Forward gets chance with Ottawa
‘It’s the call you’re waiting for your whole life,’ Shane Prince says
When Shane Prince finally received the news he was stepping up to the big leagues with the Ottawa Senators Sunday, he didn’t have to go anywhere at all.
The official word came moments after Prince and the Binghamton Senators defeated the Toronto Marlies 5-2 in an American Hockey League game at the Canadian Tire Centre.
Prince, with 18 goals and 20 assists with the B-Sens this season, was wearing an ear-to-ear grin after hearing from Senators general manager Bryan Murray and assistant GMs Pierre Dorion and Randy Lee.
“It’s a surreal feeling, exciting for sure,” said the native of Rochester, N.Y., who is expected to make his NHL debut for the Senators Monday against the Carolina Hurricanes. “I’ll try to go and rest up and bring my best game. I want to take in the whole experience, but I’ve got to be ready to play (Monday).
“It’s the call you’re waiting for your whole life. I’m beyond excited. Obviously, I thank the coaching staff and my teammates in Binghamton for everything and will try to take my game to the next level.”
Interestingly, Prince’s call-up came four years to the day the Senators traded Chris Kelly to the Boston Bruins for the 2011 second round draft choice (61st overall), used to select Prince.
Binghamton coach Luke Richardson says Prince, now in his third full AHL season, has been “solid” all year long.
“He has had ups and downs, streaky maybe goal-scoring and learning how to play away from the puck the last few years, but he has taken a big charge this year,” said Richardson. “In a game like (Sunday), you can hear him standing up on the bench, making sure we’re chipping pucks out, chipping pucks. It’s kind of like the steps Mike Hoffman had to learn and that has really (made) him into a full 200-foot player, with or without the puck.”
While Prince was in his glory, it was a bittersweet weekend for Jean-Gabriel Pageau. Pageau, who scored two goals and an assist and was the best player on the ice in Sunday’s victory, left on the bus with Binghamton and Monday’s rematch with the Marlies in Toronto.
After scoring two goals and three assists in a 23-game stint with the big-league Senators, Pageau was re-assigned to the AHL club following the Senators’ 7-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers Saturday.
“The timing is a little weird, from the game (Saturday) and I had to come to play (Sunday) and there’s another game (Monday), so for sure it’s hard, but that’s part of the job and I take it,” he said.
Richardson couldn’t say enough about having Pageau back, saying that when he was originally recalled by Ottawa, it took “the heart” out of Binghamton and his team immediately slumped afterwards.
“I call him a heartbeat player, wherever he plays. I’ve watched lots of games he has played with Ottawa, he plays with heart and determination.”
The B-Sens started Sunday’s game quickly.
Colin Greening, who was assigned to the AHL from the parent Senators on Jan. 29, put a Derek Grant pass past Marlies goaltender Antoine Bibeau 33 seconds into the game.
Greening, who scored one goal in 20 games with Ottawa this season, has two goals and one assist in eight games with Binghamton.
The Marlies’ Connor Brown tied the game at the 3:01 mark, smacking a puck out of mid-air behind Binghamton goaltender Scott Greenham. The baseball swing goal should have impressed Toronto’s major league franchises — both the Maple Leafs and Blue Jays.
Carter Camper and Pageau, short-handed, gave the B-Sens a 3-1 lead early in the third period. Toronto’s Ryan Rupert made it 3-2 on a power play, but the B-Sens salted the game away on a powerplay goal from Cole Schneider and Pageau’s second of the game, into an empty net.
Pageau was impressive in all situations. Buddy Robinson, a 6-5, 222-pound prospect, and goaltender Scott Greenham, who stopped 37 of 39 shots, also had strong games for the B-Sens.