Game Recap 12/16/22

WATERTOWN WOLVES at BINGHAMTON BLACK BEARS


BINGHAMTON FALLS ON HOME ICE


by Brooks Hill
Binghamton, NY - The Binghamton Black Bears fell at home Friday night to the Watertown Wolves 5-2. The Black Bears winning-streak ends at 4-games as Owen Liskiewicz shines as Watertown’s netminder. 

The contest started like a boxing match, both teams felling each other out early in the first period, with no real high-danger chances. Watertown began to tilt the ice in their favor halfway through the period, and they would be rewarded. Ben Maidment threw a wrist towards the net and with a deflection off a defender, Watertown took the lead 1-0. The Black Bears had a couple of chances late in the period but were unbale to convert any 5on5 chances. The Wolves had the lead after 20.   

Fireworks ensued during the middle frame, as the Wolves were able to extend their lead to 3-0. However, after the third goal, the Black Bears answered the wake-up call. Bret Parker followed up a Nikita Ivashkin stuff chance and got the Black Bears on the board. 

10 penalties would be issued in the second, after none were given out during the first. Neither team was able to score on the power play on Friday night.  Binghamton out-shot Watertown 16-12 in the period, but still found themselves in a two-goal deficit. 

The Black Bears would kill off four minutes to begin the third, trying to generate momentum. Jesse Anderson was inches away from making it a one-goal game, But Owen Liskiewicz made a dazzling save to keep the Black Bears out of the net. Late in the period the Black Bears would go on a power play, but the Wolves would be the team to score on special teams. A short-handed goal was thought to be the nail in the coffin, but Tyler Gjurich found career goal 299 and extend his point streak to 45-games. 

Watertown found an empty-netter and that would be the final goal of the night, Watertown wins 5-2 on Friday night.  


CAROLINA THUNDERBIRDS at MOTOR CITY ROCKERS


 Special Teams Carry Rockers To 6-3 Win Over Carolina


by Ben Szilagy



Fraser, MI - Motor City was looking to rebound after a tough road trip out east to Danbury where it dropped two games after beating Watertown the night before.

The Rockers earned a 6-3 thanks to its special teams to beat Carolina for the first time this season in the team’s first meeting of the year.

Carolina (10-6-1) utilized sustained offense in the offensive zone to grab a 1-0 lead with 5:11 into the first. 

Petr Panacek moved the puck down low behind the goal line where it was tied up for a brief moment. Jan Salak was able to collect and feed the puck between his legs to Jiri Pestuka for a point blank shot for his fourth of the season. 

Twelve minutes later a tenacious forecheck by Joe Kennedy intercepted a breakout pass from the Rockers that he worked deep into the offensive zone. Kennedy fired a point blank shot for his first of the season and 2-0 lead with 6:14 to play in the first.

Motor City (13-5-3) wouldn’t be kept off the board in the first period, however, as the Rockers were able to get one back 40 seconds later. 

Vaughn Clouston fed the puck from the farside point down to the nearside corner to Everett Thompson. Thompson fired the puck on the net and the rebound leaked out to the feet of Roman Gaudet who banged home his seventh of the season. 

Thompson received his seventh assist of the season and Clouston earned his fifth assist of the year as well.

After Motor City survived the early barrage from Carolina, it was the Rockers who rolled the rest of the way thanks to its special teams.

After securing a goal by Dylan Johnson for his sixth goal in six games to tie the score at 2-2 1:44 into the second period, Carolina earned its last goal of the night on its lone powerplay goal for the night on a hard blast from the point for a 3-2 lead with 13:51 left in the second period.

Motor City’s league leading power play helped even the odds when Brad Reitter tied the score, 3-3, four minutes later with his third power play goal of the season. Then came a big moment late in the second where the game lay in the balance.

Motor City had to kill off a five-minute major in the last 6:15 of the period. Not only were the Rockers able to kill the power play, it was able to secure its first short-handed goal in franchise history. 

Reitter chipped the puck ahead to Derek Makimma who secured it through the offensive zone. Using long strides, he was able to slip ahead of the defense who was stride-for-stride with him until the last moment when Makimma moved into the slot and fired in the puck for a 4-3 lead.

The Rockers secured its second power play goal from Declan Conway 2:16 in the third period on a quick pass from Scott Coash for his 11th of the season and a 5-3 lead before Coash earned an empty net goal late in the third for a 6-3 win.

Trevor Babin was in net for the Rockers and stopped 30 shots in his seventh win of the season. 


THUNDERBIRDS FALL SHORT AGAINST ROCKERS


by Brett Wiseman

Fraser, MI - The Carolina Thunderbirds again had the offensive output they needed, but again the defense didn't match up.

Joe Kennedy's unofficial first goal as a Thunderbirds, Jiri Pestuka's fourth goal of the season, and a Blake Peavey power play one-timer made up the offense, but the defense still fell short of their mark.

 Six goals against led to a 6-3 defeat at the hands of the second place Motor City Rockers.

Carolina will look to bounce back to avoid their fourth loss in seven games tomorrow night against the Rockers.



