Ice Chips 10/10/20266

WATERTOWN WOLVES at BINGHAMTON BLACK BEARS

Power Play Pushes BB to Victory

By Brooks Hill

Binghamton, NY -The Binghamton Black Bears defeated the Watertown Wolves on Banner Raising Night 5-2 on Saturday. Ivan Bondarenko scored two power play goals and Chance Gorman added a pair en route to secure the first victory of the season.

In front of a sold out crowd on Saturday, Binghamton raised their third banner in franchise history. Newly appointed Captain CJ Stubbs started the scoring in the first period with Binghamton’s first of four power play goals. Four minutes later, Chance Gorman tallied his first as a Black Bear, scoring the second power play goal of the period. Watertown potted a late goal in the final seconds of the period to inch closer. Binghamton led 2-1 after dominating the first period.

It was Ivan Bondarenko’s turn to light the lamp in the second. Binghamton’s power play continued to stay hot. Bondarenko recorded his first two goals of the season, accounting for his third point of the night. Thru two periods, Binghamton was outshooting Watertown 42-12 and was 3-of-4 on the man advantage. The lead grew to 4-1 after the second period.

Chance Gorman scored his second of the night in the third period. Binghamton’s lead grew to four but Watertown was able to grab another before the horn sounded on opening night. The Black Bears win 5-2 and improve to 1-0-0 on the season.

MINNESOTA NORTHERN LIGHTS at INDIANA SENTINELS

Sents Come from Behind Again to Sweep the Northern Lights

By Andy Poetzinger



Columbus, IN - Coming off of an exciting come from behind victory in front of a capacity crowd last night, the Indiana Sentinels and their fans were ready to see a bit more of a complete performance on the ice in the final game of the weekend set.

With the nervous energy out of the way, and the cobwebs shaken off, this game was primed to showcase just who this Indiana Sentinels team wants to be this season. However, the Sentinels were a tad slow out of the gates for the second straight night, and the Northern Lights jumped on them in the first.

Declan Conway opened up the scoring and picked up his third goal of the season after finding the puck on his stick from a failed Sentinels clearing attempt. He ripped a shot from the circles and beat John Werber underneath the glove to give Minnesota the 1-0 lead.

Just fifty seconds later, Minnesota capitalized on another defensive blunder from the Sentinels and Lucas Viskovicz was able to tap home a perfect centering pass from Hunter Alden, beating Werber on the blocker side to give the Northern Lights a 2-0 lead.

The Sentinels would lead 11 to 7 in the shot category after the first but never got a solid opportunity to get prolonged offensive zone time.

The second period would be an entirely different story.

The Sentinels put together their most dominant period of this early season, dominating the Minnesota Northern Lights and putting up 5 goals on 19 shots. It all started with a powerplay tally from Ben Stefanini who settled down a Ross Bartlett pass with his foot and was able to whack the puck home with his school just before it crossed the line.

Just 13 seconds later, the Sentinels converted on a turnover and Thomas Miller was the beneficiary, picking up his first FPHL goal to tie the game at two apiece.

Ross Bartlett would give Indiana their first lead of the period after being perfectly set up by a Thomas Miller pass. All Bartlett had to do was hit the open cage and he had his first in a Sentinels uniform.

The fun did not stop there. Ryan Brow picked up his second of the season, on what could have been a carbon copy of the goal he scored last night. A seeing eye wrister from the point that whistled past Bailey Huber on the glove side, and just like that the Sentinels had a two-goal lead.

Just before the period would end, Ben Stefanini rifled home his second goal, and fourth point of the period. He and Bartlett, who also picked up his fourth point of the period, worked together on a nice passing play and Stefanini roofed a wrister just underneath the bar to make it 5-2. Stefanini’s two tallies are the first he has had since February of last season.

“It felt good to get back on the board, its always more about the team though,” said Stefanini. “Tough to go down 2-0 for the second game in a row. We need to start better. On a positive note, there’s a lot of resiliency on this time by not allowing anything else after those first two.”

