The Binghamton
Black Bears (38-5-2) earned a tight 3-2 win over the
Watertown Wolves (14-25-5) on Friday night in Watertown.
The opening period in Watertown got off to a quick start as the
Wolves struck almost immediately. Just 24 seconds into the game,
Yefim Mishkin found the back of the net to give the
home team a 1-0 lead, finishing a play set up by Darion
Benchich and Aaron Atwell. The Black Bears
responded quickly and evened the score not long after. At the 2:30
mark of the first period, CJ Stubbs netted his 32nd
goal of the season, tying the game 1-1. Austin D'Orazio
and Dan Stone, who returned to the lineup after his
stint in the SPHL with Roanoke, picked up the assists on the play.
Binghamton had to kill off the first penalty of the night when Dan
Stone was called for tripping at 5:15, but the league’s top-ranked
penalty kill held strong and kept the Wolves from regaining the
lead. Later in the period, Watertown’s Egor Filippov
was whistled for hooking at 18:31, giving the Black Bears their
first power play opportunity of the evening, though they were unable
to convert before the horn. After twenty minutes of play, the game
remained tied 1-1, with the Wolves holding a slight edge in shots on
goal 14-10.
Watertown reclaimed the lead early in the second
period after taking advantage of a turnover by Binghamton in the
offensive zone. With the puck turned over near the blue line,
Egor Filippov broke in alone on an odd-man rush and
beat Black Bears goaltender Dominik Tmej five-hole
at the 4:10 mark, giving the Wolves a 2-1 advantage. Darion
Benchich and Yefim Mishkin were credited
with the assists on the play. The Black Bears responded later in the
period thanks to another big moment from CJ Stubbs.
With 6:05 remaining in the second, Stubbs scored his second goal of
the night and 33rd of the season to tie the game 2-2. The play
started with a beautiful drop pass from Ivan Bondarenko in front of
the Watertown net to Scott Ramaekers, who fired the
initial shot on Wolves goaltender Ricardo Gonzalez.
Stubbs was in the right place at the right time, cleaning up the
rebound and banging it home to even the score. The middle frame was
played cleanly with no penalties called on either team, and after
forty minutes the teams headed into the second intermission
deadlocked at 2-2.
The Black Bears carried their momentum
into the third period and finally broke through for their first lead
of the night midway through the frame. After Watertown’s
Adam Zimmerman was called for hooking at 5:26, the Wolves
were whistled again at 7:41. During the delayed call, Binghamton
pulled goaltender Dominik Tmej for the extra
attacker, and it paid off as Scott Ramaekers fired
home his 12th goal of the season to give the Black Bears a 3-2 lead.
Gavin Yates and Mac Jansen picked
up the assists on the go-ahead goal.
The remainder of the
period featured a series of penalties as the physical play ramped
up. Dan Wieber and Hunter Hall
were both assessed slashing minors at 14:16, followed shortly after
by Matthew Gordon taking a slashing penalty at
14:50. Gordon was sent back to the box again later in the period for
cross-checking at 17:16, giving the Black Bears additional power
play opportunities. Late in the game, Austin D’Orazio
was called for tripping at 19:44, but Binghamton’s top-ranked
penalty kill stood tall to secure the victory. The Black Bears
controlled the shot totals throughout the night, outshooting
Watertown 22-10 in the second period and 20-5 in the third,
finishing with a commanding 52-29 advantage in shots on goal.
Dominik Tmej was solid between the pipes, stopping
27 of 29 shots to earn his 23rd win of the season, improving his
record to 23-2-1. With the win, the Black Bears also reduced their
magic number from 11 to 8 in their quest to clinch the Empire
Division title, continuing their dominant season. |
