Binghamton gets Second Gem out of Lowell
March 20, 2006
Five years ago the BC Icemen got an unexpected surprise on their roster, Lowell Massachusetts native Keith Aucoin. He tore up the league an before the season was done he was on his way to becoming an AHL All-Star and making his NHL debut this year with the Carolina Hurricanes.
This year lightning may have struck twice with Umass Lowell senior Bobby Robins signing a player tryout agreement with Binghamton. Robins may not have the scoring ability of Aucoin, but he plays like a power forward, earning his scoring chances with hard work and huge checks. The fans were instantly won over by Robins and he seems to be sparking the Senators to play some of their best hockey of the year.
Robins was co-captain of the River Hawks and led the team in scoring this season with 13 goals and 18 assists. He was also an English major who made the Dean’s List every semester. Seeing how this kid plays the most surprising thing is that he was a free agent. The Senators are always on the lookout for finding hidden talent and I think Robins might be their next great discovery. Although it is still early, I have a feeling we’ll be seeing Robins in a Senators jersey for the rest of the season and hopefully next season as well.
Jan Platil Auction
March 19, 2006
Jan Platil is auctioning several of his game worn jerseys on eBay to raise money for a children’s orphanage in his native Czech Republic. Included is his 2001 Ottawa Senators draft day jersey.
He also is selling several of his jerseys from the Barrie Colts his junior team in the Ontario Hockey League.
Senators 3 - Bears 2 (SO)
March 18, 2006
We missed Wednesdays shoot out win over the Penguins because the kids have been sick, but last night we were able to witness replay. The Senators once again played well out of the gate, but struggled to beat Hershey goalie Frederic Cassivi. They fell behind 2-0 before mounting a terrific comeback in the third period on goals from Grant Potulny and Danny Bois. After being robbed on several more scoring chances by the fantastic goaltending of Cassivi, the Sens won once more in the shootout with goals from Charlie Stephens and Jeff Heerema.
The story of the B-Sens lately remains the same. They’re still taking too many penalties, but they’re doing much better killing them off. The Sens do apply early pressure, but when they don’t score first they start getting pinned in their own zone and allow the other team to build a lead. Kelly Guards remains a huge part of their recent success by keeping the games close enough that the Sens are able to mount comebacks. The B-Sens continue to play their best hockey in the third period. Now if only they can start a game the way they have finished them they’ll really have a shot of making the playoffs.
I listened to Wednesdays game on the radio and I kept hearing the name of one of the new guys over and over. Last night I saw why. Bobby Robins was signed by the Senators on Monday and he has made an immediate impression with the team and the fans. This kid is cut out of the same cloth as Jan Platil. He skates hard every shift and throws a big check every chance he gets. After watching his first shift I knew I was going to like this guy. At this point in the season where it would be easy for the Senators to give up, an injection of youth from a kid who knows he has to play hard every night he wants to remain a pro hockey player is exactly what the teams needs.
Notes:
The Senators wore St. Patricks Day jerseys for the game and will where them again tonight. Instead of auctioning them off after tonights game they are for sale on eBay along with several other B-Sens items.
When Ottawa acquired Tyler Arnason from the Blackhawks, they managed to do so without losing anyone from their NHL roster. Losing Bochenski was a big loss for the B-Sens, but it also means Ottawa has extra players incase of injury so no one has been called up to fill in for Mike Fisher who injured his ankle in Thursdays game vs the Bruins.
Goalie Fight
March 13, 2006
You know what I haven’t seen in a long, long time? A good goalie fight.
Saturday Night Fights
March 11, 2006
Bochenski Traded to Blackhawks
March 9, 2006
Just when I thought it was safe to breath a sigh of relief, the Sens traded Brandon Bochenski to Chicago for Tyler Arnason. This move obviously hurts Binghamton as Bochenski is #2 in goals scored in only 33 games played. Overall it was a good move for both teams. Arnason is a talented center who has yet to hit his prime. His best season was 03-04 with 22 goals and 33 assists. Good numbers considering he was playing for a terrible team. I think he’ll really take off playing for Ottawa.
Bochenski is a tough loss. He somehow got labelled as only performing well because he played with Spezza, but in 33 AHL games without Spezza this season he has 22 goals and 24 assists, well ahead of the pace of his stellar rookie season. Bochenski is bigger than Arnason and a couple years younger. I feel that he will do well in Chicago and put up some good offensive numbers because so far this kid has simply scored everywhere he’s gone.
