Black Bears Win Tight Game In North Carolina

Winston-Salem, NC — The Binghamton Black Bears and Twin City Thunderbirds clashed for just the second time this season as Binghamton made its first trip to North Carolina. The contest fell in favor of the Black Bears by a final score of 3–1, marking their 26th win of the season as their lead in the Empire Division continues to grow.

The opening period was a one-goal affair thanks to Nick Swain. The second-year Black Bear crashed the zone on an odd-man rush and buried the puck past Boris Babik, sending Binghamton into the first intermission with a 1–0 lead.

The second period saw both teams find the back of the net once. Gherett Sargis doubled Binghamton’s lead midway through the frame, but Michael Kocsis responded on the power play to cut the deficit in half. The teams headed to the locker room with the Black Bears holding a 2–1 advantage.

The third period was a tightly contested battle, with chances at both ends of the ice. Only Dan Stone would score, however, as he sealed the win with an empty-net goal to ice the game for Binghamton. The Black Bears took game one of the series by a final score of 3–1.

Dominik Tmej was sensational once again, shutting down the Thunderbirds’ offense by stopping 32 of the 33 shots he faced. Babik was strong at the other end as well, turning aside 40 of 43 shots in the loss. The Black Bears return to action tomorrow night as they face the Thunderbirds once again.