By David Dell
BINGHAMTON, NY- With a dominant performance Friday night at McMorran Arena against the defending Commissioner’s Cup champion Black Bears, the Prowlers took their game on the road for the second match up in the divisional semifinals.
Where Port Huron dropped a goose egg in Binghamton’s record book, the tide had turned in New York.
The Black Bears hung the first score at 10:43 of the opening frame on the powerplay that had many Port Huron fans questioning the validity of the call. Player Coach Matt Graham, spun around with his stick raised to avoid a Binghamton player and when he brought it down to the ice, it knocked the Bear’s stick out of his hands. The goal came just 20 seconds after the infraction. Hoping to get out of the period down just one goal, the Brown Bears potted number two with 1:16 remaining before the intermission. The shot was wide of the goal but Tyson Kirkby was able to put the redirect from the shaft of his stick to beat Valteri Nousiainen. Birmingham came out on fire, having their backs to the wall and completely dominated the period. They put up 20 shots and limited Port Huron to two.
Dan Stone put his mark in the score book at 4:46 of the second period for the Black Bears when he grabbed the puck that had been cleared back to his zone. Moving forward from the middle of the ice to the far wall, around a Prowler, then back to the middle and splitting two more Prowlers he fired from point blank to beat Nousiainen for a 3-0 lead. Moments before, the Prowlers thought the puck had hit the safety netting above the glass which would have resulted in a stoppage of play but the officials did not whistle it down. After the goal, Port Huron’s coaching staff challenged the play but had it overturned. Coach Chris Paulin addressed it in his post game interview saying “I was told last weekend down in Danbury, by the official there, that improper stoppage like a puck going out of play, that’s something that’s challengeable, I got confirmation by the head of officials Paul Jene two days ago that’s also something that can be challenged. I talked to the ref and he said that’s not something that can be challenged. I said listen this is a big play in the game. We’ve got to make sure. He went read the rule book, did some light reading in the penalty box, came back and said his interpretation of it is that it’s not challengeable. So, its unfortunate. I don’t mind the refs miss the puck going out of play. There is a lot of chaos out there…I think its important we get on the same page and get clarification of whats challengeable; what is not. Like I said if the head of officials tells me it’s something that can be challenged, unless I misunderstood, then the referees should all know that; we should all be playing by the same rules.” The Prowlers put in extra effort holding Binghamton to just 10 shots on goal and managed to get seven of their own.
Down 3-0 with 20 minutes to play, Ben Brockway and Kyle Stephan tangled for Fighting majors at 1:05 and then at 5:23 Donald Olivieri put Port Huron on the powerplay with a Tripping call. Just two shots were taken with the man advantage. One by the Prowlers’ Braidan Simmons-Fischer, one by the Black Bears’ Christopher Mott. Mott’s went in for the shorty at 7:02 and goal number four for the home team. The Prowlers were the best defensively of the game in the third allowing just seven shots on goal to their eight, but managing less than half of the other team, is not going to produce winning games. At the end of 60 minutes Binghamton had staved off elimination with a 4-0 shutout, and forced a third game Sunday, 27 April. The winner of the game Sunday will face the Carolina Thunderbirds in the championship series. Carolina took two overtime periods to eliminate the Columbus Riverdragons for their first berth in the finals since the 2018-2019 season.
The Prowlers play in the Empire Division of the Federal Prospects Hockey League, now in its’ 15th year.
