GAME RECAPS 1/27/23

PORT HURON PROWLERS at COLUMBUS RIVER DRAGONS


COLGAN MAKES FPHL HISTORY AGAIN AS RIVER DRAGONS BLANK PROWLERS

Sixth Shutout of the Season Sets New League Mark


by Tom Callahan

Columbus, GA –Columbus River Dragons goaltender Breandan Colgan has once again made FPHL history, notching his sixth shutout in a single season on Friday night with 21 saves against the Port Huron Prowlers in a 7-0 win.

Colgan set league records earlier this season with four consecutive shutouts and a scoreless streak that reached a total of 259:41. Now he enters the record books again as his stellar rookie season continues.

Both Jacob Kelly and Cody Wickline scored twice while Alex Storjohann had three assists and Thomas Aldworth scored once and added two assists in the victory.

One of Kelly’s goals was a shorthanded marker, and the River Dragons improved to 7-0 when scoring a shorthanded goal this season.

The same two teams are back in action tomorrow at 7:30 pm on Pink the Rink Night, honoring those who have fought and continue to fight the courageous battle against cancer. Tickets are on sale starting at 10 am at the Columbus Civic Center Box Office.


DANBURY HAT TRICKS at BINGHAMTON BLACK BEARS


Black Bears Best Hat Tricks


by Brooks Hill



Binghamton, NY.- The Binghamton Black Bears defeated their Empire Division rivals, the Danbury Hat Tricks, by a final score of 6-2. Binghamton uses a three-goal second and third period to propel themselves to victory for the secondstraight victory over Danbury. 

During a scoreless first, the Black Bears were able to generate 17 shots on goal, compared to the Hat Tricks six. Neither team went on the power play, as the teams played 5-on-5 for the entire 20 minutes. A crowd of 4,622 was eagerly waiting for something to cheer about. 

The second period opened with the Black Bears going on the power play, but they were unable to convert. Danbury received the next extra-man opportunity, this time with a different result. The struggling Danbury powerplay was able to convert on the first try, making it 1-0 Danbury. The Black Bears would tie the game at 1-1 with Ivashkin’s first of the night, just a minute later. Binghamton grabbed the lead, scoring back to back goals, thanks to Austin Thompson on the power play.

Dustin Jessau was able to push the game back to even terms with a beautiful goal on the backhand. Once again, the Black Bears had an answer almost immediately. Bret Parker wristed one past the goaltender, giving he Black Bears a 3-2 advantage. After a slow first period, the offense ramped up for five-combined goals. 

The third period was controlled by Black Bears. Three more goals found the net for the Black Bears. Ivashkin tailed the highlight-reel goal by executing a backhand-wraparound goal to give either side the first two-goal led of the entire night. JT Walters was able to score his first of the season to extend the lead to three. Then, Gavin Yates was able to ice the game away with an empty net goal.

Black Bears win 6-2.

Binghamton will travel on the road to take on the Delaware Thunder. Binghamton leads 5-0-0 in the season series so far. The Black Bears will return home next weekend on Friday, February 3 rd and Saturday, February 4 th for Mental Health Awareness Night, and Star Wars Night. Tickets are available at Binghamtonblackbears.com.


Hat Tricks Fall in Binghamton


by Chris Lynch

Binghamton, NY - Saturday, January 21st  offered a tense, back and forth matchup between the Danbury Hat Tricks and Binghamton Black Bears. Friday night offered a rematch in the Valley of Opportunity and while the first two periods were competitive, the third got out of hand for the Hat Tricks.

After a goal-less first period, the teams combined for five second period tallies. Michael Marchesan opened the scoring with a power play goal against his former team at the 6:43 mark of the frame. Nikita Ivashkin and Austin Thompson answered with goals at the 9:03 and 11:14 marks respectively to take the Black Bears’ first lead of the game. Dustin Jesseau countered with a beautiful solo drive to tie the game at the 15:09 point, but Brett Parker restored the Binghamton lead before the second intermission.

