The Binghamton Black Bears (37-5-1) shutout the
Danbury Hat Tricks (17-21-5) in Danbury on Friday, by the score of
6-0. The opening twenty minutes at Danbury Ice Arena had everything
— a penalty shot, short-handed goals, and a heavyweight tilt — and
it was all controlled by Binghamton. Just 20 seconds into the game,
Danbury’s Eli Rivers was awarded a penalty shot
after breaking free and being impeded. Netminder Dominik Tmej stood
tall, calmly swallowing up the attempt as Rivers fired it directly
into the glove. The early stop proved to be a momentum changer. At
2:11, the Black Bears struck first. Off a slick backhand feed from
Kyle Stephan, Gehrett Sargis
buried his 9th of the season to give Binghamton a 1-0 lead.
Jesse Anderson also picked up an assist on the opening
tally. Midway through the period, special teams flipped the game
entirely. While Scott Ramaekers was in the box for
slashing, the Black Bears delivered a devastating short-handed
sequence. At 8:45, CJ Stubbs scored unassisted for
his short-handed marker. Just 44 seconds later (9:29), Tyson
Kirkby finished a play set up by Kyle Stephan,
extending the lead to 3-0 — both goals coming while down a man. The
physical temperature rose late in the frame. With 5:07 remaining,
Dan Wieber and Andre Simonchyk
dropped the gloves near center ice. The bout ended after Wieber
landed a heavy right hand, energizing the Black Bears bench and
crowd alike. Both players were assessed fighting majors at 14:53.
Binghamton wasn’t finished offensively. With 3:48 left in the period
(16:12), the red-hot Jacob Shankar — who has now
scored in seven straight games — netted the Black Bears’ fourth
goal, finishing a setup from Emerson Emery and
Tyler Schwindt to make it 4-0. Despite several
penalties on both sides, including a late Danbury minor for
cross-checking, Binghamton controlled the pace and capitalized on
their opportunities.
Holding a commanding 4-0 lead after one,
Binghamton stayed composed in the middle frame, tightening up
defensively while continuing to generate quality chances. Danbury
pushed early, outshooting Binghamton 17-10 in the first period and
looking to carry that pressure into the second. However, the Black
Bears flipped the script in the middle stanza, outshooting the Hat
Tricks 15-10 and controlling much of the puck possession. Penalties
once again factored into the flow of the period. Austin
D’Orazio was assessed a slashing minor at 7:14, but
Binghamton’s league-best penalty kill handled the situation cleanly.
Later, Kaiden Kandereka went off for high-sticking
at 15:00, giving the Black Bears a late power play opportunity.
While Binghamton did not convert on that advantage, the momentum
carried over immediately after Kandereka exited the box. At 17:09,
just as the teams returned to even strength, Gehrett Sargis struck
again. Finishing off a play started by Kyle Stephan
and Jesse Anderson, Sargis buried his second goal
of the night to extend the lead to 5-0. Stephan and Anderson each
picked up their second assists of the game on the tally, continuing
a strong offensive performance. Late in the period, Dan
Wieber was assessed a minor for interference at 17:36, but
the Black Bears once again leaned on structure and discipline to
close out the frame without allowing momentum to shift.
The
final frame sealed a memorable night for Gehrett Sargis.
With Cheechoo Lathlin (tripping) and
Gregory Susinski (double-minor high-sticking) serving
penalties — creating open ice during four-on-four play — Sargis
completed the hat trick at 8:07, finishing a setup from
Tyler Schwindt to give Binghamton a commanding 6-0 lead. It
marked Sargis’ first hat trick as a Black Bear. The remainder of the
period featured steady goaltending from Tmej and disciplined
defensive play, despite several penalties on both sides. Danbury
pushed late, but Tmej remained composed, turning aside all 39 shots
he faced to secure the shutout, his 4th of the season.
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