FROM THE CREASE with BRUCE BERLET 

BY: Bruce Berlet

The Binghamton Senators hadn’t even qualified for the Calder Cup playoffs the past five seasons, but Tuesday night they had extra incentive to win their first AHL championship.

With assistant coach and former Bridgeport Sound Tigers and New York Islanders head coach Steve Stirling back in central New York recovering from emergency quadruple bypass heart surgery Sunday night, the Senators rallied with third-period, power-play goals from Bobby Butler and captain Ryan Keller to beat the host Houston Aeros 3-2 and clinch the title before a record crowd of 10,125 at the Toyota Arena.

“We all know what this (game) means for a lot of reasons,” Senators first-year coach Kurt Kleinendorst told reporters after the morning skate. “But right now, the biggest one is Stirls.”

Stirling was resting comfortably in UHS Medical Center in Johnson City, N.Y., when the Senators traveled to Houston on Monday. Ottawa Senators goaltending coach Rick Wamsley joined Kleinendorst behind the bench as Stirling watched the game in his hospital room.

“This is the second time in three days it’s been a little bit surreal for me,” Kleinendorst said after the Senators won the best-of-seven series 4-2 to give Binghamton its first title in 29 years of pro hockey. “The first time was when I was up in the hospital while Stirls was going through his surgery, and I’ll tell you, there’s a lot of parallels to the way I feel right now and the way I felt then. It’s surreal. It’s hard to explain it. It’s just an unbelievable feeling but in a different way.

“Coach Stirls has got to get his rest because we’re going right from the airport to the hospital tomorrow morning.”

The Senators held the 16^th winning puck of the postseason off the commemorative board they created to allow Stirling the honor of placing it there on Wednesday before Binghamton hosts a parade starting at 6 p.m. This was the city’s first minor-league title since the Binghamton Mets won baseball’s Eastern League crown in 1994.

Keller said Stirling’s surgery put everything in perspective.

“Sometimes when you get in these situations, you think of the games as life and death and things like that,” Keller told the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin. “This is kind of a rude awakening that there’s more to life than hockey. We’ve love to have him with us, and it’s a shame for his sake that he can’t be here with us. But we know he’s back there thinking of us, and he’s in our prayers, that’s for sure. It’s a terrible situation, and we’re just happy that he’s doing well.

“It means everything. He’s worked so hard. He’s spent such long days at the rink preparing and making sure nothing comes as a surprise to us. Even off the ice, coordination events, he’d make sure everyone know what’s going on. (Stirling) is a huge part to not only our on-ice performance, but off-ice, keeping things in control. It’d be a great feeling to be able to bring back that trophy for him.”

Defenseman Andre Benoit, the son-in-law of Warmsley who anchored Stirling’s defense, added, “For sure our thoughts are with him. He’s a big part of our club. It’s terrible to see what happened. We hear he’s doing well, so we’re happy to hear that. We definitely want to seal it tonight, so we can get home and bring the Cup to him.”

Keller and Benoit got their wish as the Senators won their third in a row after 3-0 and 4-2 victories at home. In the second game, the Aeros enjoyed a 43-27 shot advantage, and they had a 36-27 edge Tuesday night but were thwarted again by 19-year-old rookie goalie Robin Lehner, who was 14-4 with 2.10 goals-against average, .939 save percentage and league-high three shutouts in 19 playoff games.

Kleinendorst inserted Lehner into goal in place of veteran Barry Brust with the Senators down 3-1 in the first round to the Manchester Monarchs. The Senators won four overtime games to win that series and never looked back.

“He was fantastic,” Aeros coach Mike Yeo said. “We had great chances in the second period that could have extended our lead, but we couldn’t get that third goal. He was huge.”

Since allowing four goals on 14 shots to the Portland Pirates in Game 5 of the Atlantic Division finals on May 3, Lehner, the Ottawa Senators’ second-round pick in 2009, was 8-2, 1.48, .955 with three shutouts in 19 games. It earned Lehner the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as playoff MVP after many said it had been a wasted season after injuries in Ottawa kept him out for much of the regular season.

