Black Bears Take Final Game Of The Season On Fan Appreciation Night

The Black Bears and Hat Tricks met for the final time this season as play came to a close at Visions Veterans Memorial Arena. With the playoff picture already decided, the game held personal meaning for the players on the ice. Seven different awards were handed out by the Black Bears, and one player reached a milestone.

The Hat Tricks struck first, as Eli Rivers quickly beat the Black Bears’ defense to give Danbury a 1–0 lead. The Black Bears responded with two goals in 30 seconds to take their first lead of the night. The first came from Ivan Bondarenko, who redirected a C.J. Stubbs shot past Danbury. Bondarenko’s goal tied the single-season point record at 98, as the Russian forward etched his name further into the Black Bears’ history books. Nick Swain then quickly gave the Black Bears the lead, and from there, there was no looking back.

The second period was filled with penalties, but neither side could capitalize with the man advantage. The game remained 2–1 heading into the third period.

The third period was again a tight defensive stalemate, as both sides had their chances, but only Dan Stone’s empty-net goal found the back of the net. The Black Bears took the game by a final score of 3–1.

Dominik Tmej was superb, stopping 34 of the 35 shots he faced. Ayden Pierce also had a strong game, making 33 of the 35 saves he faced. The Black Bears closed out the regular season with the win and reached 143 points. They return to action Wednesday as they travel to Topeka for a matchup with the Scarecrows in the first round of the Commissioner's Cup Playoffs.