BINGHAMTON -- Sent down from Ottawa the day after Thanksgiving, then sidelined for four weeks with an injury, it probably wasn't the merriest of Decembers for Binghamton Senators defenseman Brian Lee.
But with the calendar set to flip over to a brand new year Thursday night, he still managed to dot 2009 with a late exclamation point.
Lee scored 1 minute, 31 seconds into overtime, lifting the B-Sens to a much-needed 3-2 victory over the visiting Norfolk Admirals before 4,414 fans at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena.
"It's big for the team," Lee said of Thursday's win, which snapped a three-game losing streak. "We were kind of on a little skid there, so it's nice to get going in the right direction."
Trailing the play, Lee took a pass from teammate Ryan Keller, drifted into the right-wing faceoff circle, waited, moved past a sliding Admirals player, waited some more, then zipped the winner over Norfolk goalie Dustin Tokarski's left shoulder.
"I was just slow getting up the ice," Lee said, cracking the slightest of smiles. "And Kells made a good drop pass there, and I think those (Admirals) just fell down. I don't know if they were going to block the shots or what, but I kind of put myself at a tough angle and got lucky enough to squeak one in."
It was Lee's second goal in just 12 games with Binghamton, and first in the AHL since October.
The B-Sens lost a pair of one-goal leads. Brandon Svendsen stole the puck and scored 19 seconds into the first period, putting Binghamton ahead, 1-0. Denis Hamel marked his third straight game with a goal by blasting home his team-leading 15th from the top of the zone midway through the second, putting Binghamton ahead, 2-1.
In his first start since getting recalled from Elmira on Wednesday, Chris Holt stopped 36 of 38 shots to improve to 5-2-0 with the B-Sens. His night included a breakaway save on Juraj Simek, and a big pad save on Martin Karsums, who had an open look at the right post after the puck kicked off the end boards.
"It's even (keel)," Holt said, when asked about his confidence level. "As confident as one can be, I did just get back from Elmira. So nobody's safe here, and I just want to make sure that when I get an opportunity to get into the net, that I leave a good impression. That's what I'm trying to do."
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B-Sens' Lee strikes in OT | pressconnects.com | Press & Sun-Bulletin
Highlights..
http://www.wbng.com/sports/bsens/80454102.html
Next up; Sat night in Hershey
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