ELMIRA MAMMOTH at COLUMBUS RIVER DRAGONS


RIVER DRAGONS COME FROM BEHIND TO BEAT MAMMOTH

Aldworth Hat Trick Ices Win; Jmaeff

Records Two Assists in Columbus Debut


by Tom Callahan



Columbus, GA.- The Columbus River Dragons scored twice in a 30-second span to turn a 3-2 deficit into a 4-3 lead en route to a 5-3 win over the Elmira Mammoth on Friday night.

Trailing by a goal late in the third period, Austin Daae started the comeback effort with his sixth of the season at 16:16 followed at 16:46 by Thomas Aldworth’s second of three goals on the night which turned out to be the game winner. Aldworth would cement the win and the hat trick with an empty net goal at 19:57 for the 5-3 final.

Alexander Jmaeff made his River Dragons debut, contributing two assists in the victory. Daae finished with a goal and an assist as did Josh Pietrantonio Bailey MacBurnie earned his ninth win of the season with 18 saves. 

Saturday night at 7:30 is Teddy Bear Toss and Ugly Sweater Night presented by McDonald’s. There will also be a collection for Toys for Tots as well as an ugly sweater contest with the winning fan receiving a team-used, autographed stick! McDonald’s Family Four Packs are still available through the River Dragons office by calling 706-507-4625.



PORT HURON PROWLERS at MISSISSIPPI SEA WOLVES


Sea Wolves Drop 9-6 Slugfest to Prowlers


by Nick Roesch



Biloxi, MS -Despite scoring six goals in front of their home crowd, the Mississippi Sea Wolves fell short on Friday 9-6 to the Port Huron Prowlers at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum.

Port Huron found another hot start, going up 2-0 with strikes from Austin Fetterly and Joseph Deveny. Yaroslav Yevdokimov chopped the deficit in half in the final five minutes of the first period.

Yevdokimov picked up where he left off in the second period, tying the game 2-2 at the 6:34 marker. The Prowlers went into high gear and grouped together goals between Deveny, Dalton Jay, Sam Marit and Liam Freeborn. Trailing 6-2, Philip Wong and Matt Caranci provided damage control for Mississippi by scoring back-to-back before the conclusion of period two.

Port Huron proved to be resilient in the third with Larry Vartiainen and Matt Graham pairing up on the goal count for an 8-4 Prowlers lead. After 7:41, Yevdokimov secured his second hat trick and Mississippi’s third of the season.

The Sea Wolves’ final goal of the night was fired in by Justin Barr, but their success ran out with Sam Marit’s empty net tally with nine seconds on the scoreboard.

Mississippi recorded a whopping 56 shots on opposing goaltender Joe Noonan, while the Sea Wolves goaltending core faced 33 between starting goaltender Ian Wallace and backup Blake Weyrick.

The penalty kill units flexed their defensive muscles from both sides. The Sea Wolves went 1/7 on the man-advantage, while the Prowlers were stonewalled at 0/4.

The final matchup of the weekend between the Sea Wolves and Prowlers will go down tomorrow in Biloxi. The puck will meet the ice at 7:05pm inside the Mississippi Coast Coliseum. 


DANBURY HAT TRICKS at DELAWARE THUNDER


Hat Tricks Topple Thunder


by Chris Lynch



Harrington, DE — Friday night took the Danbury Hat Tricks to Delaware for the first time this season and brought the Hat Tricks across the Delaware Thunder’s path for the first time since the opening weekend. Danbury took their offensive show on the road with a strong third period separating the Hat Tricks and Thunder to a 6-3 final.

Zach Pamalayon opened the scoring at the 5:07 mark of the first period. Delaware’s Ryan Marker evened the score 5:14 later and the game went into the first intermission tied 1-1.

Danbury notched two goals in the second period and nearly had a third. Dustin Jesseau was denied a goal on an offsides play and proceeded to score both goals in the second period. The first came at the seven minute mark assisted by Brendan Sheehan and newly arrived defenseman Riley Robertson. The second came on the power play at the 14:21 mark to extend the lead to 3-1 at the intermission.

Jarod Yau notched his first FPHL goal just 3:26 into the third period to extend the lead to 4-1. Delaware pushed back, scoring two goals in the third to cut the deficit to 4-3. Ryan Marker scored his second goal of the game at the 5:27 point and Denis Gafarov reduced the deficit to just one at the 15:05 mark. Danbury responded with two late goals to ice the game. Zach Pamalayon went first on even strength for his second goal of the game while Dustin Jesseau ended the night with his hat trick goal and the team’s second power play goal of the evening, wrapping up the scoring at 6-3.

Daniel Amesbury recorded three assists on the evening. Pamalayon added an assist to his two goals to join Amesbury and Jesseau atop the game’s scoring counter with three points. Jarod Yau and Dmitry Kuznetsov also had two points.
Brian Wilson stopped 17 of 20 shots on net while Delaware’s Trevor Martin stopped 39 of 45 shots.

The Hat Tricks improve to 16-1-1, four points clear of Binghamton for first place in the FPHL and two points clear of Columbus for first place in the FPHL overall.
Danbury travels north to face the defending Commisioner’s Cup Champion Watertown Wolves on Saturday night. Puck drops at 7:30 PM at the Watertown Arena.