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| March 13, 2026 | |
| Away | Home |
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| 0 | 4 |
| Port Huron | Binghamton |
| Prowlers | Black Bears |
| Visions Veterans Memorial Arena | |
| Attendance: 4,893 | |
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| MINI RECAP |
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The Binghamton Black Bears (40-5-2) captured the
Empire Division title Saturday night with a
commanding 4–0 victory over the Port Huron Prowlers
(29-15-1) in front the 10th sellout home crowd in Binghamton.
Binghamton’s depth, disciplined defensive play, and another stellar
performance from goaltender Dominik Tmej carried the Black Bears to
their third straight Empire Division championship, while also
securing home-ice advantage through the first two rounds of the
Commissioner’s Cup Playoffs. The opening frame between the Black Bears and the Prowlers was physical from the start, but neither team was able to break through offensively. The teams traded early penalties, with the Prowlers’ Ben Brockway being called for holding just 2:44 into the game. Despite the early power-play opportunity, Binghamton was unable to capitalize as both teams settled into a tight-checking first period. Midway through the period the physical tone continued to escalate, as roughing minors were assessed to Jacob Shankar of Binghamton and Jamie Bucell of Port Huron at 16:12 following a scrum. Things boiled over in the final seconds of the period when Black Bears forward Gehrett Sargis was called for charging at 19:55 after making contact with Prowlers goaltender Reid Cooper. The play immediately sparked a large scrum involving multiple players from both teams, resulting in a flurry of roughing penalties and misconducts being handed out before the teams headed to the locker room. Despite the rising tensions, neither side found the back of the net in the opening twenty minutes. The Black Bears took control of the game in the second period, scoring twice and dominating possession against the Prowlers. After a scoreless but physical first period, Binghamton finally broke through at the 8:46 mark. Scott Ramaekers drove hard to the net and buried his 14th goal of the season, finishing a play set up by Gavin Yates and CJ Stubbs to give the Black Bears a 1–0 lead. Just under two minutes later, Binghamton struck again. Gehrett Sargis found the back of the net for his 13th goal of the season at 10:29, finishing a feed from Mac Jansen to extend the lead to 2–0. The Black Bears controlled the pace throughout the period, keeping Port Huron pinned in their own zone for long stretches. Binghamton’s relentless pressure limited the Prowlers to just three shots on goal in the entire period, while the Black Bears peppered the Port Huron net with fifteen. Tempers also continued to flare. Midway through the period, Ben Brockway was called for boarding after delivering a hit on Dan Stone along the boards. Stone stayed down briefly but was able to get back to his skates and rejoin the play. Late in the frame, another heated moment occurred when Vincent Dekumbis was penalized for hooking Nick Swain, sending Swain sliding into the net and into Prowlers goaltender Reid Cooper. After Swain got up, Cooper took a couple of jabs at the Black Bears forward, leading to another brief confrontation before officials stepped in. By the end of the second period, Binghamton had firmly seized momentum and carried a 2–0 lead into the final frame. Port Huron pushed in the third period but could not solve Tmej. While the Black Bears were shorthanded late in the game after Dan Wieber was called for boarding, Binghamton struck again. At 14:19, CJ Stubbs took a perfect feed from Ivan Bondarenko and buried a shorthanded goal to extend the lead to 3–0 with just over five minutes remaining. The Prowlers later pulled Cooper for the extra attacker, but Mac Jansen sealed the win with an empty-net goal at 18:14. The assist on Stubbs’ goal marked a milestone moment for Ivan Bondarenko, whose 68th assist of the season set a new single-season franchise record, breaking the previous mark held by Kyle Powell during the team’s inaugural 2021–22 season. Between the pipes, Dominik Tmej was sharp all night, stopping all 26 Port Huron shots to earn his fifth shutout of the season. |
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| 3 STARS | ||||
| 1 |
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Dominik Tmej | 26 SVS |
| 2 |
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Scott Ramaekers | 1G |
| 3 |
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Ivan Bondarenko | 1A |
| SCORING | ||
| Period 1 | ||
| No Scoring | ||
| Period 2 | ||
| BIN | Scott Ramaekers | 8:46 |
| Gavin Yates, CJ Stubbs | ||
| BIN | Gehrett Sargis | 10:29 |
| Mac Jansen | ||
| Period 3 | ||
| BIN | CJ Stubbs (SH) | 14:19 |
| Ivan Bondarenko | ||
| BIN | Mac Jansen (EN) | 18:14 |
| Unassisted | ||
| PENALTIES | POWER PLAYS | ||||||
| TEAM |
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TEAM |
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| PHP |
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PHP |
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| BIN |
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BIN |
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| PENALTIES |
| Period 1 |
| PHP - Ben Brockway (Holding) 2 MIN, 2:44 BIN - Jacob Shankar (Roughing) 2 MIN, 14:13 BIN - Dan Wieber (Roughing) 2 MIN, 16:12 PHP - Jamie Bucell (Roughing) 2 MIN, 16:12 BIN - Gehrett Sargis (Charging) 2 MIN, 19:55 BIN - Austin D'Orazio (Roughing) 2 MIN, 19:55 BIN - Austin D'Orazio (Unsportsmanlike Conduct) 10 MS, 19:55 BIN - Jacob Shankar (Roughing) 2 MIN, 19:55 BIN - Jacob Shankar (Unsportsmanlike Conduct) 10 MS, 19:55 PHP - Blake Anderson (Roughing) 2 MIN, 19:55 PHP - Blake Anderson (Unsportsmanlike Conduct) 10 MS, 19:55 PHP - Ben Brockway (Roughing) 2 MIN, 19:55 PHP - Ben Brockway (Unsportsmanlike Conduct) 10 MS, 19:55 |
| Period 2 |
| PHP - Timothy Organ (Interference) 2 MIN, 5:31 BIN - Dan Wieber (Illegal Check to the Head) 2 MIN, 10:58 PHP - Artu Heikkila (Hooking) 2 MIN, 13:30 PHP - Ben Brockway (Boarding) 2 MIN, 15:33 PHP - Vincent Dekumbis (Hooking) 2 MIN, 18:18 |
| Period 3 |
| BIN - Zac Sirota (Delay of Game) 2 MIN, 0:05 PHP - Blake Anderson (Holding) 2 MIN, 5:15 PHP - Brett Lockhart (Unsportsmanlike Conduct) 2 MIN, 8:36 BIN - Dan Wieber (Boarding) 2 MIN, 13:43 |
| Goaltending Stats | |||||||
| Goalie | MIN | SA | SV | W\L | |||
| PHP | Reid Cooper | 58:23 | 35 | 32 | L | ||
| BIN | Dominik Tmej | 59:58 | 26 | 26 | W | ||
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| Officials | |
| Referees | |
| Mike Mahaney | Carmine Vetrano |
| Linesmen | |
| Patrick Meyer | Chris Fordon |
| Coaches | |
| BIN | PHP |
| Brant Sherwood | Matt Graham (P\HC) |
| John Quenneville (A) | Alex Johnson (P\A) |
| Tyson Kirkby (P\A) | Chris Paulin (AHC) |
| Mason Esworthy (VC) | |
| Game Info | |||
| Game # | Time | Date | Atty |
| 320 | 2:37 | 3/13/2026 | 4,893 |
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