“It’s so good,” said Lehner, only the fourth teenage goalie to win the Calder Cup. “It’s unbelievable. All you naysayers and critics, you can go hide somewhere. You can never take this away from me. I’m not saying I’m going to go play in the NHL. That’s a long road ahead. But you can never take away from me that I’m a Calder Cup champion and that I got the MVP here.”

Lehner enabled the Senators to put an exclamation point on a remarkable turnaround season. The Senators, who joined the AHL in 2002-03 as Ottawa’s top affiliate, won four of the last five games and set an AHL record with 10 road victories this postseason (10-2), finishing 15-4 after being in the 1-3 hole against the Monarchs. The B-Sens overcame that deficit, winning all four games of the series in overtime, before knocking off the Pirates (4-2) and Charlotte Checkers (4-0) on the way to the finals against the Aeros, the top affiliate of the Minnesota Wild. The Senators’ roster had 15 players who played in a combined 232 games for Ottawa this season.

After a scoreless first period, the Senators took the lead at 2:28 of the second when Roman Wick scored off assists from Kaspars Daugavins and former Aeros and Hartford Wolf Pack center Corey Locke, the AHL’s MVP and leading scorer (86 points) this season. Locke was trying to become the fourth consecutive player to win the Calder Cup in the same season as being named MVP, following the Hershey Bears’ Keith Aucoin (2010) and former Wolf Pack wing Alexandre Giroux (2009) and the Chicago Wolves’ Jason Krog (2008). Locke and Benoit won the Calder Cup as Hamilton Bulldogs teammates four years ago Tuesday.

The Aeros got even 4:09 after Wicks’ goal as captain and South Windsor native Jon DiSalvatore batted in a shot from Maxim Noreau for his seventh goal of the playoffs, the first of four in a row on the power play. The Aeros took their only lead at 11:20 when Jean-Michel Daoust tallied his fourth of the postseason and third in two games.

But the Senators tied it 3:26 into the third period on Butler’s rookie-best 13^th goal but first in four games off an assist from Erik Condra. Keller then scored the winner at 9:09 off an assist from Benoit, who ran his assists streak to four games.

“(Keller) has been our leader from day one,” Kleinendorst said. “He’s been there with me every step of the way, and for him to get that game-winner, it’s fitting. It couldn’t have been a more deserving person.”

The Senators, who qualified fifth in the North Division and seventh in the Eastern Conference, broke a tie for most road victories in one postseason set by the Philadelphia Phantoms in 1998. Meanwhile, it was the first loss in three elimination games this postseason for the Aeros, who got 24 saves from rookie Matt Hackett. They’re 6-0 all-time in Game 7s but 1-8 in Game 6s.

“I wish it were a different outcome,” Yeo said. “I wish it were a different outcome for a lot of reasons, but mostly for the guys in that locker room. I wish they could what they deserved, but having said that, Binghamton is a worthy champion.”

The Aeros nearly got to overtime as they peppered Lehner with 15 shots in the third period, and the Senators young goalie got major help in the final minute when defenseman Geoff Kinrade stopped Patrick O’Sullivan’s shot.

“We’ve talked about that since day one, that every play can make a difference,” DiSalvatore said. “The puck was rolling on Sully, but he got a shot that was head on the net, and with sheer desperation, (Kinrade) kept the game from going into overtime. Those are the plays, and that’s why they’re celebrating right now.”

The Senators were able to celebrate in the AHL’s 75^th anniversary season because Kleinendorst and Stirling were able to mold a team that never really came together until the playoffs because of numerous injuries and after Ottawa made a flurry of moves around the trade deadline that had their roster in flux late in the regular season.

“It’s surreal right now,” Locke said. “I can’t explain it. That group of guys there, the way we did this wasn’t easy. It’s so amazing. I’m so happy to share it with all these guys.”

