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Is this season better than last? April 23, 2025 | ||
Posted by: Bob Howard Credit: Binghamton Hockey.net | ||
April 17, 2025 - by Taylor Welch - BinghamtonHockey.net Run it back! This has been the mantra spoken throughout not only the locker room but the stands as well. Let's take a look at how that mantra has held up to get the Black Bears where they are in comparison to last season. Last season the Black Bears were on a 6-game win streak, with a 4.9 goals-for average, a +106-goal differential, 29% on the power play, and 82% on the penalty kill. Now if we look at this year, they are coming into the playoffs on a 3-game win streak, with a 5.2 goals-for average, a +148-goal differential, 26% on the power play, and 86% on the penalty kill. There is not a huge difference in those numbers; however, our record went from 39-10-7 to 49-6-1, so how did we manage to get 10 more wins this year? That can be answered by looking at a few key components: offense, defense, goalies, and coaching. "They just need to play the full 60!" was a statement we heard all season long last year but haven't heard a single time this season. The offense this season has managed to dominate the game through puck control, shots on goal, and overall commitment. We have had several players increase over 30% more points per game than the previous year(s): Tyson Kirkby 62.72%, Cam Clark 45.56%, Austin Thompson 38.18%, CJ Stubbs 35.84%, Scott Ramaekers 33.33%, and even Josh Fletcher increased 30.26%. Taking a look at our Captain Tyson Kirkby, who has not only been a great leader for his team but also good publicity for the league as well. He has been called up to the Adirondack Thunder and Reading Royals, both of the ECHL throughout the season and was featured on SportsCenter ESPN's flagship program, being the first Black Bear in franchise history to appear on #SCTop10. His ability to play the puck has rewarded him with what many would say are nasty goals, like him scoring while sliding on his behind for example, but more than that, he has taken more of a leadership style of play in creating scoring opportunities for his teammates. The Black Bears this season have controlled the game more often than not, which I think is one of the things they struggled with last year. They came back this year to prove a point. The Black Bears absolutely crushed the defense this year. Not only do they have the top 3 for plus/minus against the league, but the numbers compared to last year show how much of a difference there is. Last season we had 8 players listed on the defense: Bohn, J.Anderson, Stone, Wieber, Walters, Boislard, L.Anderson and Fitzgerald. Together they had a plus/minus of +149. Compared to this year, we have 6 players listed on defense: Bohn, Stone, Anderson, Wieber, Poirier, and Dobles, who together had a plus/minus of +187. That's a +38 difference with 2 fewer players. Now one player that deserves the spotlight for a second is Dan Stone. Stone leads the league in plus/minus with a +56 compared to his +28 of last year, but that's not the only thing he has contributed to this season. Last season Stone played in all 56 games, scoring 26 points. This season he played in 49 games, scoring 45 points. That is a 45.41% increase in points per game, which is something you would not necessarily expect from your defense. Now let's get away from the numbers and just take a look at the style of play. The defense this year has gotten faster and just overall better at stopping odd-man rushes, breakaways, and blocking shots. Compared to last season, the defense seems to play the puck more, be more reliable, and take more shots on goal. Whether it's the first line or the third line, the team and the fans know that the defense will do everything they can to keep the puck from reaching our net minders. They say a goalie is only as good as the team that plays in front of them. With a record like 49-6-1, I can understand why the team playing in front of you is just as important to how a goalie plays. We know that the team has played better both offensively and defensively, but our netminders have been outstanding this season. Connor McAnanama leads the league in wins with 30 and goals against average with a 2.08. He also has 4 shutouts this season, which ranks 2nd in the league. Nolan Egbert also recorded 2 shutouts this season and beat his record from last season of 12 wins, 5 losses, and 2 overtime losses to this season's 15 wins and only 3 losses. Even with the talent being better throughout the league, our netminders have been unstoppable between the pipes. I think it's also worth mentioning our collegiate players who are playing like they have been with us all season long. Anthony Bernardo has played in 6 games, scoring 1 goal and 5 assists, but has taken many shots on goal. He's one of the players that the veterans have been creating scoring opportunities for, trying to get him points. Nick Swain has played in 9 games with 6 goals and 4 assists. Every game he has played in, he has shown a lot of hustle and puck-handling skills. On the defense side of things, we have Luke Dobles, who has played in 5 games and has 1 assist but has shown some good defensive skills with certain plays and hits. Lastly, the net minder CJ Hapward, who has played in 4 games and has won all 4 games. Hapward is certainly not playing like he's at the college level. Even after allowing a couple of goals, he doesn't get shaken; he buckles down and plays better. He went from the whole arena chanting to fire him to, no matter the choice, whether it is who is playing/sitting, who gets let go, or who's in goal, the fans just sit back and say, "I trust Coach." He has created something special with the team he has put together. We are fortunate enough to have so many talented players on our team that when someone is scratched, it is almost unnoticed, because whoever is playing on the ice is going to step up into the role and produce wherever they are needed. Brant Sherwood has created such a well-rounded team that any of the three lines could be the point scorers of the game. This is a team that has veterans, rookies, and collegiate players all meshing together and forming different lines game after game yet playing almost flawlessly with one another. In my opinion, he's created a team like no other in this league.
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