On This Date in Local Sports History: April 29, 1992

This is the first in a series of periodic looks back at nuggets of local sports history:

Binghamton hockey fans felt joy, then heartbreak

The Binghamton Rangers took a 2-1 lead in the American Hockey League’s Southern Division final series by defeating Rochester, 3-1.

Second-period goals from Rob Zamuner and Mike Stevens to go with an empty-netter by Jody Hull led the Rangers before 3,127 in attendance at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena.

Goaltender Mark Laforest made 23 saves to win his sixth of seven playoff starts.

Rochester, however, rallied from a 3-1 series deficit to eliminate host Binghamton in Game 7, 4-2.

The outcome marked the first time in 19 seasons of professional hockey that a Binghamton team lost a decisive Game 5 or Game 7 – 4-0 to that juncture by AHL and NAHL teams, all at The Arena.

“It’s so disappointing,” Zamuner said. “I really thought we had a good chance this year. I still can’t believe we lost. It’s too bad this team’s never going to be together again.”

Pitching-rich softball afternoon

Johnson City’s defending state champions – debuting in state softball rankings as Class B No. 1 - extended their two-season win streak to a 16th game with a 6-1 win at Vestal.

The Wildcats followed Charlene Cook’s three-hit pitching and Chris Dyman’s 3-for-4, two-double, two-RBI hitting against Vestal to a 7-0 record.

Also that day, Union-Endicott’s Jennifer Fitzgerald was in the circle for a second consecutive shutout – falling an inning short of a perfect game – in a 15-0 win against Susquehanna Valley.