Asked Nathan Lawson about the past two games. His initial reaction will be in the paper tomorrow.
“My brain was going a lot,” he said. “I’ve got to stay calm. I know I can play. You’re going to get bad bounces. Stay calm and have fun out there. When I have fun out there, that’s when I play better.”
This one might have been a little more fun. They withstood the early charge, they bent a little from the middle charge, then withstood the late charge, and they’re back in charge of their own fate.
Wotton had three assists, three points for the third time this year. He lofted a nice pass ahead to Morency for the feed to Figren. He got the puck low to Joensuu for the setup to Mauldin. And he helped get it ahead to Martin on the right wing, and Martin took his time, lofted the puck just past the right glove of a leaping Devil, and wound up saucering it right to Sean Bentivoglio. Bentivoglio blasted off. He beat McKenna on the backhand.
Ballgame.
—–
But it ruined a chance for another one-goal game. Slackers.
Kind of wondered about not pulling McKenna before that goal. Definitely wondered afterward.
Mauldin scored his 24th goal, to go with 27 assists. Both match his totals last year for Binghamton, career highs. I will dig to see if anyone in team history had more than the 11 shots he had tonight. Jeff Hamilton had 11 on Dec. 14, 2003, against Utah, the last game of the 20-game unbeaten streak.
Ryan Vesce scored with 8.1 seconds left in regulation to beat the Penguins. Jonathan Bombulie did a list in this morning’s Citizens Voice of lost Penguins points this season. Here’s another. Bridgeport hops over the Penguins. Playing the “if the season ended today” game, the Sound Tigers would be facing Albany.
Hartford took a hit with a loss to Portland. The Pirates had their whole top line called up and won anyway. Manchester came from behind to beat Providence in overtime. The Monarchs are five points ahead of Bridgeport and Lowell, and their playoff magic number is four points. The Bruins are in trouble, able to earn no more than 84 points (though if they pull off the miracle, they’ll have good tiebreaker position on Lowell or Bridgeport for the crossover spot).
Albany cut its magic number to one point. It only needs four to clinch second. Hershey came back from an early deficit and beat Binghamton, which leaves the Sens only four points from elimination. (Whose points? It’s complicated.)
The Bears are nine points and one win behind 1992-93 Binghamton for the AHL records. (Four shootout wins, yadda yadda yadda. In Translateworld, they’re 52-14-7 for 111. Bingo was 57-13-10 for 124.) Hershey has seven games to play.
Good Larry Brooks column on Donald Fehr for the NHLPA.
Boston College beat Yale 9-7 in a defensive classic. At least, I assume that was spring football at Holy Cross, right? (Six points — three in the third period as they tried to make it back from 9-4 — for Milford’s and Fairfield Prep’s Mark Arcobello.)
Tom Pecora might be Fordham’s first win over St. John’s since Dave Buckner hit that 40-footer at the first-half buzzer in ’92-93.
There’s a Nighthawks sweater on eBay right now. Too many things bug me to get too excited, though. For one, no nameplate. For another, the 50th year was ’85-86, and Phair was a rookie — no way the captain. (Steve Moria, maybe? Wore 19, but I don’t remember if he had the ‘C’.) Any New Haven types have a guess on this one? (Might be worth $40 on the coolness alone, but still…)
And finally, awards ballots are due back to the AHL by noon. Better get home and start scribbling.