BB take opening game in busy weekend

BINGHAMTON- The Binghamton Black Bears defeated the Watertown Wolves 6-3 on Friday night, for their first home game of 2025.  Don Olivieri returned to the lineup and scored twice on the power play and CJ Stubbs continued his goal-streak. 

Watertown jumped off the bus ready to play.  The Wolves pressured the Bears early in their own zone leading to a turnover, and after one pass, Watertown scored and was first on the board.  Binghamton battled for control of the puck, but didn’t sustain pressure until they went on their first power play.  In his first game since NYE, Don Olivieri was able to wrist one by the netminder, and tied the game at 1-1.  It appeared the game would be tied at the break, but in the blink of an eye with 17 seconds left, Austin Thompson batted a puck out of mid-air.  Thompson put it just underneath the water bottle, and the Black Bears skated into the room up 2-1.

The Black Bears were held steady in the second period until the halfway point.  Again on the power play, Olivieri was able score his eighth power play goal of the season, now only trailing Tyson Kirkby for the team lead.  CJ Stubbs followed up the Olivieri tally with a goal of his own, extending his goal-streak to five-straight games.  Binghamton had a three-goal lead for the first time in the game, but it only lasted two minutes.  The Wolves cashed in on their second power play of the night, cutting the deficit to two, but in nine seconds time, Binghamton had an answer.  Zac Sirota got a bounce off the glass on a dump-in and was able to whack it into the cage, before anybody else could find it.  After two periods, the Black Bears led 5-2.

In the final frame, Watertown for the second time tonight, scored first in the period.  They cut the lead down to two, but were unable to find the follow-up.  Kyle Stephan capped off the scoring with his ninth of the year, sending all the fans home happy.  Binghamton wins 6-3 on Friday night.

Hockey season is back! Call the Black Bears office at 607-722-7367 or stop into the third-floor hockey offices of Visions Veterans Memorial Arena. Fans can secure their seat for all 28 home games next year and save up to 30% on tickets. Stay current with the latest team news by visiting www.binghamtonblackbears.com and by following the Black Bears all year long on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tik Tok @BlackBearsFPHL.