade Brookbank to AHL Manitoba, but he didn't have to clear waivers because it's only a two-game conditioning stint. ... Friday night's attendance was 3,057 or 445 fewer fans than the Rats drew Thursday night when they "hosted" Bridgeport three hours south at the Continental Airlines Arena in New Jersey.