Barry Brust Makes 41 Saves to Lead Senators Past Marlies 3-1 in AHL Action

Canadian Press
October 17, 2010
Gallery: Marlies vs. Senators - Oct. 17th, 2010

TORONTO - Barry Brust made 41 saves to lead the visiting Binghamton Senators over the Toronto Marlies 3-1 in American Hockey League action Sunday.

Ryan Keller, Colin Greening and Erik Condra, into an empty net, provided the scoring for the Senators, who snapped a three-game losing skid and improved to 2-3-0 on the season.

Rookie Brayden Irwin replied for the Marlies (1-3-0) in front of 4,816 fans at Ricoh Coliseum - plus a national television audience as the afternoon game was one of 10 AHL contests that will be broadcast on CBC this season.

The game was a lower-case "Battle of Ontario'' as the Marlies are the affiliate of the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs, while the Ottawa Senators are Binghamton's parent team.

Brust was especially sharp in the opening frame when the Sens were outshot 13-6, making a handful of reflex saves, and he denied the Marlies with a couple of big stops in the third period as Binghamton clung to a one-goal lead.

The victory was the first win of the young season for the Senators goalie (1-2-0).Marlies netminder Jussi Rynnas stopped 26 of 28 shots to lose his second straight game, and remain winless in North America. The 23-year-old native of Finland was signed as a free agent in the off-season.The Senators led 1-0 after the first period and 2-1 through 40 minutes.

Binghamton opened the scoring with a late power-play goal in the first period when Keller stole the puck in the offensive zone and beat Rynnas over the shoulder with a high wrist shot at 19:10.

The Senators added to their lead when Greening one-timed a centring pass in the slot past Rynnas at 9:13 of the second period. The goal was Greening's first in the AHL as he turned pro last spring after four seasons of U.S. college hockey at Cornell.

Toronto's Irwin closed the gap less than two minutes later when he went hard to the net and whacked a rebound past Brust at 11:07. Nazem Kadri, who scored his first professional goal against Hamilton on Saturday - a game the Marlies won 5-3 - picked up an assist.

Irwin had a chance to tie the game early in the third period when he broke in all alone on the Senators net, but Brust knocked the puck off of Irwin's stick with a diving poke-check.Toronto continued to pressure Binghamton in the final frame, but Brust turned aside everything that came his way.

Condra sealed the game for the Senators with an empty-netter at 19:30 of the third period.

Notes: The Marlies are 0-3-0 at home after going 22-13-5 at Ricoh last year. ... The Marlies are off until the weekend, when they host Oklahoma City on Saturday and Grand Rapids on Sunday.