By David Dell
PORT HURON- Saturday night saw the Binghamton Black Bears back for game two of the weekend series against the Prowlers and the crowd of 1,435 was treated to a home run festival of scores. Six Prowlers would put up multiple point games and split the series.
Before the entire crowd was in their seats, Binghamton’s Nicolas Poirer picked up a Slashing minor, a Roughing minor and a Fighting major along with Player Coach Matt Graham’s Fighting major at 1:14. Tucker Scantlebury fired a rocket from the right side face off dot and Joel Frazee (8th of the season) was there to hammer the rebound past Black Bear Conner McAnanama to put the Prowlers on top first. The lead would last to almost the middle mark before Austin Fetterly drew a Tripping minor and Scantlebury joined him with a Roughing call at 10:04. Skating 5 on 3, CJ Stubbs was able to tie the game at 10:35. Binghamton gave up one more score in the period when Stephan Diezi (4th of the season) received a pass from Joel Frazee’s take away, low in the slot and beat McAnanama from point blank range. Port Huron was doubled up on shots on goal 6 to 12 for the period but led 2 to 1.
The second period saw a blow out of scoring starting with the Black Bears’ Khaden Henry at 3:17 even strength, to knot the game at 2. A minute and a half later, Christopher Mott put the visitors up by one at 4:54, both even strength followed by Tyson Kirkby’s powerplay goal on a Bryan Parsons’ Roughing minor at 5:13. The score now standing at 4 to 2 in favor of Binghamton. Austin Thompson was called for Roughing and Crosschecking with Prowler Luke James at 9:22 resulting in a Port Huron powerplay. No shots were recorded before Tucker Scantlebury served a bench minor for Too Many Men at 10:44. With the teams back to even strength but on a delayed penalty to Binghamton, Bryan Parsons (1st of the season) fired from the left side blueline and the puck, taking a couple of strange hops found pay dirt to cut the lead to one goal. Just over a minute later at 11:49, Player Coach Alex Johnson (9th of the season) buried a shot from the slot that had rebounded from Dan Chartrand’s attempted wrap around. And just like that the game was knotted back up, 4 to 4. Austin Thompson gave the Black Bears the lead again for a short moment at 14:54. The goal light was not illuminated and the validity of the goal questioned but the tally was put on the scoreboard. In response, the Prowlers were having none of that. At 16:16 Tucker Scantlebury (9th of the season) took a clearing pass out of the defensive zone, raced along the left side boards and went top shelf over the glove to tie it all back up again. Seven goals were scored in the period.
With a whole new ball game to start the third, Austin Thompson potted Binghamton’s 6th goal of the night on their first shot of the frame, at 6:54 but that would be all she wrote. Port Huron took over and never looked back. Reggie Millette evened things up a third time at 8:34 while on the powerplay. The Prowlers moved the puck with ease around the zone before Millette let it fly from the blue line which the Black Bears tried to contest again. Scantlebury assisting on the goal. Stefan Diezi (5th of the season) was the next Prowler to score, his coming at 11:16, when he collected another huge rebound out in the slot from a kick save on Joel Frazee. At 15:14 Player Coach Alex Johnson (10th of the season) put his second goal on the board. Dan Chartrand attempted to corral a bouncing puck in the slot, Ken Stiles took a swipe at it and missed, leaving the jewel laying there for Johnson to slam it into the upper corner of the cage over McAnanama’s glove. Binghamton would pull their goalie three times in the remaining 4:21 of regulation to no avail.
With the split Port Huron’s record stands at 8-12-3-1, good for 4th place in the Empire Division. They travel to Danville, Illinois for a pair of games Friday January 10th and 11th before returning to McMorran Arena on January 17th and 18th for two games against the visiting Mississippi Sea Wolves.
The Prowlers play in the Empire Division of the Federal Prospects Hockey League, now in its’ 15th year.
