Sens vs. Sound Tigers 10/24/04 Articles: B-Sens unable to mount comeback after slow start
October 25, 2004

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

B-Sens unable to mount comeback after slow start

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Press & Sun-Bulletin

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. -- Losing by one goal on the road in the fifth game of the season is nothing major. Not scoring on two five-minute majors is far more troubling.

Worse still is repeating the same mistake for five straight games.

The 3-2 setback against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers here Sunday could've -- and should've -- been a victory if only the Binghamton Senators hadn't come out sluggish for a fifth straight game and taken advantage of two five-minute power plays in the second period.

"We should score a couple of goals at least on those," defenseman Brian Pothier said. "We got tons of shots, but it seemed like if we were on the right side of the net, the rebound went to the left. We've got to work harder to be in the right position.

"Everyone talks about how talented we are, but we don't give ourselves a chance to use that talent because we're not working hard enough. Unless you put in the work, it's useless."

For all of their talent, the Senators are only 3-2-0 after two weeks of the season. They played yet another lackluster first period, and this time, found themselves trailing by two goals against one of the AHL's best defensive teams.

And the Sound Tigers gave the Senators every chance to get back into the game.

Over the objection of the announced 2,617 fans in the Arena at Harbor Yard, referee Dan O'Rourke assessed five-minute majors to defenseman Jim Campbell for his vicious slash of Senators captain Chris Kelly at 4:49 of the second period and Sound Tigers tough guy Eric Godard for boarding defenseman Jan Platil less than nine minutes later.

The Senators took plenty of shots that reached goalie Dieter Kochan. They scored no goals.

"When you have chances like that, you want to make the other team pay," center Antoine Vermette said. "Especially with our guys here, we've got to score on the power play. But we didn't do that."

Said center Jason Spezza, "We did generate chances, but the puck just didn't go in. The bigger thing for us was dug ourselves a hole. You can't do that and expect to win."

Similar to the season-opener in Albany, the Senators came out flatter than 2-week-old soda in the first period and were outplayed to the tune of a two-goal Sound Tigers lead.

Defenseman Jesse Fibiger took a tripping penalty 46 seconds off the opening draw, and two ticks after he left the box, Bridgeport center Ryan Kraft backhanded a loose rebound behind Ray Emery and was rewarded with a cross-check across the back from Vermette.

Emery was beaten again at 11:23 when talented rookie defenseman Chris Campoli put on a sweet move down the right side for his first professional goal.

Asked why the Senators have been prone to such slow starts, coach Dave Cameron flatly said, "It's an individual preparation thing from each player. Their job is to get ready when the puck drops."

Vermette brought the Senators to within 2-1 on a power play at 3:38 of the second period by gathering a rebound to the left of the net and flipping it past Kochan, the ex-BC Icemen goalie in his second season with the Sound Tigers.

O'Rourke called the first major when Campbell slashed Kelly in front of the Senators' bench. The Senators had their best chances late in the second major, but Kochan made back-to-back glove saves to rob Anton Volchenkov and Pothier.

As if not scoring on either five-minute power play wasn't bad enough, Bridgeport regained its two-goal lead with 47.4 seconds left before intermission. Emery stopped Sean Bergenheim on a breakaway but couldn't gather the rebound before Justin Mapletoft swooped in for the rebound.

Kelly scored with 4:27 left in regulation to cut the deficit back to a goal, but the Senators were unable to get another shot past Kochan, who finished with 31 saves.

"Right now, we're not a good hockey club," Spezza said. "We're average at best. We just got to put everything together."

Slap shots:For a second straight game, the Senators scratched forwards Greg Watson and Arpad Mihaly and dressed seven defensemen. ... New York Islanders coach Steve Stirling, who played part of his career for the Broome Dusters, has kept a close eye on his farm club, attending each of Bridgeport's first six games.