First, I would like to congratulate the Binghamton Black Bears hockey team on winning the 2024 season. The Black Bears went undefeated in each round of the playoffs.
They defeated the Carolina Thunderbirds in Game 3 of a best-of-five series in the championship round to win the Commissioner's Cup in front of a sold-out crowd at Visions Veterans Memorial Arena on Friday, May 10th.
Read more: New license plate reader network comes to Binghamton
The Black Bears play in the Federal Prospect Hockey League, a single-A minor professional league comprised of two divisions: the six-team Continental Division and the five-team Empire Division, which includes its closest rivals, the Binghamton Black Bears. It has been. , Elmira River Sharks.
But as the year-long rivalry comes to an end, the Black Bears will no longer make the short drive to Elmira. According to the FPHL's website, the River Sharks will be inactive and recently acquired, with a new name and home in New York state, to be announced on May 20, 2024.
A statement from the team can be found on the Emira River Sharks and FPHL websites.
The Elmira River Sharks would like to take this opportunity to thank our fans for their loyalty and support over the past season. We are truly honored to have been a part of the Elmira community. The offer we submitted to the arena was rejected, however the offer that was submitted to us in its place was not conducive to maintaining a professional hockey team in Elmira. As such, the team has been forced to cease operations and cease activities.
However, former River Sharks players will have a new home, as the River Sharks franchise was recently acquired and will be moving to a new location in New York State. The new team location and name will be announced on Monday, May 20th.
It will be interesting to see which town in New York State will be the new home of the former River Sharks, and whether they will still be in the same division as the Black Bears. Another team is being added to the Federal Prospect Hockey League.
Two more teams are scheduled to join the FPHL starting in the 2024-2025 season. One of the teams will be the Athens Rock Lobster hockey team from Athens, Georgia, according to the Athens Online website.
A new 5,500-seat Classic Center Arena is currently under construction. Another addition to the league is the returning Danville Dashers from Danville, Illinois. That team will be voted out of the arena in 2021.
As for Elmira, it was announced that a new team will be taking over the ice as part of the North American Hockey League, according to the First Arena website. The team will be named the Elmira Aviators and will begin play in the 2024-2025 season.
The Aviators become the second New York team in the NAHL. His other team is the Rochester Junior Americans in Fairport. The NAHL consists of four divisions and includes 35 teams from across the United States.
A small Airbnb house in the Pines
A small Airbnb house in the Pines
Gallery Credit: Hosted by Sam via Airbnb
New York staycation is a nostalgic dream
New York staycation is a nostalgic dream
Gallery credit: The Old Game Farm/Airbnb
