CHICAGO, Ill. – The Binghamton Senators and the Houston Aeros are one game away in meeting in the Calder Cup Finals after both teams won their third game in a row to take a commanding three games to none lead in their respective conference finals. The Senators won decisively in defeating the Charlotte Checkers by the score of 7-1, while the Aeros one-upped the Hamilton Bulldogs 3-2 on Tuesday night. All four teams come right back Wednesday for the do-or-die game of their playoff lives. CONFERENCE FINALS Eastern Conference Finals CHARLOTTE vs. BINGHAMTON Binghamton leads series 3 – 0
The Binghamton Senators came back out for another seven goal outburst, as they did in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference, to defeat the Charlotte Checkers 7-1 sending them one game away from the Calder Cup Finals.
Center Zack Smith scored the hat trick in a four-point night to lead the Senators charge at home in front of 3,756 at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena. Right wing Eric Condra started the scoring with the only goal in the first for the home team at 8:33.
Smith got the next two in the second with the first unassisted at 3:41 followed by a short-handed goal at 6:09 with assists from Kaspars Daugavins and goaltender Robin Lehner. Charlotte finally got on the board for their one and only goal of the game as Bobby Sanguinetti provided the helper on Jon Matsumoto’s goal 11:21 into the period.
The third was all Binghamton as the final four goals of the games we scored. Ryan Keller provided the first, 55 seconds in on the power play. Bobby Butler then tallied his tenth goal of the playoffs, followed by Smith with his sixth. Under a minute left, Roman Wick rolled the lucky seventh with the assist going to Mike Hoffman.
Mike Murphy, who was stellar in goal in the previous rounds, has allowed 13 goals in these conference finals suffered his third straight loss. He lasted 51 minutes tonight stopping 24 of 29 shots. Lehner stopped all but one of the 38 shots he faced for the win.
The Senators can now shut it down less than 24 hours from this game and send the Checkers home on Wednesday night.
Game 1 – Thu May 12 7:05 PM Binghamton 7, CHARLOTTE 4 Game 2 – Fri May 13 7:05 PM Binghamton 3, CHARLOTTE 0 Game 3 – Tue May 17 7:05 PM BINGHAMTON 7, Charlotte 1 Game 4 – Wed May 18 7:05 PM Charlotte at Binghamton Game 5 – Sat May 21 7:05 PM * Charlotte at Binghamton Game 6 – Mon May 23 7:05 PM * Binghamton at Charlotte Game 7 – Tue May 24 7:05 PM * Binghamton at Charlotte Western Conference Finals HOUSTON vs. HAMILTON Houston leads series 3 – 0
Captain Jon DiSalvatore scored the first and last goal of the game to bring the Houston Aeros within one game of going to the Calder Cup finals. His team defeated the Hamilton Bulldogs by the score 3-2 in a tightly played game that saw each team take 27 shots on goal.
DiSalvatore started it off early scoring at 3:39 in the first with assists from Patrick O’Sullivan and Justin Falk. Defenseman Maxim Noreau made the score 2-0 at 15:40. But then Hamilton came back, with two of their own, in the little time left in the period. Nigel Dawes potted his tenth of the playoffs on the power play at 18:11. Andreas Engqvist then knotted up the scored with 22 second left in the first.
Only one more goal was scored in the game, as DiSalvatore scored the game-winner with helpers from O’Sullivan and Jared Spurgeon on the man advantage at 5:18 of the second.
Drew MacIntyre suffered the loss with 24 saves with Matt Hackett bettering that by one for the win.
The Hamilton Bulldogs now need a win at home on Wednesday to stave off elimination and then take it one game at a time to see if they can play on for another day.
Game 1 – Fri May 13 7:35 PM HOUSTON 2, Hamilton 1 Game 2 – Sun May 15 4:05 PM HOUSTON 3, Hamilton 2 Game 3 – Tue May 17 7:30 PM Houston 3, HAMILTON 2 Game 4 – Wed May 18 7:30 PM Houston at Hamilton Game 5 – Fri May 20 7:30 PM * Houston at Hamilton Game 6 – Sun May 22 4:05 PM * Hamilton at Houston Game 7 – Tue May 24 7:05 PM * Hamilton at Houston
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contact the writer at matt.chin@prohockeynews.com
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