It was not all positive in the second for the Sentinels as John Werber suffered a lower body injury after making an awkward right pad stop. He needed to be helped off the ice, and Cooper Olson finished the remainder of the game.

The third period was not nearly as smooth as the second had been. Both sides got caught up in the rough stuff with 5 players getting ejected in the third. Aaron Shahin, Vaughn Clouston and Ross Bartlett hit the showers early for the Sentinels, while Declan Conway and Chris Corgan were tossed from the Northern Lights.

In the end, the Indiana Sentinels pulled off the series sweep with a final score of 5-2. It is the first time in franchise history the Sentinels have pulled off a sweep on home ice. They start out the season 2-0 and head to Topeka for their first road trip of the year.

“It’s great we got this start, but good teams win three in a row. Good teams that have success win three in a row and you have to do it consistently,” said Everett Thompson.

You can catch all the action next weekend on the Sentinels Hockey Network on YouTube. Andy will have all of the coverage starting at 8:15 pm ET with the Body Armor Pre-Game Show, and the puck drops at 8:30 pm ET.

MID-SOUTH MONARCHS at MONROE MOCCASINS

• Moccasins Show Resolve in Win over Mid-South

By Karinee Bradley and Hannah Stevens

Monroe, LA - The Monroe Moccasins outlasted the Mid-South Monarchs, the win continued Monroe’s previous success and wrapped up a weekend sweep of Mid-South. Moccasin’s scorers of the night included Andrew Bellant, Carlos Fornaris (twice), and Austin Pick (twice), with Chris Branch ending the game with over 30 saves. The Monarchs lone score derived from Jack Wren.

The Moccasins win their second straight game, kicking this season off with a two-game winning streak. The back-to-back win puts them atop the Delta Division rankings. Andrew Bellant’s blocks ignited the motion for the Moccasins, controlling the pace of play in the first four minutes in the first period. Despite a defensive start, the Mid-South Monarchs were first on the board with a daggering shot by Johnathan Wren at 5:48 in period one. Leaving the Moccasins searching for their first snake bite, Andrew Bellant came in with a power play goal assisted by Carlos Fornaris at 11:21 of the first. Austin Pick scored the second goal at 18:35 assisted by Jamie Dorsey to wrap up a slow, but fierce first period with the Moccasins leading 2-1.

Briskly moving their offense, the Moccasins struck their opponent for their third goal of the night, scored by Carlos Fornaris at 3:05 to start the second period. Monroe remained in the lead, despite a wide-open miss by Fornaris, a holding penalty for Dorsey, and a holding penalty for Blake Keller. The team strategically used their defense by physicality and saves from the rookie goalie, Chris Branch. The Monarchs had a reserved period as the team did not score any additional goals. Austin Pick scored his second goal of the night with a series of assists from Jared Christy and Jordan Lalor to begin navigation in the third period. Branch continued momentum of his own saving shot after shot from the Monarchs. With an offensive third, Fornaris scored another goal 3:09. Moccasins held the Monarchs in a defensive lockdown and offensive chokehold throughout this grudging match. Amid Corson Green’s absence in practice and warmups and a total of twelve penalties, the team played their dominating game with crucial habits that set the tone for the season. Monroe Moccasins make franchise history with their victorious 2-0-0 start of the season.

The Moccasins uphold their momentous victory with another sting to the Monarchs. The team’s season will continue next weekend in Baton Rouge, Louisiana against the Baton Rouge Kingfish. Mid-South travels next week to face Fresno.

Monarchs Fall to Moccasin On The Road

By Cole Parenti

Monroe LA- The Monarchs and Moccasins met again at the Monroe Civic Center for a rematch of the previous night’s game. The Mocs took Game 1, and the Monarchs looked to respond and earn their first win of the year.

Jack Wren opened the scoring as he cleanly beat Chris Branch to give the Monarchs their first lead of the season. The Moccasins responded on their first power play when Andrew Bellant converted his third goal of the year to tie the game. The Moccasins then took the lead when Austin Pick finished off a Jamie Dorsey wraparound, making it 2-1.

