 | ||
|
Impact Players: Yates, Stubbs, McAnanama April 18, 2025 | ||
Posted by: Bob Howard Credit: Binghamton Hockey.net | ||
April 18, 2025 - by Taylor Welch - BinghamtonHockey.net Showcasing why he has been MVP twice, Gavin Yates scored an interesting power play goal. The first penalty of the night went to Jimmy Lodge of the Watertown Wolves for holding at the 8:46 mark in the 1st. A minute later, Lord would try to clear the puck but would be stopped by Yates, who would send the puck back to Kyle Stephan. Moments later, Stephan would send it back to Yates, and while holding off Trevor Grasby, he would gain control of the puck and shelf it. Yates has the speed and puck control that can be crucial in these playoff games. CJ Stubbs would secure the win for game 1 against the Watertown Wolves. Arguably his biggest goal this season, and it came shorthanded. 10:24 in the 3rd, Don Olivieri would go to the penalty box for a hooking call. The Wolves would settle the puck behind their own net, where Domenic Della Civita would skate up to the blue line and drop the puck back, meant for Davide Gaeta, but Stubbs would play the puck and go in unassisted to deliver the game-winning goal. This goal took the momentum the Wolves had away and gave the control back to the Black Bears. Stubbs has had a strong presence in front of the net all season long and has truly been a key player on any given night. Starting the playoffs on the right foot, with the right mindset and the right goalie. Connor McAnanama gets his 8th straight playoff win. The Watertown Wolves play a very fast-paced game, moving the puck quickly into the zone and managing to get a breakaway and several quality shots, all shut down by McAnanama. He has a hybrid style of play, bouncing from stand-up to butterfly, effortlessly blocking and stopping shots. This hybrid style of play allows him to move quickly, stay on the puck and cover post to post. No matter the chaos in front of or behind him he never loses focus on the puck. McAnanama had the fans hyped, and with 2 minutes left to go, most of the fans were on their feet. I don’t know if I was breathing for those last 2 minutes, but whether it’s the first minute or the last minute, CMac is always calm, collected, and doing what he does best.
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
