B-Sens’ Richardson named all-star coach
Luke Richarson’s first professional head coaching gig is certainly off to a rousing start.
Luke Richarson’s first professional head coaching gig is certainly off to a successful start.
The Binghamton Senators beat the St. John’s IceCaps Monday night to boost their record to 19-7-1-2 and an Eastern Conference-best .707 winning percentage.
The win secured the former Ottawa Senators defenceman and assistant coach a spot behind the bench at the AHL All-Star Game later this month in Providence, R.I.
The B-Sens actually sit fourth in the conference, but have played three fewer games than the division-leading Syracuse Crunch.
The AHL showcase will feature a Battle of Ontario of sorts, as Toronto Marlies bench boss Dallas Eakins is slated to lead the Western Conference squad. The Toronto Maple Leafs’ farm club has a record of 19-9-1-2.
It’s been quite a turnaround for the Binghamton Senators, who finished dead last in the 30-team AHL last season with a 29-40-5-2 record.
In addition to benefitting from Richardson’s guidance, the team has also enjoyed a huge rebound year from goaltender Robin Lehner. He followed up his Calder Trophy-winning performance two seasons ago with a lackadaisical effort in 2011-2012, leading the Ottawa Senators to go out and sign Ben Bishop to back up NHL starter Craig Anderson.
Lehner’s 12-4-1 record, 1.88 goals-against average and .944 save percentage suggest his motivational issues have been solved for the time being. Expect him to be at the all-star game too — unless the NHL solves its collective bargaining crisis and he manages to secure a job one level up.
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