Senators win Calder Cup
HOUSTON, Tex.-The
Binghamton Senators, whose roster includes former Lake Superior
State defenseman Derek A. Smith (2004-07) put the exclamation
point on a remarkable turnaround season by capturing the 2011
Calder Cup championship with a 3-2
winover the Houston Aeros at the Toyota Center
in Houston on Tuesday night.
The Senators, who joined the AHL in 2002-03 as the top development
team of the National Hockey League’s Ottawa Senators, had
missed the playoffs for five consecutive seasons entering the
2010-11 campaign but finished it by earning the city of
Binghamton’s first championship in 29 years of hosting an
American Hockey League franchise.
Binghamton defeated the Aeros four games to two, winning the final
three games in a row and four of the last five after dropping the
series opener. The Senators also established an AHL record with 10
road victories this postseason (10-2) and finished 15-4 in their
final 19 playoff games overall after falling into a 3-1 deficit
against the Manchester Monarchs in the first round. Binghamton
overcame that deficit – winning all four games of the series
in overtime – before knocking off the Portland Pirates (4-2)
and Charlotte Checkers (4-0) en route to the Finals match-up with
Houston.
Head coach Kurt Kleinendorst, in his first season
with the Senators, guided his club to the Eastern
Conference’s crossover playoff berth after finishing fifth in
the East Division with a regular-season record of 42-30-3-5 (92
points). The Senators’ playoff roster featured 15 players who
appeared in a combined 232 National Hockey League games with the
parent Ottawa Senators during the 2010-11 season.
Smith contributed one goal and one assist
during six playoff games. He finished fifth on the team in points
with 10-44--54 during 71 regular-season games. Smith also appeared
in nine NHL games with the Ottawa Senators and had one goal and a
+3 rating. He has 33-109--142 during four seasons at Binghamton and
has made 11 career NHL appearances.
Senators rookie goaltender Robin Lehner won
the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as the most
valuable player of the 2011 Calder Cup Playoffs, finishing 14-4
with a 2.10 goals-against average, a .939 save percentage, and
three shutouts in 19 appearances this spring. A 19-year-old native
of Gothenburg, Sweden, Lehner was a second-round draft pick (46th
overall) by Ottawa in 2009 and appeared in 22 AHL games for
Binghamton and eight contests for the NHL Senators during the
2010-11 regular season.
Binghamton’s Calder Cup victory brings the curtain down on
the AHL’ historic 75th season. In operation since 1936, the
AHL continues to serve as the top development league for all 30
National Hockey League teams. More than 87 percent of today’s
NHL players are American Hockey League graduates, and through the
years the American Hockey League has been home to more than 100
honored members of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
2011 Calder Cup Finals – Series
“O” (best-of-7)
W2-Houston Aeros vs. E5-Binghamton Senators
Game 1 – Fri., May 27 – HOUSTON 3, Binghamton
1
Game 2 – Sat., May 28 – Binghamton 2, HOUSTON 1
(OT)
Game 3 – Wed., June 1 – Houston 2, BINGHAMTON
1
Game 4 – Fri., June 3 – BINGHAMTON 3, Houston
0
Game 5 – Sat., June 4 – BINGHAMTON 4, Houston
2
Game 6 – Tue., June 7 – Binghamton 3, HOUSTON
2
