Before the Black Bears vs Athens 4/2 & 4/3

BINGHAMTON- The Black Bears are making their first trip to one of the newest cities in the FPHL Athens, Georgia. The Black Bears clash with the Rock Lobster as Athens looks to steal the number one spot away from the Thunderbirds and lock up home ice in the continental division. The Black Bears continue chasing their goal of 50 wins giving each team a reason to give their all.

The Black Bears head to Georgia after another six-point weekend, this time at the expense of the Danbury Hat Tricks. Night one was in the Visions Veterans Memorial Arena and needed a comeback effort from the home team. The Hat Tricks jumped out to an early two-goal lead thanks to Aleksandr Vasilyev and Chase Harwell. The Black Bears would then turn on the jets as they rattled off six straight tallies. Goals came from Dan Wieber, Chris Mott, C.J. Stubbs, Cam Clark, and Austin Thompson twice, leading to a 6-3 victory on home ice. The matchup then shifted down to the Danbury Ice Arena where the Black Bears played spoiler, taking the game 5-2. Three first-period goals from Kyle Stephan, Zac Sirota, and Austin Thompson were all the team needed, but an extra goal from Nick Swain in the second sealed the deal on a Black Bears victory. The Black Bears enter this matchup 46-5-1, good for first in the Empire Division with 134 points.

The Rock Lobsters enjoyed a huge nine-point weekend against the Baton Rouge Zydeco all at home. The first night was the closest as the two teams traded blows before Athens eventually pulled away for a 4-3 victory. Night two was a show-stealing performance from William Lavalliere as he stopped all 32 shots he faced. Combine that with a four-goal effort from his offense and the Rock Lobster took this one 4-0. The final night was a huge offense outpour as the team put together a ni9ne goal effort. Two-goal performances from Brandon Picard, Matthew Garcia, and Troy Murray were the highlights of this affair as the Rock Lobsters cruised to a big nine-point weekend. The Rock Lobsters come into this matchup 41-8-3, second in the Continental Division with 115 points.

Players To Watch

Black Bears - Tyson Kirkby (F) -  Kirkby is the leader of this Black Bears team and he has shown why he wears that C on his chest every game. The Captain has 33 goals on the season and is currently in a race for the league lead in the category. Tyson returned last week after serving a three-game suspension and his presence was noticeable on the ice. The Three Stooges line was put back together for the first time in quite a while and it was a welcome sign to see them get back in their grove before the playoffs. Kirkby is an important piece to the Black Bears puzzle, the team will need him at his top performance to ensure another long playoff run.

Black Bears - Austin Thompson (F) - Thompson has seen his production rise this season as he eclipsed a new career high in goals. A four-goal weekend last time out four Thompson has put him in a tie with Tyson Kirkby for the team lead. This is huge not just for Austin but the team as a whole. With Thompson and Kirkby on the same line, teams have to respect both guys scoring prowess. Thompson has also taken advantage of catching teams napping on the penalty kill. He is second in the league with four short-handed goals including a game-winner against Danbury last Friday. Thompson seems to get better every year and with another jump, this season for the third-year Black Bear, Austin could be looking at a league lead in goals.

Rock Lobsters - Garret Milan (F) - Milan is enjoying a very successful rookie season and looks to capture some hardware at the end of it all. Milan has kept this Athens team in the driver’s seat for a lot of this season as the team has hovered around the top of the Continental Division. Milan is a much-needed piece for the Rock Lobsters as they set to enter their first Comishners Cup playoffs. The question for the Rock Lobsters is where they will finish as they have been playing a game of leapfrog with the Carolina Thunderbirds. This week will be telling for Milan as he needs to prove he can show up in big games with the biggest ones on the horizon. 

Series Statistic

Four of the league’s top goal scorers do battle this weekend and with the league lead up for grabs it is sure to be a race to the finish. Garret Milan and Kayson Gallant currently lead the way each with 35 goals on the season but the top two Black Bears are on the horizon. Tyson Kirkby and Garret Milan have been the names to watch as each seems to trade blows with both guys grabbing the top spot at one point this season. The fourth name to race up this list is Austin Thompson who has seen his goal production ramp up in the last few weeks. A four-goal performance has catapulted Thompson into the conversation as he sits tied with Kirkby at 33 goals. Each team has two games left after this weekend all against teams fighting for playoff positioning. With a dogfight on the horizon, there is no clear way to predict which of these four forwards will come out on top. 

Schedule

March 7, 7:05 pm at Akins Ford Arena (Athens, GA.)

March 8, 7:05 pm at Akins Ford Arena (Athens, GA.)

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