BINGHAMTON, N.Y. –The Binghamton Senators have won the Richard F. Canning Trophy as the AHL’s Eastern Conference champions for 2010-11, claiming the title with a 4-3 overtime victory over the Charlotte Checkers in Game 4 of their best-of-seven series at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton, N.Y., on Wednesday night. Team captain Ryan Keller scored the series-clinching goal at 13:05 of overtime, and Robin Lehner made 42 saves in the victory. The top affiliate of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators, Binghamton finished fifth in the East Division with a record of 42-30-3-5 (92 points) and crossed over to the Atlantic Division playoff draw. The Senators, under head coach Kurt Kleinendorst in his first season with the club, defeated the Manchester Monarchs (4-3) in the division semifinals, the Portland Pirates (4-2) in the division finals and the Checkers (4-0) in the conference finals to become the city’s first team to reach the Calder Cup Finals since the Binghamton Whalers in 1982. The Senators’ playoff run has been led by Ryan Potulny, the AHL’s leading postseason scorer with 14 goals and 25 points in 17 games. Potulny is one of 13 active Binghamton players who also saw NHL time with Ottawa in 2010-11. Binghamton will face either the Houston Aeros or the Hamilton Bulldogs in the 2011 Calder Cup Finals. The Aeros currently lead the Western Conference Finals, three games to one. Established in 1990, the AHL’s Eastern Conference championship trophy honors Richard F. Canning, who served the AHL for more than 50 years during his career, including a term as league president from 1958-61. Mr. Canning is recognized as the author of the AHL’s constitution, by-laws and regulations.
 
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BINGHAMTON, N.Y. – Zack Smith had four points – including a hat trick – to lead Binghamton’s potent offense and Robin Lehner made 37 saves as the Senators closed in on their first Eastern Conference championship with a convincing 7-1 win over Charlotte at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena on Tuesday night. The Senators, with a 3-0 series lead, can advance to the Calder Cup Finals with another win on Wednesday. No Binghamton AHL team has reached the Finals since the 1982 Whalers. Erik Condra gave the B-Sens an early lead in Game 3, converting a feed from Kaspars Daugavins at 8:33 of the first period. Smith blasted a shot past Mike Murphy for an unassisted goal 3:41 into the second, then tallied Binghamton’s fourth shorthanded goal of the 2011 postseason just 2:28 later to make it a three-goal game. Charlotte, which already has two victories to its credit this postseason in games it trailed 3-0, got on the board when Jon Matsumoto scored with 8:39 left in the second period, but the Checkers never got any closer. Ryan Keller scored on a power play in the opening minute of the third period, Bobby Butler banked home a shot from a sharp angle at 11:23, and Smith completed a hat trick 80 seconds later after Justin Pogge had replaced Murphy in the Charlotte net. Roman Wick finished the scoring off an odd-man rush with 53.9 seconds left. Murphy, who had a 1.49 GAA and a .955 save percentage in the Checkers’ six-game upset of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the last round, has allowed 13 goals on 74 shots (5.58, .824) and been lifted twice in three starts vs. Binghamton. The Senators scored at least six goals in a game for the fourth time this postseason and are averaging 3.94 goals per playoff game. They have outscored Charlotte 17-5 in the series.
 
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Ryan Potulny scored twice and Robin Lehner bounced back from a shaky Game 1 outing to post his second shutout of the postseason, leading Binghamton to a 3-0 win over Charlotte on Friday night. The Senators grabbed a 2-0 series lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Finals, with the series shifting to Binghamton for the next three games. Lehner (8-2), who allowed three goals on 12 shots in one period of work in Game 1, was solid throughout and made 35 saves to hand the Checkers their third shutout loss in their last seven outings. After the teams combined for seven goals in the first period of Thursday’s series opener, Game 2 appeared to be headed to the first intermission in a scoreless deadlock until Potulny scored with 43.3 seconds left in the opening frame. Linemates Ryan Keller and Zack Smith earned the assists. Just 29 seconds into the second period, Potulny tipped home Keller’s centering pass for a power-play goal. Both teams had some good scoring chances the rest of the way, and the Senators finally lengthened their lead when Bobby Butler converted off a Corey Locke feed with 6:59 left in regulation. Potulny’s two snipes extend his league-leading totals to 13 goals and 22 points in 15 playoff games. Keller assumed the AHL lead with his 12th and 13th postseason assists. Mike Murphy, who like Lehner was pulled from Game 1 after he allowed five goals on 15 shots, made 28 saves in Game 2. The victory was Binghamton’s eighth in a row on the road, one shy of the AHL record. Game 3 of the series is Tuesday night in Binghamton. The B-Sens executive offices, located on the third floor of the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena, will be open Saturday, May 14 and Sunday, May 15 from noon to 5 p.m. Tickets are on sale for Games 3 and 4. Tickets are $20.75 for side seats, $19.75 for end seats.
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PORTLAND, Maine – Robin Lehner stopped all 36 shots faced to earn his first shutout of the post-season to help lead the Binghamton Senators to a 3-0 victory over the Portland Pirates in Game 6 of the Atlantic Division Finals. With the victory, the B-Sens win the series four games to two and eliminate the Pirates to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2003.
 
Jim O’Brien opened the scoring just 25 seconds into the first period. Jared Cowen, the Ottawa Senators’ first round pick in 2009, earned an assist on the goal. The point was Cowen’s first as a professional, earned in the first shift of his B-Sens debut.
 
Zack Smith put the B-Sens up 2-0 at 13:04 of the second period.
 
Kaspars Daugavins sealed the Pirates’ fate, hitting an empty Portland net with just 1:21 remaining in regulation.
 
The B-Sens now await the winner of the East Division Finals. The Charlotte Checkers currently lead the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the best-of-seven series three games to two.
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