Binghamton, NY (September 26, 2009) – The Syracuse Crunch fell to the Binghamton Senators in a shootout tonight, 3-2, at the Broome Community College Ice Arena.

Playing each other in the second of back-to-back games, the Crunch and B-Sens again came out flying in a fast-paced, physical first frame.

Binghamton had the early advantages, but failed to capitalize on two power plays within the first four minutes of the game.  The physicality of the game boiled over at the 10:44 mark when Kevin Harvey and Binghamton’s Cody Bass both received five-minute fighting majors. 

Harvey was also whistled for cross-checking, Tyler Murovich for roughing and Senators goalie Mike Brodeur for slashing on the play, resulting in a Binghamton power play in which they did not score.

Harvey and Binghamton’s Derek Smith were both called for unsportsmanlike conduct with 45 seconds left, but the game remained scoreless through the first, with the B-Sens outshooting the Crunch, 9-5.

After trading power play opportunities within the first seven and a half minutes of the second stanza, Binghamton broke the scoreless tie with a shorthanded marker at the 10:17 mark with Jason Bailey in the box for interference.

Tomas Kudelka sent a slick pass up the boards to Martin St. Pierre, who came in on a 2-on-0 break with Denis Hamel.  St. Pierre elected to shoot from the left side and slid the puck past Kevin Lalande low to the glove side to give Binghamton the 1-0 lead.

That goal ended the nights of Lalande, who stopped 14 of 15 shots, and Binghamton’s Mike Brodeur, who stopped all seven shots he faced, as they gave way to Dan LaCosta and Andy Chiodo, respectively.

All was quiet in the third period until the Crunch scored to tie the game at 1-1 on a nice tic-tac-toe play at the 10:18 mark.

Harvey came down the right side, pulled up and slid a pass back to Nick St. Pierre at center-point.  St. Pierre quickly moved the disk to Kevin Roeder camped out down low at the left face off dot. 

Roeder pulled the trigger and beat Chiodo to the blocker side to knot the score.

Syracuse took the lead less than two minutes later on a great effort from Jared Aulin.  Aulin took a pass at center ice from Harvey and made his way into the offensive zone with a couple of slick stick-handling moves.

The Calgary native backed in the defense, pulled the puck back and fired a bullet along the ice that beat Chiodo to give the Crunch a 2-1 advantage.

Syracuse’s lead, however, did not last long as Binghamton tied the game just 13 seconds later on a fluke goal by Denis Hamel that ricocheted off LaCosta from behind the net and in to make it 2-2.

The game stayed that way through the rest of regulation and overtime until the shootout.  With it still scoreless in the fourth round, Syracuse’s Dan Steiner rifled a shot that beat Chiodo high glove side to put the pressure on Binghamton.  The Senators’ Erik Condra beat LaCosta with the game on the line to tie it at 1-1 on the B-Sens next opportunity.

Martin St. Pierre beat LaCosta in the sixth round and Pierce Norton was denied on the very next shot by Chiodo to give Binghamton the 3-2 win.

LaCosta stopped 17 of 18 shots in 35 minutes of action in regulation and overtime.

The Crunch continue their preseason schedule tomorrow at Rochester (ESL Sports Centre) against the Amerks at 6:00 p.m.