Nikita Ivashkin opened the third period with his second goal of the game 4:38 into the third and recorded an assist on JT Walters’ goal at the 5:52 point of the frame to complete his four point night and put Binghamton ahead 5-2. Gavin Yates capped off the night with an empty-net goal to end the scoring at 6-2 and give the Black Bears a win over the Hat Tricks.

Danbury drops to 22-4-4 while Binghamton improves to 21-7-2. The Black Bears climb to 63 points in the standings, sitting only two points behind the Hat Tricks’ total of 65.

Brian Wilson stopped 38 of 43 shots on net for Danbury while Riley McVeigh stopped 29 of 31 shots for Binghamton.
Danbury will regroup with a home matchup at the front end of a home-and-home with the Elmira Mammoth on Saturday night at the Danbury Arena. Puck drops at 7PM. 



DELAWARE THUNDER at ELMIRA MAMMOTH


Mammoth Win Streak Extends to 6 Games 

by Jacob Johnson

Elmira, NY - The Elmira Mammoth continue their winning streak at 6 games defeating the Delaware Thunder by a score of 6-3 at First Arena. 

The Mammoth got some goals from some new faces in their lineup tonight, starting things off was Blake Cudmore. He took a shot from the blue line that started the scoring off to give the Mammoth a 1-0 lead. Isaiah Crawford and Stavros Soilis received the assists. 

About 9 minutes later in his 2nd game with his new squad Ricards Jelenskis found the back of the net. He would play it to himself off the boards for an unassisted goal, to give the Mammoth a 2-0 lead. 

To tighten the gap in the 2nd period Eric Melso scored his 1st of the night to make things 2-1 at First Arena. The rest of the 2nd period would be back and forth with some great goaltending from Harley White and Trevor Martin. 

Also in his 2nd game for the new club M.J. Maerkl found the net in back to back games for his 2nd of the season. He showed off his silky mitts to score backhanded on Martin to make it 3-1. Crawford and Wild received the apples. 

To stretch the gap some more Jelenskis buried a shot past Martin for his 2nd of the night to make it 5-1. Chris Hunt and Nick Gullo each earned an assist. 

To end the scoring for Elmira, Soilis put on some fancy moves in the neutral zone to give himself some space down main st. to make it 6-1 Elmira, another unassisted goal for the Mammoth.

With less than a minute left T.J. Delaney and Eric Melso each found the back of the net to make the final score 6-3 Mammoth. 

The Mammoth extended their win streak to 6 games and they will move on to face the Danbury Hat Tricks tomorrow night at 7PM at the Danbury Ice Arena, they will be back home Sunday afternoon at 3PM against Danbury.




WATERTOWN WOLVES at MOTOR CITY ROCKERS


 Rockers Tame Wolves With 3-2 Win


by Ben Szilagy



Fraser, MI.- Motor City has rattled off three straight wins against the defending Commissioner Cup Champions Watertown Wolves, and on Friday night the Rockers were looking to make it four. 

Thanks to an early goal in the third period by Scott Coash, Motor City earned a 3-2 win over the Wolves at Big Boy Arena. 

The Rockers jumped out to an early lead, like it has in most of its games the past two weeks, thanks to the help of a new face. 

Defenseman DeVon Fields, who was signed on Wednesday Jan 25th, started his first game as a Rocker and took advantage of it right from the start earning two assists in the first period.

Three minutes into the game, Fields carried the puck into the offensive zone along the far side wall and crashed the Watertown net, offering a backhanded shot that was initially saved. Forward Everett Thompson followed the play from the opposite side and put away his fifth goal of the season for a 1-0 lead. 

A minute later, Fields was another key cog in the Rockers’ offense. 

Coash played the puck rinkwide to Fields who then carried into the offensive zone. As he stopped at the top of the left circle, he feathered a pass to Conner Inger who then fired a quick wrister for a 2-0 lead for his first as a Rocker.

The Wolves wouldn’t go away quietly as its offense howled into action at the end of the 1st period. 

Crashing the offensive zone on the forecheck, Brendan Hussey created a turnover at the end line. As he gathered the puck, he found Larry Yellowknee in the slot for a quick tic-tac-toe connection that cut into the lead, 2-1.

