Game Recaps 1/3/25

COLUMBUS RIVER DRAGONS at ATHENS ROCK LOBSTERS 

Virgili Nets First-Ever Rock Lobster Hat Trick; Dragons Slain in Classic City

by Matteen Zibanejadrad

Athens, GA - Filip Virgili logged the first-ever hat trick in Athens Rock Lobster history, helping his team to a 5-1 win over the Columbus River Dragons Friday night in Akins Ford Arena.

The hosts wasted no time getting on the board, with Virgili redirecting a Joey Colatarci shot from the point at the 3:08 mark of the first period. 

Less than three minutes later, Brendan Ronan scored his first goal in red as he whipped a rebound through Matt Petizian with his backhand. 

Jimmy Lodge was deprived of a memorable moment later in the first, as his power play wrister was waved off for goaltender interference. 

The 3-0 advantage eventually came for the Rock Lobsters, as Brandon Picard stayed hot with a wicked wrister in the first 44 seconds of the second period.

Columbus’ Cody Wickline, who has now netted seven points in four games against Athens, added on to that tally with a shot into an open net after a nifty feed from Justin MacDonald.

The Rock Lobsters dictated the rest of the night, as Virgili redirected another shot on a 5-on-3 power play to take a 4-1 lead. The Swede polished off his history-making night with a shot into a wide-open net, off of a perfect backhand feed from Ronan.

Jack Bostedt finished the night with 24 saves on 25 shots.

The Rock Lobsters (14-2-2, 37 pts) return to Akins Ford Arena tomorrow night at 7:05 p.m. to finish the two-game set against the River Dragons.

DRAGONS DROP FIRST GAME OF ATHENS WEEKEND SET

by Tom Callahan

Athens, GA - The Columbus River Dragons dropped a 5-1 decision to the Athens Rock Lobsters on Friday night at Akins Ford Arena.

Cody Wickline scored the only goal of the game for Columbus, a power play goal at 6:15 of the second period from Justin MacDonald and Ryan Hunter.

Filip Virgili led the attack for Athens with a hat trick, while four other Rock Lobsters recorded multi-point nights.

The game marked the first in the season series that has not gone to overtime.

Columbus has a chance at redemption tomorrow night at 7:05 pm. Pregame show is slated for 6:50 on the River Dragons YouTube channel @ColumbusRiverDragons.

BINGHAMTON BLACK BEARS at PORT HURON PROWLERS 

Binghamton Power Play Dominates Port Huron

by Will Wiegelman

Port Huron, MI -  After closing out 2024 with a 7-3 win, the Port Huron Prowlers took a 7-3 loss to the Binghamton Black Bears on home ice. Binghamton connected four times on the man advantage.

Dakota Bohn opened the scoring with a power-play goal just over eight minutes in as his floater found the back of the net through traffic. Three minutes later, Tyson Kirkby slipped home his league-leading 22nd of the season.

Port Huron got one back before the end of the frame as Brett Lockhart’s wrister from the point found the twine through a maze of bodies.

Things went wrong for the Prowlers when the penalties piled up in the second. Christopher Mott, CJ Stubbs and Bohn scored power-play goals within a span of 2:27 to blow open a 5-1 lead. Austin Thompson got a four-on-four tally for good measure before the period expired. Port Huron gave up a season-high four goals in the frame.

“We got into penalty trouble in the second period, they made a couple of good plays and capitalized on it,” said Prowlers assistant coach Chris Paulin. “We were taking penalties, not because of officiating, but because we’re not moving our feet.”

The Prowlers fought back a bit in the third, getting early goals from Reggie Millette and Matt Graham but that’s as close as they got. Thompson hit the empty net to seal it.

Lockhart finished with a goal and an assist for Port Huron and Valtteri Nousiainen made 27 saves in the loss. 

Bohn had two goals and two assists for the second-straight game and Thompson matched that scoreline. Kirkby had three points while Stubbs and Daniel Stone each put up two. Nolan Egbert stopped 30 shots.

The teams rematch on January 4 with a 7:05 P.M. start scheduled at McMorran Place. Tickets are available at phprowlers.com/tickets.

Black Bears Keep Rolling vs Prowlers

by Cole Parenti

Port Huron, MI -  The Black Bears and Prowlers began their final regular series on Friday and it did not disappoint. In the end the Black Bears would come away with the 7-3 win on the road at McMorran Arena. The Black Bears continue their hot streak and keep the points coming as they stand atop the Empire Division. 

