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Impact Players: Wieber, McAnanama, Sirota April 25, 2025 | ||
Posted by: Bob Howard Credit: Binghamton Hockey.net | ||
April 25, 2025 - by Taylor Welch - BinghamtonHockey.net Dan Wieber is one of the only defensive men who stood out to me last night. He was able to control the puck down the length of the ice and create scoring opportunities, including the first real chance the Black Bears had at scoring with his wraparound goal attempt. Last night was the most I think I've seen Wieber with the puck all season. He made several plays to keep the puck in the zone, which is one thing the Black Bears were lacking last night. Wieber has gotten better overall as a player since last season, and he is carrying that confidence into the playoffs. His playoff streak has come to an end, but he stood on his head to keep this game within reach for the Bears. Let's face it, we all knew that this series would be a tough one. The Port Huron Prowlers are one of the only teams that have beaten us twice this season. The Prowlers just played a better game than the Black Bears did; they managed to break up passes, get turnovers, and breakaways. However, even with that being said, Connor McAnanama absolutely stood his ground, made great saves, and kept this from being a washout. The last time we were in Port Huron, McAnanama allowed 8 goals; last night he allowed 2, as one was an empty net goal. That's the difference between the regular season and playoffs. McAnanama continues to be a wall who doesn't let the pressure of 2 on 1 or turnovers in front of the net shake and rattle him. McAnanama was able to showcase his puck-handling skills by choosing to play the puck several times to keep the Prowlers from regaining control after a shot on goal. Although the game didn't end with a win for the Black Bears, there was certainly a handful of players who were trying to get the team on the scoreboard. I say it time and time again: Zac Sirota takes an absolute beating game after game. Only last night did he decide to dish some hits out himself. The first hit would come at center ice to Alex Johnson with a little more than 6 minutes left in the first period; his next big hit would also come at center ice in the second period to Drew Welsch, who was trying to connect on a pass. This was a great attempt to throw the Prowlers off their game. He has a feisty passion about the way he plays. He's certainly not the biggest guy out there on the ice, but that doesn't stop him from throwing hits to try to change the momentum of the game. Even though I mention he is feisty, the one thing that makes Sirota so great at his "job" on the ice is his temperament. No matter what happens to him—the pushing, shoving, or taking a beating—he just skates away, not falling to the antics of the opposing team. I know there aren't many players that can do that. In the third period, if Sirota wasn't creating scoring opportunities, he was covering our net to help our net minder, Connor McAnanama. Austin Thompson also deserves a shout-out for trying to change the momentum of the game in the second period with a big fight against Bryan Parsons. Thompson made sure to leave his mark on the end of the period and try to light a fire under the Black Bears.
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