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History has officially been written in Binghamton. The
Binghamton Black Bears are once again champions of the FPHL,
defeating the Pee Dee IceCats 4-2 in Game 4 of the
Commissioner's Cup Finals on Saturday night at Visions Veterans
Memorial Arena to capture their third consecutive Commissioner's
Cup Championship. With the victory, the Black Bears became just the fourth
minor professional hockey franchise in the last century to complete a
three-peat, joining the Springfield Indians (AHL), Fort Wayne Komets (IHL),
and Florida Everblades (ECHL). In front of another packed and deafening
crowd in Binghamton, the Black Bears overcame an early deficit before
dominating the middle portion of the game to secure the
championship-clinching win.
The opening period carried the intensity
expected from a potential championship-clinching game. Both teams exchanged
physical play early, with scrums after whistles and several momentum swings
throughout the first twenty minutes. Binghamton controlled much of the puck
possession and outshot the IceCats 12-9 in the frame, but Pee Dee found the
breakthrough late in the period. After Noah Robinson was
sent to the box for holding at 18:03, the Black Bears appeared poised to
head to the power play with an opportunity to strike first. Instead, the
IceCats delivered a massive momentum swing. Houston Wilson
intercepted a play and broke free shorthanded before beating
Dominik Tmej at 18:47 to give Pee Dee a 1-0 lead. Drew
Welsch earned the assist on the goal as the IceCats grabbed the
advantage despite being outshot.
Championship teams respond, and the
Black Bears responded like champions. Just 36 seconds into the second
period, Gavin Yates tied the game after finishing off a
setup from Tyson Kirkby and Dan Stone.
The goal ignited the building and completely shifted momentum in
Binghamton's favor. Less than two minutes later, Gehrett Sargis
gave the Black Bears the lead for good. Kyle Stephan
created the opportunity, and Sargis buried the chance at 2:12 to make it
2-1. The Black Bears continued pouring on the pressure, and at 5:11, the
two connected again—this time with Sargis returning the favor to Stephan,
who extended the lead to 3-1. Binghamton's dominant period was capped off
midway through the frame when Scott Ramaekers blasted home
a power-play goal at 10:51. Ivan Bondarenko and
Tyson Kirkby earned assists as the Black Bears pushed the lead to
4-1 and brought the crowd to its feet once again. While the IceCats
attempted to generate momentum later in the period, the Black Bears
continued to control play defensively and received steady goaltending from
Dominik Tmej whenever called upon. By the end of the
second period, Binghamton had completely flipped the game and moved within
twenty minutes of history.
With a championship within reach, the
Black Bears locked things down defensively in the final period. Pee Dee
attempted to mount one final push and cut the deficit to 4-2 at 10:53 when
Charlie Bedard scored off a feed from Nicholas
Magill-Diaz. The IceCats generated more pressure throughout the
third period, outshooting Binghamton 10-4 in the frame, but Dominik Tmej
and the Black Bears defense held firm. Binghamton successfully killed off
third-period penalties to Jacob Shankar and Zac
Sirota while continuing to clog shooting lanes and protect the
front of the net. As the final seconds ticked away, the crowd inside
Visions Veterans Memorial Arena rose to its feet knowing history was
moments away. When the horn finally sounded, gloves, sticks, and helmets
flew into the air as the Black Bears officially secured their third
straight Commissioner's Cup Championship. The championship run once again
highlighted the core leadership and culture built inside the organization
under head coach Brant Sherwood, who has now coached all three title teams.
Several players also cemented their place in Black Bears history by being
part of all three championships: captain Tyson Kirkby, Gavin Yates, Kyle
Stephan, Jesse Anderson, Connor McAnanama, Scott Ramaekers, Dan Stone, and
Dan Wieber all played key roles across the dynasty run.
For the Pee
Dee IceCats, the loss closes one of the most remarkable inaugural seasons
in recent FPHL history. From expansion franchise to Commissioner's Cup
Finalists, the IceCats proved throughout the postseason that they belonged
among the league's elite. But this night belonged to the Black Bears. Three
straight years. Three straight championships. A dynasty officially etched
into minor professional hockey history.
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