GAME RECAPS 12/10/22

DELAWARE THUNDER at BINGHAMTON BLACK BEARS 


BINGHAMTON SWEEPS DELAWARE FOR THE SECOND TIME THIS SEASON


by Brooks Hill



Binghamton, NY — The Binghamton Black Bears defeated the Delaware Thunder 6-3 on Saturday night. Gavin Yates made his return to the lineup and collected three assists helping the Black Bears to victory. 

On Teddy Bear Toss Night, presented by 98.1 The Hawk, Binghamton got the scoring started early. 12 seconds early to be exact. Tyler Gjurich extended his point streak to 43 games with the contest’s opening goal. The stuffed animals rained down from the rafters as the Black Bears essentially played with the lead the whole game. Mac Lewis was able to cash in his second goal of the season giving Binghamton a 2-0 lead heading into the locker room. 

Delaware got on the board first in the second, cutting into the lead, making it 2-1. Then Tyson Kirkby would deliver the Black Bears only power play goal of the night, extending the lead back to two. Delaware started to push back in the middle frame, outshooting the Black Bears 12-8. 

Hybrid player, Taylor Cutting, was able to tap in a loose puck in the crease to collect his first goal as a Black Bear and pushing the score to 4-1, early in the third period. Houston Wilson would score a power play goal with about seven minutes remaining and the crowd moved to the edge of their seats, as the lead was back down to two. One minute Kirkby would take a pass from Yates and Gjurich pushing the score to 5-3. Once again, Delaware was able to score their second goal of period, cutting the lead back down to two. 

Like clockwork, the Black Bears were able to score on the next shift once again, Gjurich finished the scoring with a one-timer to seal the deal and led the Black Bears to victory as the first star. 

The Black Bears return to the ice Friday night on December 16th at 7:00P.M. for Summer in December against the Watertown Wolves. Tickets are available online at binghamtonblackbears.com or by calling the office at 607-722- 7367. 



COLUMBUS RIVER DRAGONS at PORT HURON PROWLERS


POWER PLAY LEADS PROWLERS PAST COLUMBUS


by Will Wiegelman



Port Huron, MI - Behind a strong third-period power play, the Port Huron Prowlers defeated the Columbus River Dragons 7-3 on teddy bear toss night at McMorran Place on Dec. 10. The Prowlers scored five man-advantage goals within the first 3:46 of the third period to blow the game open.

Much like the first three contests between these teams this season, the River Dragons jumped out to a multi-goal lead. Thomas Aldworth scored in the first and Cody Wickline got one early in the second to make it 2-0. Bailey MacBurnie took away a few sure goals for the Prowlers but couldn’t hold them down for long.

Dalton Jay sent the teddy bears onto the ice with a breakaway goal late in the middle period. That put Port Huron within striking distance heading into the third. Near the end of the second period, MacBurnie picked up two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties which put the Prowlers on a four-minute power play. After time expired, punches were thrown in the tunnel as Port Huron tried to leave the ice. The result was a five-minute major and game misconduct for Columbus’ Edgars Ozolinsh.

Starting the third period with a long five-on-three power play, the Prowlers went straight to work. Joe Deveny found Tucker Scantlebury, who was on the other end of the punches from Ozolinsh, in the slot for the tying goal 18 seconds into the stanza. Still up two men, Scantlebury scored again, this time on a pass from Evan Foley, to give Port Huron its first lead against the Dragons this season at 3-2.

Sam Marit tapped in a backdoor pass from Jay to double the advantage before Matt Graham and Jay scored the fourth and fifth power-play goals of the period.

Alex Storjohann answered back with a man-advantage goal of his own but that’s as close as Columbus got. Foley hit the empty net to seal it and send the fans home happy.

Officially, the Prowlers were five-for-nine on the power play against the FPHL’s top-ranked penalty kill. Foley’s empty-net goal was the first short-handed goal of the season for Port Huron. Jay finished with a game-high four points and Foley added three. Deveny and Liam Freeborn chipped in a pair of assists while Graham and Marit also had multi-point efforts. Joe Noonan dressed for the first time this season and made 40 saves.

Paul Fregeau picked up two assists and was the only River Dragon with multiple points. MacBurnie stopped 45 shots and allowed a season-high six goals. It was just the second regulation loss of the season for Columbus.

The Prowlers head to Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Thursday, Dec. 15 for a neutral site game with the Mississippi Sea Wolves. Puck drop for that game is scheduled for 7:00 P.M. The two teams will play the following two nights in Biloxi, Mississippi.




CAROLINA THUNDERBIRDS at MISSISSIPPI SEA WOLVES


Sea Wolves Take Down Thunderbirds in Series Finale


by Nick Roesch



Biloxi, MS - The Mississippi Sea Wolves scored three times in the third period on Saturday night to prevail against the Carolina Thunderbirds 6-4 at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum. 

Despite only recording four shots in the opening period, the Sea Wolves hung with the Thunderbirds for a 1-1 stalemate at the first intermission. Philip Wong (17:12) drew first blood for the Sea Wolves before Tucker Firth (19:01) supplied the quick response for Carolina. 

The respective offenses dialed things up in period two with five combined goals. Lucas Rowe (1:09) of the Thunderbirds and Mississippi’s Trevor Finch (3:07) exchanged strikes for a 2-2 score. Peter Panacek and Rowe both scored just 23 seconds apart as the Thunderbirds went up 4-2. While on a penalty kill, Dakota Ulmer cut the Sea Wolves deficit back to one on a breakaway goal at 12:38 of play. 

