Before The Black Bears vs Danbury & Watertown 11/27, 11/29, & 11/30

BINGHAMTON- The Black Bears and Hat Tricks will meet for the fourth straight time this Wednesday as the two teams clash for the annual Thanksgiving Eve game. After a tough Saturday down in Danbury the Black Bears will be looking to bounce back as they return to the Visions Veteran Memorial Arena for the first time in two weeks. The team will then travel to the north country to play the empire-leading Watertown Wolves. Binghamton will be without key pieces this weekend as Kyle Stephan is serving the second game of his suspension and Blake Tosto was loaned to the Pensacola Ice Flyers. The Black Bears enter this matchup 10-2-1, good for second in the Empire division with 28 points.

The Hat Tricks look to split the four-game set with the Black Bears after an impressive win last Saturday. The team’s offense had woken up with big nights from forwards Johnny Ruiz, Aleksandr Gamzatov, and Gleb Bandurkin. The Hat Tricks will look to their goalie Connor McCollum once again to be their driving force as he had another sentential weekend. The Hat Tricks come into this matchup 4-4-3, fourth in the Empire division with 14 points.

The Wolves are enjoying a bounce-back season that finds them atop the standings for the first time since 2021. The team has been scoring in bunches this season as forwards such as Kyle Heitzner and Chiwetin Blacksmith have had huge breakout seasons. The Wolves add that to the scoring prowess of Tate Leeson and Trevor Lord who no longer have to carry the entire scoring burden. The Wolves also seem to have fixed their revolving door of goaltenders as Anton Borodkin has been rock solid for them. The Wolves won their only game last week against the Motor City Rockers by an impressive five-goal margin as they skated to an 8-3 final.  The Wolves enter this week 10-1-1, first in the Empire division with 29 points.

Players To Watch

Black Bears - Dan Stone (D) - While Stone was mostly known for his defensive game last season he has seen his scoring production increase over the last few games. Stone was the first defenseman to record a goal this season as he finished his own rebound against the Hat Tricks. He then doubled down and scored a second time the very next game. The 2023 Young Stars squadron defenseman is also known for his ability to stay out of the penalty box. In six games so far this season Stone has only taken two penalty minutes. 

Black Bears - Don Olivieri (F) - Olivieri has always produced for the Black Bears and this season is no different. The veteran forward possesses one of the best shots in the league which defenders tend to only try and block once before learning their lessons. Olivieri is also extremely dangerous on the power play as he uses his aforementioned shooting abilities to blast one-timers past opposing team goaltenders. The man nicknamed the “Don Father” scored two power play goals in his last game and will make his return to the city of Binghamton this week.

Hat Tricks - Connor McCollum (G) - McCollum has been the backbone of the Hat Tricks for the past two seasons since he took over the starting job. McCollum’s ability to completely shut down an opposing team’s offense makes him one of the premier goalies in the league. The goaltender sees a heavy amount of shots each night and consistently is able to keep the opposing team off the scoreboard which makes him such a valuable asset to this Hat Tricks team.

Wolves - Chiwetin Blacksmith (F) - Blacksmith is exactly what the Wolves needed this season as he has taken some of the offense pressure. The Wolves no longer find themselves only getting goals from the likes of Trevor Lord and Tate Leeson as they did last year. Blacksmith showed flashes of an elite wrist shot last year and has taken the next step to become a huge contributor to this team. The rookie forward has scored eight goals and recorded eleven assists so far this season.

Series Statistic

The Black Bears’ special teams are the highlight from the last few weeks as it has been sensational on both ends. The team has not allowed a power play goal in their last 4 games. This has been due to timely defensive blocks as well as the strong goaltending performance from both Connor McAnanama and Nolan Egbert. The power play on the other hand has been connecting as well over the past four games. The team has recorded four power play goals in their last three games with two of them coming from the stick of Don Olivieri. 

Schedule

November 27, 6:00 pm at the Visions Veteran Memorial Arena (Binghamton, NY.)

November 29, 7:30 pm at the Watertown Arena (Watertown, NY.)

November 30, 7:00 pm at the Visions Veteran Memorial Arena (Binghamton, NY.)

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

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.