Before the Black Bears vs Watertown 3/21 & 3/22

BINGHAMTON- This weekend the Black Bears are back on the road for their final trip to the North Country this regular season. The last meeting between these two was an exciting one as the matchup seemed destined for extra time. The Wolves started the scoring before C.J. Stubbs would respond twice giving Binghamton a 2-1 lead. The game would stand here until Carter Thornton tied the game late. Josh Fletcher and Cam Clark would play heroes as the duo scored 15 seconds apart propelling Binghamton to the 4-2 victory. 

The Black Bears are on the road after enjoying two victories at home this past weekend. The first came at the expense of the Danbury Hat Tricks as rookie goalie C.J. Hapward recorded his first professional win. The Hat Tricks would jump out to a 3-1 lead before three straight Black Bear goals from Stubbs, Ramaekers, and Bohn, completed the comeback ensuring a 4-3 win. The next night was highlighted by goaltending as Connor McAnanama and Mario Cavaliere reignited their Commissioner's Cup Final rivalry with Carolina coming to town. Both seemed impenetrable until Auston Thompson cracked through in the second period. This would be the only goal in the game as McAnanama stopped all 26 of Carolina shots for his fourth shutout of the year, and a 1-0 Black Bears victory. The Black Bears enter this matchup 42-5-1, good for first in the Empire division with 122 points.

Watertown had the same matchups as Binghamton last week just a day earlier. Thursday, they took on Danbury and rattled off a good start to the contest as they scored the first two goals of the game. Trevor Lord and Carter Thornton found the back of the net before a Danbury barrage saw them score five goals in a row, taking the game 5-2. The next night Carolina came into town and the Wolves just had no answer for the Thunderbirds’ offense. Carolina scored the first four goals before Chase DiBari responded. This would be the only tally the Wolves would get as they surrendered another three straight goals dropping the contest 7-1 Watertown will need to tighten up their defense if they want to beat Binghamton and lock up a postseason spot. The Wolves come into this matchup 25-18-3, fourth in the Empire Division, with 73 points.

Players To Watch

Black Bears - Dale Deon (D) - Deon joined the Black Bears just a few short weeks ago but his impact has been felt ever since. Deon brings veteran experience and with two President Cups under his belt he knows what it takes to win. Dale has yet to score in a Black Bear’s uniform but expect that to change soon as the defenseman has been putting more shots on goal recently. His high hockey IQ and strong shot combine to make a fantastic steady presence on the Binghamton blue line.

Black Bears - Kyle Stephan (F) - Stephan looks to return this weekend after a lower-body injury kept him sidelined. While Kyle may not have been able to be on the ice he was certainly in the fight with his team as he joined them to coach, on the bench. Stephan’s offense has been clutch for Binghamton all season long and with him returning to fold right before the playoffs Binghamton gains a huge offensive weapon. Stephan is a huge part of the core Binghamton has built and the only question to his return will be where he will be in the line-up this coming weekend.

Wolves Steven Klinck (F) - Klinck was traded to the Watertown organization halfway through the season as he rejoins many of his former River Sharks teammates. The hope in the North Country was that Klinck could find the success he had with the likes of Davide Gaeta and Kyle Powell. He has certainly done this as through 13 games with Watertown Klinck has recorded ten goals and nine assists. The offense was never a problem for Klinck and Watertown will surely need him to bring his A-game if they want postseason success.

Series Statistic

Madness is not just for basketball as the playoff race is alive and well in the FPHL. Five teams have secured their spots including three in the Empire division. The Black Bears may have their number one seed locked up but their opponents are still fighting to secure postseason games. The Wolves are on the line and right now are occupying a play-in game spot. Expect the team to come out hungry and try to jump Port Huron in the standing and avoid that extra play-in game. The team’s next opponents are also looking to lock in playoff seeding as both Danbury and Athens are trying to secure home ice. Danbury is looking to sure up their number two spot and Athens is currently in a dog fight for that Continental number one seed with Carolina. We can expect some high-stakes and entertaining hockey in the coming weeks.

Schedule

March 21, 7:30 at the Watertown Municipal Arena (Watertown NY.)

March 22, 7:30 at the Watertown Municipal Arena (Watertown NY.)

You can watch both games on the Binghamton Black Bears YouTube channel.