Rockers Fall To Black Bears 7-5 In Back and Forth Affair

Fraser, MI — The Binghamton Black Bears have been dominant at home all season, but it has also been a staunch opponent on the road. 

On Friday, the Rockers looked to host the Black Bears for the first time this season in hopes to cut into Binghamton’s division lead.

Unfortunately, Motor City couldn’t keep pace as it chased goals from the second period on as the Rockers lost 7-5 at Big Boy Arena snapping a two game win streak.

The Rockers thought it struck first in the first four minutes with a deflected shot from Scott Coash that was waved off. It was determined that the blade touched the puck too high and a high stick was called. 

That didn’t deter Motor City, however. It emboldened them. 

Midway through the first period Jonthan Juliano centered the puck from the nearside corner to the slot, which allowed Roman Gaudet to step in and rip a shot for a 1-0 lead.

The Black Bears tied the score after a successful power play kill when Jesse Anderson cleared the puck onto the stick of a freed Gavin Yates that hit him in stride out of the box. Yates raced into the Rockers’ end and beat Ricky Gonzalez with a series of dekes for a 1-1 tie with 4:08 to play in the first. 

Binghamton wouldn’t let the lead slip out of its paws the rest of the night. 

44-seconds into the second period the Black Bears newly acquired forward Andrew Uturo earned his first pro goal after a tic-tac-toe back and forth with Gavin Yates that Uturo finished in the far circle for a 2-1 lead.

The Rockers tied the score, 2-2, on the power play off the stick of Jameson Milam when he finished a pass from Nick Gullo in the offensive zone midway through the second period. 

The back and forth continued from there.

Yates earned his second of the night when he sniped the top shelf in the far side circle for a 3-2 lead with 8:04 in the period. Motor City’s Ryan Rotondi picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone and walked into the offensive zone for his first goal of the year for a 3-3 tie five minutes later. Binghamton retook the lead with 29.2 seconds left in the period when Dakota Bohn fired a shot from the point for his first of the night and a 4-3 lead. 

The tug of war continued into the third when Scott Coash tied the score seven minutes into the final frame before the Black Bears used the power play to grab an insurance goal after Jesse Anderson made it a 5-4 game eight minutes later. 

Bohn fired another hard shot from the point after Tyson Kirkby cycled the puck from the half wall that blazed through a crowd for a 6-4 lead. 

Motor City’s Jonathan Juliano earned a power play goal to bring the Rockers within one, 6-5, with 6:21 to play before the Black Bears recorded an empty net goal with 35 seconds left off the stick of Austin Thompson for his 11th of the season. 

Motor City and Binghamton will square off again on Saturday during HomeTown Heroes Night at Big Boy Arena where the puck will drop at 6:05pm.