The Binghamton Black Bears (44-5-2) shutout the
Danbury Hat Tricks (22-24-5) by the score of 1-0 at the
Visions Veterans Memorial Arena on Friday night in front of
a sell-out crowd in Binghamton. The Black Bears controlled the
opening 20 minutes, dictating pace and owning the puck for long
stretches, but couldn’t solve Danbury netminder Kyle Penton.
Binghamton applied consistent offensive zone pressure and held a
commanding edge in shots, outshooting the Hat Tricks 12-4 in the
frame. Despite multiple quality looks, including power play
opportunities, the Black Bears were unable to break through, as
Penton turned aside everything he faced to keep the game scoreless.
A concerning moment came midway through the period when CJ
Stubbs took a hard spill, getting up slowly before making
his way to the bench. He would return for his next shift, but it was
a sequence worth monitoring.
The middle frame saw the game
tighten up, with both teams settling in and trading chances, but
once again, neither side could find the back of the net. After a
one-sided first period, Danbury pushed back in the second,
generating more sustained pressure and forcing Dominik Tmej
to come up with a handful of key saves. At the other end,
Kyle Penton continued his strong night, turning aside
Binghamton’s chances to keep the shutout intact through 40 minutes.
There was some confusion midway through the period when it initially
appeared Anton Rubtsov had drawn a double-minor for high-sticking on
Dan Stone during a power play sequence. However, after review,
officials determined it was contact with the glove on the
follow-through, no penalty was assessed, wiping out what could have
been a key opportunity. Tensions boiled over late in the period.
After Kaiden Kandereka clipped Tmej with his stick
after the whistle, Jesse Anderson stepped in, and
the two dropped the gloves at 19:35. Anderson made his message
clear, getting in a few extra shots even after Kandereka was down.
With the tension building in a scoreless game, the Black Bears
finally broke through in the final frame—and it came in a moment
that perfectly summed up their persistence all night. At 12:23,
Nick Swain fired a shot that appeared to be handled
by Penton, but the puck slipped through and trickled across the goal
line, giving Binghamton a 1-0 lead with just over seven minutes
remaining. Binghamton continued to control the pace in the third,
outshooting Danbury 17-8, finishing the night with a commanding
38-18 edge in shots on goal. And at the center of it all was
Dominik Tmej, who was flawless once again. The Black Bears
goaltender turned aside all 18 shots he faced to record his 7th
shutout of the season, setting a new franchise single-season mark.
Even more impressive, Tmej has now held opponents scoreless for
215:50, another franchise best.
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