There’s a chance that this trade could haunt Ottawa if Brochenski continues to mature and score at the pace he’s on. Arnason lacks size and might not help Ottawa as much as they’d like in the playoffs, but they didn’t lose any roster players by getting him. The question that remains for Binghamton fans is who will be sent down to make room for Arnason and who will follow in a few weeks to make room for Havlat when he returns from his shoulder injury. Patrick Eaves is the most likely candidate and that begs the question: Is gaining Arnason worth losing Bochenski AND taking the talented rookie Eaves off the roster? That’s a tough one that can only be answered by how deep the Sens go in the playoffs.
Senators 7 - Admirals 4
March 9, 2006
Woohoo! The B-Sens finally pasted a team and gave the home fans something to jump out of their seats for. Denis Hamel had the midas touch and everything he threw at the net seemed to find a way in. The game didn’t start that way with the Sens falling behind 2-0, but Cameron gave the boys a heated speech during the first intermission and they came out flying for the second period.
Hamel notched his second hat trick of the season and finished with four goals on the night, setting a new personal and franchise record with 42 on the season with 19 games left to play. Hamel also had 2 assists on the night, earning him #1 star. Linemate Brandon Bochenski scored two goals of his own and had 3 assists.
Kelly Guard looked a little soft in the first period, but settled down to keep the score close while his teammates started the comeback. What really turned the game around was the Sens being on the right side of numerous third period penalties. The Sens capitalized and finished the night 3 for 9 on the power play while keeping the Admirals scoreless on 7 PP opportunities.
Hopefully the Sens will continue playing with this new found determination as they begin a 3 game road trip this weekend.
Notes:
The Admirals are officially the nicest, most fan friendly team to visit Binghamton this season. The players come out of the locker room early and take the time to high five all the kids, talk to fans, and even play with the kids a little. Matt Keith has now become one of my favorite players. He’s had fun with my kids at several games now and last night he had a little tug-a-war with his hockey stick with my oldest. Even tough guy Shawn Thornton was great with the kids. During one of the intermissions Keith asked me what the latest trade news was. Don’t know why it hadn’t occurred to me before, but these guys must have been on edge waiting to hear if Chicago (their parent club) had dumped any players and created a few openings for callups on their roster.
Trade Day
March 9, 2006
The NHL trading deadline is today and I’m checking the trasactions whenever I can. So far it has been very quiet, but I think there are a couple blockbuster trades brewing. The Rangers, for one, seem to be up to something after trading Ville Nieminen yesterday to the Sharks for a draft pick and to free up some cap space.
Ottawa made their first move by picking up former Oilers goalie Mike Morrison off of waivers. This move can only be seen as acquiring an NHL ready backup for Ray Emery while they wait for Hasek to heal. Expect Billy Thompson back with Bingo and Hasek to be out awhile longer. This also means that Ottawa will NOT be trading for a goalie. Emery is their man until Hasek returns.
Here’s my bookmarked sites for keeping up with the latest moves:
CBC, TSN, ESPN, and this ammusing blog on TSN.
THB Interviewed by Sens Underground
March 8, 2006
Makes sure you listen to Sens Underground this week to hear an interview with yours truly about this website and whats going on here in Bingo. I was surprised at how nervous I was to be on their show, but the guys were cool and I had a lot of fun. I’m hoping they have me back on for some more updates of how the B-Sens are doing and what prospects to keep an eye on.
I mentioned Filip Novak as one of our best prospects this season, but there are several more who are doing well. I’m planning on doing an expanded report over the next few days to give Ottawa fans a look at who might be called up in the future.
In other news, the Press & Sun has coverage of the signing of Dusty Jamieson. There is also a nice article on Jeff Glass and how he is progressing. Glass hasn’t gotten an opportunity to start yet, but Ottawa goalie coach Ron Low has been impressed. Sounds like Glass will be in Bingo next season which will make my son happy.
You might have noticed the Google Adsense ads in the right navigation. Yes, I’m to earn a few bucks off this blog. So far I’m average a buck a week. My goal is to make enough to cover my hosting costs and if I get some extra $$ I’d like to repay the other contributors on this site with some hockey gifts as well as offer up prizes in contests. The site design still needs some work to accomodate the ads better so bear with me.
As always, if anyone wants to be a contributor please send me an email using the contact form on the right.
Skate with the B-Sens
March 7, 2006
I think this photo of Ethan with Jeff Glass from the post game skate with the Senators on Sunday might be my favorite. Ethan has been all about goalies lately so I can just see a thought bubble with this picture saying “Nice pads!”