Dakota Bohn continued his offensive tear as he was the first player to find the back of the net, opening up a 1-0 lead for the road team. The captain would be next on the score sheet as he recorded his league leading twenty-second goal of the season extending the Black Bears lead to 2-0. The Prowlers would then respond as Brett Lockhart remained a hot hand for the club, cutting the lead to just one. The teams would trade chances however the score would hold at 2-1 into the first intermission.

The second period was when the flood gates opened for Binghamton as they scored four times in the frame. The first came from Chris Mott on the power play, who lit the lamp in his return from injured reserve. Then less than a minute later C.J. Stubbs connected on the power play as the Black Bears opened up a 4-1 lead. The next goal came again from the stick of Dakota Bohn who recorded his second straight multi-goal game. The final goal of the period was from Austin Thompson as the Black Bears took a 6-1 lead into the locker room.

The third period would open with the Prowlers trying to make a push to get back into this one as they were able to get on the board twice. The first came from Reggie Millette pulling the Prowlers to within four of the Black Bears. The next goal would be tapped in by Matt Graham as he brought the score to 6-3. This effort would come up short however, as Austin Thompson would nail the empty netter for his second of the game and Binghamton would skate away with the victory. 

Nolan Egbert was phenomenal as he handled the Prowlers offense stopping 30 of 33 shots he faced. His counterpart Valtteri Nousiainen saved 27 of the 34 shots the Black Bears threw his way. Nolan Egbert records win number eight for him on the season as the Black Bears score seven goals for the second straight time and record their eighth win in a row. The Black Bears are back in action once again tomorrow against these Prowlers in Port Huron.

HC VENOM at DANBURY HAT TRICKS

Hat Tricks Take First Game of 2025, 6-5, Over Venom

by Wyatt Kopelman & Doug Lattuca

Danbury, CT - Aleksandr Gamzatov scored the game-winning goal on the power play and the Hat Tricks defeated HC Venom, 6-5, for their first win of 2025 on Friday night at the Danbury Ice Arena.

Gamzatov found the back of the net with 6:10 remaining, sealing Danbury’s fourth win against HC Venom in five games. The Russian-born forward registered his second game-winner of the season and the Hat Tricks’ fourth goal on the man advantage in the contest.

Jonny Ruiz and Aleksandr Vasilev each scored two goals for the Hat Tricks. Vasilev, who also logged two assists, scored on a rebound to give Danbury a 4-3 lead with 1:54 remaining in the first.

Ruiz buried his second goal of the game on the power play 39 seconds into the middle frame, moving the Hat Tricks ahead, 5-3. The co-head coach and captain scored two goals for the first time since Nov. 23 in a 7-4 home win against Binghamton.

Danbury’s two-goal lead midway through the second did not last, however.

Former Hat Tricks forward Dustin Jesseau posted three goals for HC Venom, scoring back-to-back with 6:44 left in the second and 30 seconds into the third to knot the contest at five.

Ruiz also scored on the power play at 12:53 in the first, slicing the Hat Tricks’ deficit to 3-2 and igniting four unanswered goals for the Hat Tricks. Josh Labelle tied the game at three 24 seconds later at five-on-three, notching his third goal of the season.

HC Venom tilted the ice in the opening minutes and capitalized for two early goals. Ivan Ponivanov scored four minutes into the first, and Jesseau scored 1:48 later, lifting HC Venom ahead, 2-0, at 5:48.

Vasilev netted his first goal of the game on a centering pass in the slot at 8:45 in the first to put Danbury within one, 2-1.

Conor McCollum stopped 38 shots in his return from a professional tryout at the Hartford Wolfpack, the AHL affiliate of the New York Rangers.

Up next, the Hat Tricks host HC Venom again on Saturday. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m.

MOTOR CITY ROCKERS at CAROLINA THUNDERBIRDS 

Carolina Dominates Motor City, 7-2

11 Thunderbirds record point in win

by Brendan Reilly

Winston-Salem, NC - Following a dominant 5-0 win on New Year’s Eve, the Carolina Thunderbirds rolled in their first matchup of 2025 against the Motor City Rockers, downing the Rockers, 7-2, on Friday evening at the Fairgrounds Arena in front of 2,975 fans. 

Carolina (16-3-3) jumped all over Motor City (10-13-1) in the first 20 minutes. With 12:30 remaining in the 1st, Petr Panacek found a pass at the top of the slot and beat Ricardo Gonzalez to push the Thunderbirds in front, 1-0. Two minutes and two seconds later, Joe Kennedy blasted home his third goal of the season doubling Carolina’s advantage.  