LEMIEUX LEAVES WHALE FOR GERMANY

Center Francis Lemieux, who spent the second half of last season with the Connecticut Whale after being called up from the Florida Everblades of the ECHL, has signed with Heilbronner Falken in the German Division 2 League. Lemieux had two assists in 22 regular-season games and added one goal and one assist in four playoff games against Portland. … Fans interested in learning about present and future Whale players should visit www.newyorkrangers.com for the “20 Prospects in 20 Days” series running until the start of the NHL draft June 24. It provides extensive information and insight into the Rangers’ top young players, many of whom will participate in a developmental camp after the draft. The inaugural series in 2010 included three players – center Derek Stepan and former Hartford Wolf Pack/Whale defensemen Michael Sauer and Ryan McDonagh – who emerged as Rangers regulars last season. … Former Wolf Pack captain Craig Weller has moved from Cardiff in Wales to Villacher ESV in the Austrian Elite League. … Former Wolf Pack left wing Boyd Kane re-signed with Hershey after his two best seasons. Kane, 33, had a career-high 24 goals in helping the Bears win the Calder Cup in 2010 and added another 24 goals last season, when he also tied a career high with 49 points. Kane had scored 45 goals in three seasons with the Phantoms and was captain of the 2004-05 team that won the Calder Cup. He and Dave Fenyves are the only players to lead two teams to the Calder Cup title in consecutive years. Fenyves led the Bears and Rochester Americans to the AHL titles in 1987-88. … The Pittsburgh Penguins signed Wilkes-Barre/Scranton coach John Hynes and assistant Alain Nasreddine to multi-year contract extensions. Hynes, 36, led WBS to the regular-season championship in his first season as an AHL coach with a 58-21-0-1 record while setting team records for wins, home wins (30), road wins (28) and points (117). The 58 wins were the second most in the AHL history and earned him the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award as Coach of the Year, making him the first WBS coach to receive the honor. After guiding the Penguins to the best record in the league in early January, Hynes was named co-coach for the AHL’s Western Conference All-Star Team. The native of Warwick, R.I., joined the Penguins organization as an assistant coach in 2009-10 and was named coach last July 31. He previously coached the United States National Team Development Program, where his Under-18 national teams won silver (2004), gold (2006) and bronze (2006) in the World Junior Championships. Nasreddine, 35, just finished his first season as an AHL coach after spending parts of five seasons with WBS as a defenseman. A sixth-round pick of the Florida Panthers in 1993, his 726 pro games also included stints with the Sound Tigers and NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes.

FLYERS HOPE TO SIGN BRYZGALOV AFTER TRADE

Hoping to make a deal before free agency begins July 1, the Flyers acquired the rights to impending free agent goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov from the Phoenix Coyotes for minor-league left wing Matt Clackson and a third-round pick and conditional pick in 2012. The conditional pick, which will not be in the first or second round, is contingent on the Flyers reaching a deal with Bryzgalov.

The Coyotes’ move came one day after they signed former Wolf Pack and Rangers goalie Jason LaBarbera to a two-year contract extension after he was Bryzgalov’s backup for two seasons.

Bryzgalov, who turns 31 on June 22, will become an unrestricted free agent if he does not reach an agreement with the Flyers. He was 36-20-10 with a 2.48 GAA and .921 save percentage this season and won 130 games the last four seasons with Phoenix, which claimed him off waivers from the Anaheim Ducks in 2007.

The deal is similar to a move that the Flyers made four years ago when they acquired the negotiating rights to pending free agents Kimmo Timonen and Scott Hartnell from the Nashville Predators before the July 1 deadline and then signed both to long-term contracts. Last year, the Flyers acquired the rights to pending unrestricted free agent goalie Evgeni Nabokov from the San Jose Sharks but failed to sign him as he decided on a more lucrative deal in the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia.

“We’re going to give it our best shot,” Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said during a conference call when asked if he’s confident the two sides can reach an agreement. “You give up an asset to get a chance to get in early, so we have every intention of trying our best to get a deal done. We’ll see what we can do. I feel like he’s still got a few good years left in him. We’ll see how it goes.”

Bryzgalov was a member of the Ducks’ 2007 Stanley Cup championship team with current Flyers defensemen Chris Pronger and Sean O’Donnell. He played in 27 games that season, posting a 10-8-6-1 record with a 2.47 GAA and .907 save percentage and was 3-1 with a 2.24 GAA and .922 save percentage in five Stanley Cup appearances on the way to the championship.

Tuesday’s deal ends Bryzgalov’s terrific run with the Coyotes, who will now begin to search for a replacement.

