Binghamton Black Bears look to capture third FPHL title, now at home

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. – Visions Veterans Memorial Arena welcomes the Binghamton Black Bears to their third straight Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) appearance against the Florence, South Carolina-based Pee Dee IceCats starting Friday, May 8, and potentially into Sunday, May 10.

“The fact that we have three games in Binghamton, it's effectively a best-of-three series now, and we just have to win two home games to win our third straight title,” a member of the Binghamton Black Bears' media staff said. “And when you have the fans cheering for you rather than cheering against you, it goes a long way.”

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The two-time FPHL champs, who will play the last three games of the series under familiar lights, have a chance to change the tone of the matchup, as the best-of-five series has been tied 1-1, seemingly in favor of the PeeDee IceCats, who have a 4.1 goal average in the playoffs, with the Black Bears sporting a 2.6 average.

What the final scores may not fully communicate – PeeDee IceCats taking Game 1 and beating the Black Bears 5-2 at the Florence Civic Center, and the Black Bears taking Game 2 by dominating in the first period to outlast the South Carolinian stars 2-1 on their home ice – is the heavy effort behind Binghamton’s offense and ability to capitalize on power plays at the expense of the skill of the IceCats' goalie, Breandan Colgan.

The Black Bears’ offense, led by FPHL Forward of the Year Ivan Bondarenko, had 44 shots on goal in Game 1 – nearly twice as many as the PeeDee IceCats – as well as a 22-3 shot difference in the first period of Game 2. A strict defensive zone paired with the quick reaction time of Colgan, who has posted 82 saves in the last two games, has kept Binghamton from achieving its third undefeated finals game series.

The Black Bears’ home advantage, their continuation of being decisive from long range, and the sharpness of rookie Black Bears goalie Dominik Tmej, who was named the FPHL Goalie of the Year after posting a .932 save percentage and seven shutouts to tie the FPHL’s single-season record, are some of the many defining factors that could have Binghamton hoisting the FPHL trophy for the third-straight year.