Sens vs. Admirals 2/27/04 Articles: Admirals take charge of B-Sens; Binghamton outshot 42-13 in loss to Norfolk
February 28, 2004

Posted by: Bob Howard
Credit: Tres Wykes of Press Connects.com

Admirals take charge of B-Sens

Binghamton outshot 42-13 in loss to Norfolk

BY TRES WYKES

Correspondent

NORFOLK, Va. -- The Binghamton Senators will doubtless spend today stewing after being pummeled, 6-1, Friday by the Norfolk Admirals at the Scope Arena.

The Senators, who have lost four straight games and won only two of their last 10 contests, allowed Norfolk to take 28 of the first 32 shots and score the first three goals.

The Admirals, fourth in the East Division, increased their lead over fifth-place Binghamton to three points. The Senators are tied with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, which defeated Syracuse on Friday. The division's top five teams make the playoffs.

Binghamton meets the Admirals at Scope again tonight and Norfolk players said they expect a serious tussle despite Friday's cakewalk.

"They've lost a few in a row and we know what that feels like," said Norfolk's Quintin Laing, who had two goals and an assist. "They're going to come in here going hard and we have to expect them to bring a lot of emotion."

Norfolk held a 12-2 shot advantage in the first period (42-13 for the game) and scored the first goal in the 10th minute. Jason Morgan pulled up on the right side and passed to Carsen Germyn in the left circle. Germyn's slap shot caromed off Binghamton defender Andy Hedlund and past the glove of goaltender Ray Emery for a power play goal.

The Admirals went up 2-0 nine minutes into the second period when Blake Bellefeuille won a draw back to Lasse Kukkonen, who uncorked a low slap shot from the right point. Laing redirected the puck past Emery while standing in the low slot.

Morgan pushed his team's lead to 3-0 with another power play tally less than two minutes later. Marty Wilford passed the puck from the left point into the low slot and Ajay Baines redirected it over to Morgan at the right post for an easy tap-in.

Binghamton showed brief signs of life with a Arpad Mihaly goal five minutes into the final period. But Norfolk answered 58 seconds later when Baines pushed a draw forward from the left circle directly onto Binghamton backup Billy Thompson's stick. The netminder bobbled the puck and a charging Laing flipped it past him for a 4-1 lead.

Norfolk tacked on two more goals to add to Binghamton's embarrassment.

Kukkonen blew a slap shot past Thompson from high in the right circle and Germyn knocked in a shot off a scramble at the left post.

Notes: The Senators signed left wing Mike Brown to his second, 25-game tryout contract of the season Friday. The native of Surrey, British Columbia, entered Friday's game with 10 points in 24 Binghamton games. Also signed to a tryout contract Friday was defenseman P.J. Martin, who had been playing with ECHL Trenton, notching 19 points in 49 games... B-Sens right wing Brad Tapper, who has been sidelined with a concussion, could skate in tonight's rematch while right wing Jody Hull, recovering from abdominal surgery, is out at least another week.