The second period was a tighter affair, as both teams had their chances. However, only Carlos Fornaris found the back of the net, slapping the puck off the bar to make it 3-1 Moccasins.

In the third period, the Moccasins scored the only two goals. Austin Pick scored first, finishing off a beautiful pass to make it 4-1. Carlos Fornaris then put the icing on the cake by hitting the empty net to seal a 5-1 victory over the Monarchs.

Tommy Nappier stopped 35 of the 39 shots he faced, while his opponent, Chris Branch, stopped 30 of the 31 shots he faced from the Monarchs. The Mid-South Monarchs are back in action next Friday as they make the long trip to Fresno, California, to take on the Falcons. Both games will be streamed live on the Monarchs’ YouTube channel.

FRESNO FALCONS at OCEANSIDE SHOCK

OCEANSIDE FANS CELEBRATE THE ARRIVAL OF PRO HOCKEY

Fresno Falcons beat Oceanside Shock 5-2 in front of 4,936 at Frontwave Arena

By Craig Elsten

Oceanside, CA - For the first time ever, a professional sports team took the ice with the name of the city of Oceanside on its chest. The city of Oceanside and all of North County came out to celebrate, as the Oceanside Shock made their FPHL home debut in front of 4,936 at Frontwave Arena. The final score seemed secondary, except to the visiting Fresno Falcons, who withstood a third period comeback with two late goals to post a 5-2 victory on Saturday night.

Chris O’Shaughnessy shined in net for Oceanside with a 40-save night, including eighteen saves in a second period that saw the Shock pinned in deep for almost the entire frame. Vladimir Fadeev and Ben Buium found the net for the Shock, with Ahkmed Malsagov, James Spaargaren and Sam Bailey earning assists. The Falcons (2-0-0, 4 points) were powered by Austin Albrecht’s goal and two assists, Aaron Huffnagle’s two assists and consistent rushes up-ice, and another goal and assist from Houston Wilson, who has (3-3=6) points in the first two games.

The Shock (0-2-0, 0 points) took their first lead in franchise history with their first home goal, coming at 6:01 of the first period. After earning a power play on an interference minor by Fresno, Fadeev snuck a third-chance shot around the crease into the back of the net after back-to-back shots from Spaargaren and Malsagov were saved in front. The Shock held their 1-0 lead into the first intermission break. Ominously, Oceanside took a penalty with 8.5 seconds left in the period, giving Fresno a power play to start the second and marking the start of five straight minors taken by the home team.

For the second straight night the Falcons took control of the game with a dominant second period. Fresno out-shot the Shock 21-6 and continuously dispossessed the Oceanside attempts to break out of the defensive zone. After the Shock defended the penalty kill, they were immediately back in the box on a Spaargaren slashing call. Albrecht put the Falcons on the board with a second-chance lift after O’Shaughnessy saved his initial try on the power play, tying the game 1-1 at 3:34. Before they could find their footing, the penalty kill unit was back out again, as Bailey took a boarding minor just seconds after the goal. The Falcons power play was up to the task again, with Wilson finishing a clinical goal inside the right circle on triangle passing from Albrecht and Huffnagle. The lead was 2-1 Fresno at 4:29, and the Falcons took the momentum to enact a wicked forecheck and stitch the Shock in deep. Wynston Iserhoff’s first goal of the season came from the slot at 16:48 to cap a 3-0 period and gain a 3-1 Fresno lead.

The Shock rewarded their home faithful with a much more determined third period, starting with Buium’s goal, which came on a one-time shot crashing the slot off a feed from Sam Bailey behind the net at 1:39. Oceanside cut the lead to 3-2, and had the crowd of nearly 5,000 standing to push the action forward. In a key moment, Spaargaren took a raking high stick across the face and fell to the ice with no penalty called, leading to a fight between Bailey and Gavin Mears of Fresno. The score held until the final four minutes, when Fresno pulled away on Justin Daly’s goal at 17:06, coming off a offensive zone re-win of the puck, assisted by Albrecht and Khristian Acosta. Iserhoff hit an empty net with fifteen seconds remaining to close the action.

