BINGHAMTON, NY – Goaltender Ken Appleby made 28 saves and the penalty kill came through late in regulation as the Binghamton Devils defeated the visiting Springfield Thunderbirds 2-1 on Saturday at Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena.
Blake Pietila forced a turnover in the second period and helped put the Devils ahead 1-0. Pietila poked the puck free on a Thunderbirds’ breakour attempt and created a two-on-one rush towards the net. Nick Lappin joined the rush and fired Pietila’s pass by a diving Harri Sateri for the lead. The goal was Lappin’s team-leading fifth of the year with the lone assist going to Pietila. After 40 minutes, the Devils led 1-0 but were outshot by the Thunderbirds, 13-12.
In the third period, Brandon Baddock put the Devils up by a pair of goals with a great shot from the right wing circle. Baddock moved down the right wall around the defense and put the breaks on and followed up with a snap shot that beat Sateri for a 2-0 lead. The goal was Baddock’s first of the year at 6:08 with helpers from Nathan Bastian and Josh Jacobs.
When it looked the Devils would cruise to a win in the end, Jan Mandat was sent off for a five minute major pentlay for boarding and Springfield went on the power play late in regulation. On a loose puck in front of the crease, Anthony Greco tapped the puck under the legs of goaltender Ken Appleby to pull the Thunderbirds within a goal. The tally came with 2:55 left in the game and assists were credited to Curtis Valk and Henrik Haapala.
The Devils killed off the remainder of the penalty kill and held on for the 2-1 win. Appleby stopped 28 shots in the victory and Sateri put away 18 shots for the loss.
The Binghamton Devils return home next Saturday against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at 7:05 p.m. Call the Devils’ front office at 607-733-7367 for more information.
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