The Rockers did respond with Marquis Grant-Mentis beating Boris Babik over the blocker with 9:35 remaining in the first, but the Thunderbirds answered with two more goals. Nate Keeley tapped home his second goal in as many games with 8:52 to go in the 1st before Jan Salak gave Carolina a 4-1 lead with 4:46 left on the clock. Motor City would get one more on a tip from TJ Sneath, cutting the Rockers deficit in half, 4-2, after 20 minutes. 

In the 2nd, Panacek found his second of the night just 1:50 into the period, swaying the momentum back Carolina’s way. The Thunderbirds kept pressuring Gonzalez and keeping the shots low for Babik. With 1:06 left in the 2nd, Dawson Baker wheeled his way all the way around the attacking zone before beating Gonzalez five-hole, giving Carolina a 6-2 advantage going to the 3rd. 

Across the final 20 minutes, Carolina killed off two penalties and just over the halfway point of the frame, James Farmer snapped a two-line pass to Zach White who found the defenseman crashing down the near side and White delivered a perfect pass to Farmer who tapped home Carolina’s seventh goal of the night as the Thunderbirds rolled to their fourth straight win, 7-2. 

Panacek, Salak and Danyk Drouin all recorded three points on the evenin with Steven Ford, Clay Keeley and Zach White picking up a pair of assists. The seven goals is the new single-season high for Carolina this year after previously scoring six goals three times. 

The Thunderbirds have now won four straight games and try to finish off the sweep of the Rockers on Saturday night. Puck drop is slated for 6:05 p.m. from the Fairgrounds Arena. 

DASHERS of DANVILLE at MONROE MOCCASINS

MOCCASINS FIRE ON ALL CYLINDERS IN COMMANDING WIN OVER DANVILLE

by Joseph Furtado

Monroe, LA -  The Monroe Moccasins skated to an impressive 6-1 victory over the Danville Dashers on Tuesday night at the Monroe Civic Center. Leading the charge was Trygve Many Guns, whose two-goal performance earned him first-star honors, while Scott Coash and Declan Conway delivered multi-point efforts to secure the Moccasins’ latest win.

The Moccasins are now 10-8-5-0-2 on the season and are 3-0 against Danville, continuing their strong form under head coach Gary Gill, who has guided the team to a 6-1-1 record since taking over. Monroe set the tone early, outshooting Danville 19-11 in the first period and capitalizing on a power play goal at 6:42 when Many Guns netted the opener, assisted by Scott Coash and Frank Schumacher. Coash added to the lead late in the period, burying a shot at 18:29 to make it 2-0 heading into the second period.

Danville briefly clawed back in the second period with a goal by Jhuwon Davis at 2:59, but the Moccasins responded quickly. Helmer Oskarsson restored the two-goal cushion at 4:56 and Many Guns struck again on the power play less than a minute later, making it 4-1. Ben Stefanini added to the tally at 15:59, converting a slick setup from Conway.

Brad Reitter closed the scoring in the third period with an even-strength goal at 11:25, assisted by Chris Corgan and Blake Anderson. Monroe goaltender Sean Kuhn turned away 29 of 30 shots to anchor the victory.

The Moccasins’ dominant performance on both ends of the ice showcased their depth and efficiency. Both teams will meet again tomorrow night at the Civic Center at 7:00pm.

New Year, New Guys, Same Result

Losing Streak Shifts to 19 Games

by Devin Dobek

Monroe, LA -  2025 certainly felt like a rebirth for a struggling Dashers group, but losing their top 3 point-getters and best D-man would make for a bumpy start. In a lopsided battle, Monroe strangled the Dashers 6-1. 

A new year, and a lot of new faces in the Dashers lineup to begin 2025. Still with 35 games remaining, an excited and energetic group seemed ready to go as the team traveled to Monroe for a set with the Moccasins. Playing with just 4 defenseman, it was a slow start for a group learning to play together. An early penalty from Bowie Slarks added insult to injury, as the Moccasins perfected the triangle ending with a Trygve Many Guns tally to go up 1-0. The Dashers took another 2 minor penalties in the frame, forcing them to play on their heels against a physical and high-shot volume offense. One of the best opportunities for the visitors came with Bo Zinchenko turning nothing into something, driving the net and being stoned all alone by Kuhn. Just after the penalty expired, Scott Coash found himself alone on the doorstep to beat Wahlgren on the glove side and make it 2-0. The Dashers had a late flurry of opportunities towards the final minutes, but couldn’t deliver. As the final horn sounded, Trey Fischer exchanged a few jabs with Blake Anderson, and heard it from the crowd as he was escorted to the locker room. Down a pair, the Dashers had their work cut out for them in the final 40.