Nothing was resolved in the second period as both Trevor Babin and Owen Liskiewicz stopped every shot they faced, keeping the scoresheet clean. Babin stopped 28 shots in the win, and Liskiewicz stopped 38 in the loss. 

Coash earned the game winning goal early in the third when he intercepted a puck played by Liskiewicz in the offensive zone. As Coash worked the puck to the far side, he found a key hole to fire the puck through for a 3-1 lead with 15:16 left in the third. 

The Wolves’ answered back with a goal form Parker Moskal off a face-off draw while Watertown was on the power play for his first in the Wolves’ uniform to cut into the lead 3-2. 

Watertown had one final offensive rush after pulling Liskiewicz with 1:52 to play and kept the pressure on Motor City, but the Rockers were able to keep the game tying goal out of the net for the win. 

Motor City hosts the Wolves in the final game of the season series on Saturday night at 7:00pm, as the Rockers honor Heroes at Big Boy Arena. First Responders, EMTs, and Dispatchers all can get a buy-one get one free with proof of ID at the ticket office. 



MISSISSIPPI SEA WOLVES at CAROLINA THUNDERBIRDS


THUNDERBIRDS OUTLAST SEA WOLVES TO OPEN HOMESTAND


by Brett Wiseman



Winston-Salem, NC.- The Carolina Thunderbirds outlasted a determined Mississippi Sea Wolves squad 3-2 to open a season-long six game homestand. 

The Sea Wolves outshot the Thunderbirds 36-34, but stalwart netminding from Mario Cavaliere aided Carolina's triumph.

In a game that was physical and tight-checking, the Thunderbirds took advantage of the chances they were given. 

Joe Kennedy opened the scoring for the Thunderbirds, converting on a perfectly executed shorthanded 2-on-1 break with Jiri Pestuka to tie the game at 1 late in the first.

A little over a minute later, another Kennedy shot was tipped home by Justin Pringle. His power play goal gave Carolina a 2-1 lead late in the first, and was his first in his return to the lineup from injury.

Mississippi tied the game back up at two in the second, stifling the Thunderbirds in the second.

The Sea Wolves forced Carolina to commit constant turnovers, but the Thunderbirds were able to recover.

Late in the third just after a successful Mississippi penalty kill, Gus Ford settled the rebound of a Lucas Rowe one-timer. Ford fed it over to wide open Schnapp, who put home the game winning goal into a yawning cage. The goal also earned him first star honors.

Kennedy and Josh Koepplinger earned second and third star honors respectively.

The Thunderbirds will again host the Sea Wolves to wrap up the weekend tomorrow night. The puck drops at 6:05.



Thunderbirds Rise Over Sea Wolves 3-2


by Nick Roesch

Winston-Salem, NC – The (7-22-3) Mississippi Sea Wolves saw their four-game point streak snap on Friday night after a 3-2 heartbreaker at the hands of the (20-12-3) Carolina Thunderbirds at the Winston-Salem Fairground Annex. 

Jake Raleigh silenced the raucous crowd of 3,076 on hand with the Sea Wolves’ first goal of the night at 14:49 of the first period. A Connor Lind slapshot broke through traffic before Raleigh added the final touch for the 1-0 Mississippi lead. 

The Thunderbirds showcased their special team strength to round out the period, posting a shorthanded goal from Joseph Kennedy (17:57) before Justin Pringle struck on the power play (19:37). 

The Sea Wolves tied the game in the second period on the lone goal of the stanza, which was cashed in on a rebound by Yaroslav Yevdokimov at 17:44. That extended Yevdokimov’s point streak to six games and Yianni Liarakos increased his to the same number with an assist. 

With the score reading 2-2 in the third period, Jacob Schnapp tipped the puck past Sea Wolves goalie Blake Weyrick as Carolina took the edge with 3:13 remaining in the game. Mississippi concluded the game on a power play but were stymied by Mario Cavaliere who proved to be the winning goalie. 

The Sea Wolves search for redemption tomorrow, January 28 when they rematch the Thunderbirds at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Annex. The puck drops at 5:05 CST and the game will be broadcast on the Sea Wolves YouTube channel.