Binghamton sweeps away Danbury

by Brooks Hill

BINGHAMTON- The Binghamton Black Bears defeated the Danbury Hat Tricks 5-2 on Saturday night in front of 3,600 fans.   Don Olivieri scored twice and Brenden Stanko gave the Black Bears the insurance goal they needed in the final period.   

The Black Bears started the scoring thanks to Josh Fletcher recording his 3rd goal of the season, all of which have come against the Hat Tricks.  The lead was short-lived as Danbury was able to tie the game courtesy of Michael Falanga, his 1st of the year.   Danbury went to the locker room outshooting Binghamton 13-9, but the game was square at 1-1.

Binghamton reclaimed the lead early in the middle frame as Don Olivieri made a mad dash towards the net and knocked in a rebound.  His 3rd goal of the season put Binghamton up 2-1.  Olivieri didn’t stop there… Danbury got into penalty trouble and found themselves on the wrong end of a 5-on-3 scenario.  Binghamton was able to score one time, as the rocket from Olivieri’s stick was heard around the arena.  As the arena came alive, Jonny Ruiz silenced the crowd with a beautiful unassisted goal, sending Danbury to the second breakdown by one. 

The third period began with back-and-forth action that didn’t see a whistle until the 16:00 mark.  Even though Danbury was pushing forward to tie the game, Binghamton did a better job than last night, pushing Danbury towards the outside.  Halfway through the period, Brenden Stanko scored his team-high 12th goal of the campaign, giving Binghamton a two-goal cushion.   Time began to slip away from Danbury, and they vacated the net with three minutes to go.  They had a few chances, but history was made with the final goal of the night.  Nikita Ivashkin scored the empty net goal, marking his 100th as a Black Bear, the first player in franchise history to do so.  

Binghamton wins the game 5-2, sweeps the weekend 3-0-0, and picks up eight of the nine available points.    

2023-24 Prorated Season Tickets are still on sale! Call the Black Bears office at 607-722-7367 or stop into the third-floor hockey offices of Visions Veterans Memorial Arena. Save up to 30% on tickets and receive over $200 in benefits.

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