Trailing 5-4, the Sea Wolves skated out of the dressing room and controlled the third period with three goals between Chuck Costello and Yarolav Yevdokimov, who capitalized twice. Yevdokimov scored both the game-winner and empty net conversion and Justin Barr was credited with back-to-back assists. 

Goaltender Ian Wallace earned his first win in net for the Sea Wolves with a 31-save outing. 

Up next, the Sea Wolves will head to Baton Rouge, Louisiana for their second neutral site game on Thursday, December 15 against the Port Huron Prowlers. The action begins at 7:00pm at the Raising Cane’s River Center and the game will be available for viewing on the Sea Wolves YouTube channel. 

THUNDERBIRDS DROP WEEKEND FINALE TO MISSISSIPPI


by Brett Wiseman

Biloxi, MS - Same story as Friday night, but a different and frustrating ending for the Carolina Thunderbirds. After playing a first period that they dominated possession, continuing to outwork the Mississippi Sea Wolves into the second, it seemed Carolina was destined for a W. The Sea Wolves had other ideas. 

Gritty goals (and assists) from Gus Ford, with help from Petr Panacek, Lucas Rowe and Tucker Firth were not enough.

The Thunderbirds fell 6-4. They head to Fraiser, MI next to tangle with the second place Motor City Rockers.


ELMIRA MAMMOTH at WATERTOWN WOLVES


Wolves Take Game 2 of the Weekend Series, 7-2

by Jeff Barrett



Watertown, N.Y.- For the second night in a row the Watertown Wolves and Elmira Mammoth would face off against each other, this time in the Watertown Municipal Arena. 

Elijah Wilson got the scoring started at the 7:06 mark, taking a feed from Jackson Bond and beating Mammoth starting goal keeper Thomas Proudlock giving the Wolves a 1-0 lead. 

The Wolves would add to the lead when Mathias Tellstrom knocked home the puck under Proudlock assisted by Jackson Bond and Charlie Pens Jr. at the 12:29 mark.

The period would end with that score with the Wolves out shooting Elmira 16-9.

Period number two would find the Mammoth cutting the Watertown lead in half when Stavros Soiles would take a feed from behind the goal from Yanni Liarakos and beat Owen Liskiewicz at 4:01 to make the score 2-1, but just two minutes and five seconds later Mathias Tellstrom would extend the Watertown lead with a one timer to the top right corner of the goal with Jackson Bond being credited with the goal. Time of the goal was 6:06.

From there the flood gates would open wide for the Watertown offense.
Exactly one minute later Tellstrom scored his second goal of the period blasting a slap shop from the top of the left hand faceoff circle, this time to the top left hand side of the cage, with Trevor Lord getting the assist making the score 4-1, and giving Tellstrom a hat trick for the evening. 

Thomas Proudlock was pulled at that point, being replaced by Richard Shipman. But just 2 minutes and fifty eight seconds later, Jackson Bond would find the puck sitting between the right pipe and Shipman's skate and poke it home to make it 5-1. Just after Bond scored there was big collision of players in front of the goal, and Bond ended in the goal with Shipman. Shipman would take exception to the play and retaliated, throwing punches down on Bond. Richard Shipman would the be ejected from the game, and Thomas Proudlock had to return to the net. 

On the resulting power play, Fabian Lehner found himself standing alone in front of the Elmira goal, and was able to redirect a crossing pass from Mathias Tellstrom to make the score 6-1. Chase Carter would also get credited with an assist. The Wolves would take that lead to the locker room, with 20 more minutes to play. 

Period number 3 was a continuation of the Wolves scoring spree with Trevor Lord lighting the lamp at 2:30, and extending the lead to 7-1.
Just shy of eleven minutes gone in the third, Don Carter Jr. cut into the Watertown lead when he was able to get to the short slot area, and slide a shot through the legs of Liskiewicz making the score 7-2.

Mathias Tellstrom would end up with four points on the night to lead the Wolves to the victory.

Watertown out shot Elmira 40-30. The Mammoth were 0 for 5 on power play opportunities, while Watertown ended up 2 for 9 on the extra man advantage.

The teams will meet for the third night in a row, Sunday at 7:00 in the Watertown Municipal Arena.




MOTOR CITY ROCKERS at DANBURY HAT TRICKS


Hat Tricks Sweep Motor City 


by Chris Lynch



Danbury, CT - Saturday night saw the Danbury Hat Tricks complete the season series sweep over the Motor City Rockers with a 5-2 victory.

Jonny Ruiz opened the scoring near the middle point of the first with Daniel Amesbury recording his first assist of the season at the 10:30 mark of the first period on a nifty backhanded shot. Motor City wasted little time, evening the score 2:45 later with Declan Conway completing a power play goal, continuing the success of the most effective FPHL power play before the intermission. 

Danbury cranked up the offense in the second period, claiming the lead again behind a power play goal scored by Dustin Jesseau and Michael Marchesan notching an even strength tally. Dante Suffrendini cut the lead down to a 3-2 difference just before the second intermission. Declan Conway recorded an assist on Suffrendini’s goal for a two-point night. 

Danbury tilted the ice in their favor to finish the night well, scoring the third period’s only two goals courtesy of Michael Marchesan and Jonny Ruiz, who got two goals and an assist each, and allowing nothing to Motor City, spearheaded by Frankie McClendon in net, who stopped all 7 third period shots and 18 of 20 shots for the game. 

Trevor Babin stopped 20 of 25 shots in Motor City’s net. 

Motor City drops to 12-5-3 on the season, still good for second place in the FPHL’s Continental Division, and hosts the Carolina Thunderbirds, the team directly behind them in the standings, for two games next weekend. 

Danbury improves to 15-1-1 and hits the road next weekend, visiting Delaware next Friday and Watertown on Saturday night.