Period 2 began with some life for the visitors. About 3 minutes in, Jhuwon Davis cashed in on a breakaway to cut the deficit in half and make it 2-1. It didn’t take long for the Mocs to answer with Helmer Oskarsson banging home a rebound to get it right back to 3-1. Slarks took another penalty in the midst of all the chaos, and it took just another 20 seconds of gametime for Many Guns to tip home a shot from the point and make it 4-1. With the game slipping away, the Dashers couldn’t help their own cause, posting just 6 shots in the frame. Ben Stefanini added a late goal towards the end of the frame making it 5-1. The new Dasher group playing with just 4 defenseman had plenty of wrinkles to iron out not only in the final 20, but ahead of tomorrow’s action.

20 more minutes to make something happen, but the mountain was just too steep. Coming out of the break the Dashers had their only powerplay, but couldn’t do much with it. Monroe continued to strangle the deer, tilting the ice for the duration of the frame. A dozen shots were turned aside by Kuhn, as Reitter added another Moccasin goal to make it 6-1. The score would hold as the final buzzer sounded, and a statement win for Gary Gil’s group was the result.

The Dasher losing streak is bumped to 19 games as the new year begins. The two teams will go at it once again tomorrow night at 7:00 CST inside the Monroe Civic Center.

BLUE RIDGE BOBCATS at BATON ROUGE ZYDECO

Bobcats Edge Zydeco, 5-4

by Bryan Flores

Baton Rouge, LA -  The Zydeco started off the New Year taking on the Blue Ridge Bobcats at home for the final home weekend before their long road trip. This game started out a blowout but ended up a nailbiter. 

In the first period the Bobcats pounced first netting 3 straight goals thanks to Nicholas Stuckless, Andrew Uturo, and Jacob Volf. But the Zydeco struck back thanks to a netfront clean up from Matthew Gordon making it 3-1 after 20 minutes. 

In the second period the Bobcats got another thanks to Joshua Slegers. The Zydeco would answer 10 minutes later thanks to Aaron Shahin. But that too would be answered after a lofty turnover caused a 2 on 1 rush and Vladislav Vlasov netted the goal to make it 5-2 Bobcats.

In the third the Zydeco finally clicked on the power play getting two straight from Nick Ketola and Kevin Zebad. That wouldn’t be enough though as the Bobcats escaped with a 5-4 regulation win.

Winning goaltender Hunter Virostek would earn his 11th win of the season stopping 29 of 33 for a .879 save percentage. 

The losing goaltender, Breandan Colgan, suffers his 6th loss of the season falling to a 12-6-0-1 record after saving 34 of 39 shots for a .872 s%. 

The next time these Zydeco will be at home after tomorrow night will be on March 13th as they take on the Dashers. 

Tomorrow night will be the final home game before the trip, the Zydeco look to send off the home crowd in a positive fashion. 

WATERTOWN WOLVES at MISSISSIPPI SEA WOLVES

Sea Over Land In The Battle Of the Wolves, 6-1

by Jon Kliment

Biloxi, MS -  The Sea Wolves met up with a non-divisional opponent on Friday night for the second time all season as the Watertown Wolves came to town. Both sides looked to right the ship after recent struggles. 

The first period was reminiscent of the Sea Wolves game on New Years eve with five penalties. As Mississippi received a five on three opportunity and found a way to cash in as Curtis Hansen took a pass from Andrew Stacey and buried it to give the Sea Wolves a 1-0 lead. Eight seconds later Mississippi continued to push the pressure on the power play as newcomer Ricards Jelenskis ripped a Hansen pass by Borodkin for a 2-0 Mississippi advantage.

The period of the long change has been detrimental this season for the Sea Wolves, but not on this night as just four minutes in Blake Keller fired his 7th of the season off another Hanson set up to give the Sea Wolves the 3-0 advantage. 10:05 later Mississippi's leading scorer did something the Sea Wolves have been unable to do all season as Sam Turner rushed in on a 2 on 1 short handed opportunity Dalton Anderson collected the rebound and put it behind Borodkin to go up 4-0, but wasn't done as 1:45 later on the power play Anderson found the back of the net again to give the Sea Wolves the 5-0 edge. 

13:48 into the third period directly after a power play Brendan Hussey found the back of the net one more time for the Sea Wolves to go up 6-0. 1:14 later Trevor Lord scored the only goal for the Watertown Wolves ending Sam Best's shutout attempt making it 6-1.

Best stopped 30 of 31 for his first win of the season.

The Sea Wolves return to the Mississippi Coast Coliseum tomorrow night at 6:05pm for Star Wars night! Get your tickets online at Ticketmaster.com, the ticketmaster app or by stopping by the Box Office.