Kinrade, B-Sens off to Calder Cup Final after sweeping Checkers
By The Nelson Daily Sports
By The Nelson Daily Sports
In just his second season as a professional, Nelson’s Geoff Kinrade is playing for the American Hockey League’s Calder Cup Championship.
Kinrade & the Binghamton Senators scored a 4-3 home-ice victory over the Charlotte Checkers Wednesday night to sweep the Eastern Conference Final 4-0, and a berth in the Calder Cup Championship.
Ryan Keller scored at 13:05 of overtime to give the B-Sens the series-clinching victory and the Richard F. Canning Trophy.
In four games the Sens, finishing fifth in East Division, outscored the Checkers 21-8, with Wednesday’s contest being the tightest game of the best-of-seven final.
The B-Sens, missing the playoffs during Kinrade’s first season as a professional, have been on fire throughout the post season. Binghamton eliminated the Manchester Monarchs (4-3) in the division semifinals, the Portland Pirates (4-2) in the division finals and the Checkers (4-0) in the conference finals to become the city’s first team to reach the Calder Cup Finals since the Binghamton Whalers in 1982.
Binghamton now awaits the winner of the Western Conference Final between the Hamilton Bulldogs and the Houston Aeros.
The Aeros currently lead the Western Conference Finals 3-1. Game five if Friday in Hamilton.
BLUELINES: Geoff Kinrade, 25, is in his second one-year contract with the Ottawa Senators farm team after graduating from Michigan Tech in 2009. That same year the Nelson Minor Hockey product was signed to a free agent contract by Tampa Bay of the NHL. The undrafted Kinrade, assigned to the AHL Norfolk Admirals, made his NHL debut on April 9, 2009 against Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. . . .Before getting a scholarship at Michigan Tech, Kinrade played two seasons for the Cowichan Valley Capitals of the BCHL after starting his junior hockey career with the Nelson Leafs of the KIJHL. He was also he Bantam Rep team from Nelson that won a provincial title.
sports@thenelsondaily.com
