Coming off a six-game road trip where they picked up three wins, the St. John’s IceCaps return home on Tuesday night to face the Binghamton Senators in a two-game series.
Home-ice advantage is not a phrase you could use to describe the IceCaps play at Mile One Centre so far this season. The team boasts a 10-10-2 record on The Rock, which is not good enough for a team hoping to make a playoff run. The time to turn things around is now, with two divisional series coming up over the next six days.
Binghamton comes to Newfoundland sitting sixth in the North Division, two spots behind St. John’s. The Senators have struggled as of late, picking up just two wins in their past eight games. However, the Sens have had the upper hand over the IceCaps so far this season, with two wins in their three previous encounters.
Andrew Hammond is expected to return to the Binghamton crease after being sent down by Ottawa this past Sunday. Hammond should give the team a huge boost, as Matt O’Connor, the prized collegiate free agent from two seasons ago, has struggled to adjust to the professional game.
As for St. John’s, the addition of Michael McCarron and Daniel Carr back onto the roster makes this arguably the strongest IceCaps lineup this season. Their hottest scorers of late have been Charles Hudon, with four goals and four assists in his last six games, and Chris Terry, who has collected four goals and five assists over the same span.
Records
BNG: 20-25-3, sixth in North Division
STJ: 23-21-6, fourth in North Division
Leading Scorers
BNG: Phil Varone 32 PTS, Jason Akeson 25 PTS, Max McCormick 23 PTS
STJ: Chris Terry 41 PTS, Charles Hudon 28 PTS, Nikita Scherbak 25 PTS
After some concerns due to the incoming winter storm to St. John’s, Tuesday’s game is still on schedule for its regular 7:30 NST (6:00 EST) start time.
