Binghamton Senators win Calder Cup Finals in Game 6 with a 3-2 Victory over Houston Aeros –AHL Update
Binghamton Senators has won the 2011 American Hockey League (AHL) Calder Cup Finals in Game 6 of the series against Houston Aeros in a thrilling 3-2 victory at the Toyota Centre in Houston, Texas, on Tuesday, June 7th.
Ottawa Senators’ affiliate club, Binghamton, has won its first cup ever in the franchise’s history since joining the AHL back in 2003, which has come after five straight seasons of not even making it to the playoffs.
"We never do it the easy way", said Senators’ captain, Ryan Keller. "That's for sure. Again tonight the first two periods weren't great, but we found a way in the third. There's no quit in us. We are going to enjoy this one".
Robin Lehner, Senators’ 19-year-old goalie, performed exceptionally well in front of the net for the team and is a top prospect for the major league for the upcoming season.
He blocked 33 shots during Game 6 and was ultimately awarded the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy for being named the AHL’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) during the postseason.
"A lot of relief and a lot of happiness", Lehner said after the win. "This is the best team I've ever been with. I've never done anything bigger. I had a lot of critics that I had to show up. I had a lot of doubters, a lot of nay-sayers. They can never take
this away from me and this team. This team is the most amazing team I've ever played with. This is huge".
Binghamton opened the scoring, early in the second period, as Roman Wick fired an amazing shot to give Senators an early 1-0 lead.
Houston answered back and took the lead with two consecutive power-play goals in the following minutes to send Binghamton into a tense state.
Maxim Noreau and Jean-Michel Daoust scored for Houston Aeros which caused the home stadium to echo with roars from the crowd that was extremely jubilated.
Houston entered the final period with a 2-1 lead.
Ryan Keller’s goal during a power-play, nearly midway through the final period, after Bobby Butler tied it up at the 3:26 mark, secured the match for Senators as they maintained their lead to finish off the match as winners.
Keller, Butler and Lehner will be top choices for the lacking Ottawa Senators to rebuild and take the team to the next level in the upcoming 2011-2012 NHL season.
Tags: