SCHULTZ DELIVERS IN OT

DANBURY CT- The Binghamton Black Bears were able to defeat the Danbury Hat Tricks for the first time this season on Saturday night.  Binghamton picks up their second overtime victory of the season, besting the Hat Tricks 4-3 on the road.  

Chad Lopez, continues to tear through defenses, as he would score the first goal and give Binghamton an early lead three minutes into the game.  Austin Thompson would follow Lopez up with a back-bar snipe of his own.  Binghamton was up 2-0 before the first media timeout.  

In the final seconds of the period Nikita Ivashkin drove to the net, allowing trailer, Josh Newberg, to be in a perfect position to bury a rebound putting the Black Bears in a grand position after the first period.  The Black Bears carried a 3-0 lead into the locker room.  

Danbury played more of their traditional run-and-gun style of the play in the second period.  The Hat Tricks would get rewarded as they were able to score the only goal of the period.   The Black Bears continued to kill penalties as they would end three Danbury power plays without allowing a special teams goal. Binghamton held onto a two-goal led going into the three period.  

The well dried up in the third for the Black Bears as they were not able to generate any sustained pressure in the offensive end.  Danbury continued to crank up the intensity, but still came up empty-handed on two more power plays.  The Black Bears would manage to get off four shots on goal in the final period of regulation.  

Like a switch, Danbury flipped the game on its head in the final five minutes.  Dustin Jesseau and Evan Lugo , both scored and erased the two-goal lead that Binghamton carried for nearly 35 minutes.  After 60 minutes, we did not have a winner.  

3-on-3 overtime began with teams trading chances, but it was Jake Schultz who delivered the knockout punch in this heavy-weight bout.  Initially called no-goal on the ice, the officials met at center ice and determined a Danbury knocked the net off the pegs while the puck was in the net, awarding Binghamton the game-winning goal.  

The heated rivalry will continue next Friday night at 7:00p.m. as the same two teams will meet again.  This time the series will shift to Binghamton for the second time.  Fans can still purchase tickets by calling the office at 607-722-7367 or visiting the team offices on the third floor in Visions Veterans Memorial Arena.   

Stay current with the latest team news by visiting www.binghamtonblackbears.com, by calling 607-722-7367, or visiting the front office on the third floor of the Visions Veterans Memorial Arena. Follow the Black Bears all year long on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tik Tok @BlackBearsFPHL.