“After several discussions with Ilya and his agent, it became very clear to us that we were not in a position to sign Ilya to a long-term contract,” said Coyotes general manager Don Maloney, the former Rangers assistant GM and Wolf Pack GM. “We will now focus our efforts on adding another goaltender to our roster for the upcoming season.”

Clackson, 26, was selected by the Flyers in the seventh round in 2005 and joined the team’s AHL affiliate at the end of the 2007-08 season. In the next three full seasons with the Phantoms, Clackson, the son of former NHL forward Kim Clackson, had six goals, 13 assists and 574 penalty minutes in 204 games.

The Flyers would likely have to move one of their key players before the start of the season to make a long-term commitment to Bryzgalov. According to capgeek.com, the Flyers have $58.9 million committed to 18 players for 2011-12.

“Once we know what the salary cap is going to be next year, we’ll have a better idea of what we need to do down the road,” Holmgren said. “We have options. I don’t know. We’ll just see how it goes.”

Should an agreement be reached, the Flyers would have one of the NHL’s top goaltending tandems in Bryzgalov and Sergei Bobrovsky, who was 28-13-8 with a 2.59 GAA and .915 save percentage in 54 games as a rookie last season.

“I still think the world of Sergei,” said Holmgren, the former coach and general manager of the Hartford Whalers. “I think he’s one of the top young goalies in our game. Having that said, we continue to try to make our team better. I think if we can get (Bryzgalov) signed, we can make our team better.

“We’ll see if we can get a deal done. We’ve got our foot in the door now. We have some time to look at certain things and try to work through the issues and get a deal. We didn’t make this trade to acquire his rights to just kind of hang around. We’re going to try our best to get him signed.”

RON FRANCIS BACK TO HURRICANES FRONT OFFICE

Ron Francis, the only Hockey Hall of Famer in Hartford Whalers history, is headed back to the Carolina Hurricanes’ front office as director of hockey operations after being an assistant to former Whalers coach Paul Maurice.

As director of hockey operations, Francis will work directly with Hurricanes president and general manager Jim Rutherford on all hockey-related matters. Francis initially rejoined the organization in November 2006 as the team’s director of player development and was promoted to assistant GM on Oct. 4, 2007. He then moved behind the bench with Maurice on Dec. 3, 2008, being named associate head coach. Francis played a big role in overseeing the team’s power play in his two-plus seasons behind the bench.

Francis will be replaced behind the bench by Rod Brind’Amour, who will be an assistant coach and development coach. Former NHL defenseman and head coach Dave Lewis has been added as assistant coach, and former Whalers wing, assistant and announcer Tom Rowe will work as a professional scout after time behind the bench.

Maurice said he and his coaching staff will spend the summer determining the roles each will play.

“Ron Francis isn’t going anywhere and he’ll be involved in some of the ideas and the vision he had on the power play,” Maurice said. “In terms of dividing responsibilities, that will happen as we move forward here a little bit. I think one of the strengths of this group will be that you have strong men with strong opinions and ideas. And they’re able to articulate those ideas, so we’ll use all our coaches as an influence in all areas.” … According to a TSN report, the ownership group of Winnipeg’s new NHL franchise has called a press conference for Wednesday afternoon to announce Kevin Cheveldayoff as the team’s general manager. Cheveldayoff, 41, is currently the senior director of hockey operations for the Chicago Blackhawks. He was a first-round draft pick of the Islanders in 1988, but injuries prevented him from reaching the NHL. He was forced to retire in 1994 after four seasons in the minor leagues. Cheveldayoff would replace Rick Dudley, who was informed Saturday by True North Sports and Entertainment that he would not be brought to Winnipeg from Atlanta, which lost a NHL team for a second time to relocation. … Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson will have back surgery Friday. Alfredsson played his last game Feb. 7 because of what he called a nerve problem in his lower back. He had been trying rest and rehabilitation in an effort to avoid surgery. In 54 games, he had only 14 goals and 17 assists, with his 31 points ending a nine-season stretch with at least 70. Alfredsson, 39, had tried skating with the team during a late March road trip but never got to the point where he felt comfortable playing in a game. It’s unclear how long Alfredsson could be out, but the Ottawa Citizen reported Monday it could be 4-6 weeks.