An early goal scored in the first period was all the Carleton Ravens Men’s hockey team needed to defeat the Binghamton Senators of the American Hockey League (AHL) 1-0 in front of a crowd of over 500 people on Monday night at the Ice House.
“The start was key,” said Ravens head coach Marty Johnson. “We were a little bit nervous to begin with but I thought we handled the puck well . . . Getting that scoring chance in the first shift gave us a lift. From there we had some big saves from [Patrick] Killeen, and obviously getting that goal was huge.”
The game marked the first time the men’s hockey team hosted a professional hockey team at the Ice House.
Few knew ahead of the game what to expect in a match that would feature Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) players against professional hockey players from the AHL.
“We knew [Carleton] is one of the top teams in Canadian college hockey the last few years,” said former NHL defenseman and Binghamton head coach Luke Richardson.
“It was our first chance to play a team from their level and probably their first chance playing a team from our level so probably a little bit of the unknown on both sides and fear brings out the best of you . . . Might not be as smooth as you want, but it brings out the intensity.”
The first period was filled with energetic, physical, and fast-paced hockey, which only escalated as the game continued on.
Carleton’s offence was provided by Brent Norris when he was able to bury a loose puck five minutes into the game.
“It was a good, fast game,” Richardson said. “Enjoyable to watch. Would have been nice to get a goal, but [Carleton] played really well.”
The second period was filled with back and forth action, highlighted with memorable saves from Ravens goaltender Patrick Killeen.
“I think it was a really good experience for the team,” Killeen said. “Any time you have guys half the size of their guys going out and getting hit and getting back up and going for more, that’s something that shows the heart of this team.”
Frustration began to boil over for the B-Sens in the third period, earning themselves two penalties in the final two minutes while trying to secure the tying goal.
“Any game, when you play that fast and physical, there’s going to be some tempers,” Richardson said.
“There was frustration, we couldn’t score a goal too . . . I think all in all it was held in check, fairly disciplined by both teams, and I thought it was really competitive. That’s going to help both our teams going forward.”
A battered Killeen, who endured contact from the Binghamton attackers, and a slash to the back of the legs, earned the shutout in goal.
“Even though the shutout goes in my stats it was very much the team that helped me get that,” Killeen said.
After the game, Johnson said he was was pleased with the effort he saw from his team.
“Our guys aspire to get to that level, we knew it was going to be a quick game and make decisions before the puck got to us,” he said. “We’ve now skated against four pro teams and we’ve done okay . . . We have to believe in ourselves, we have to play our game and we have to play fast.”
Carleton plays their final tune-up before the regular season on Oct. 3 in Canton, N.Y. against St. Lawrence University (NCAA).