The Shock conclude three games in three nights on Sunday when they host the Stockton Thunder, who are making their FPHL debut. The game is set for a 5pm PDT face-off, with tickets available at frontwavearena.com. The game will be televised on Shock TV on YouTube at youtube.com/@OceansideShock.

FALCONS COMPLETE OPENING-WEEKEND SWEEP WITH 5-2 VICTORY OVER OCEANSIDE

Fresno opens new era with back-to-back victories, celebrates record-breaking FPHL attendance

By Bryan Flores



Oceansided, CA - Two games. Two victories. A historic opening weekend for the Fresno Falcons.

Just 24 hours after celebrating the return of professional hockey to the Central Valley, the Fresno Falcons continued their winning ways Saturday night, defeating the Oceanside Shock 5-2 at Frontwave Arena to complete an opening-weekend sweep and improve to 2-0-0 in their inaugural Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) season.

Wynston Iserhoff led the offensive charge with a pair of goals, while Austin Albrecht delivered a four-point performance with a goal and three assists. Houston Wilson and Justin Daly also found the back of the net, while goaltender Dysen Skinner turned aside 22 shots to secure his first victory of the season.

The victory capped off a remarkable weekend for Fresno, which celebrated its first professional hockey game in 17 years on Friday night with a 7-2 victory over Oceanside at Selland Arena. The historic home opener also established a new FPHL attendance record, with 7,977 tickets sold, marking another milestone in the city's storied hockey history.

Shock Strike First

After an offensive explosion on opening night, the Falcons found themselves trailing for the first time during the young season.

Oceanside opened the scoring at the 6:01 mark of the first period when Vladimir Fadeev capitalized on the power play, finishing a setup from Akhmed Malsagov to give the Shock a 1-0 advantage.

Despite trailing, Fresno controlled much of the offensive pressure, outshooting Oceanside 13-8 in the opening frame. However, Shock netminder Christopher O'Shaughnessy held firm, keeping the Falcons off the scoresheet through the first 20 minutes.

Special Teams Spark the Comeback

The Falcons wasted little time turning the momentum in their favor during the middle frame.

At 3:32 of the second period, Albrecht continued his impressive opening weekend, converting on the power play to even the contest at 1-1. Aaron Huffnagle and Wilson collected assists on the equalizer.

Just 57 seconds later, Fresno struck again.

Wilson, who recorded two shorthanded goals during Friday's season opener, added another special-teams tally at 4:29, finding the back of the net on the power play to give the Falcons their first lead of the evening. Huffnagle and Albrecht earned assists on the goal.

The Falcons continued to apply pressure throughout the period, controlling possession and generating scoring opportunities against the Oceanside defense.

At 16:48, Iserhoff extended Fresno's advantage to 3-1, finishing a play set up by Hugo Koch to give the Falcons a two-goal cushion heading into the second intermission.

Fresno dominated the middle frame, outshooting Oceanside 21-6 while scoring three unanswered goals.

Falcons Finish Strong in the Third

Oceanside refused to go quietly.

Just 1:39 into the final period, Ben Buium brought the Shock within a goal, scoring off assists from Sam Bailey and James Spaargaren to cut Fresno's lead to 3-2.

With their advantage reduced to a single goal, the Falcons relied on timely defensive play and a composed performance from Skinner between the pipes.

As the third period progressed, Fresno continued to generate opportunities while protecting its narrow lead.

At 17:06, Daly delivered a crucial insurance goal, finishing a play assisted by Albrecht and Khristian Acosta to restore Fresno's two-goal advantage.

With Oceanside pulling O'Shaughnessy for an extra attacker in the closing moments, Iserhoff sealed the victory with an empty-net goal at 19:46. Albrecht and Koch collected assists on the final tally.

The goal secured Iserhoff's second of the evening and put the finishing touches on a 5-2 victory, completing Fresno's opening-weekend sweep.

A Historic Weekend for Fresno Hockey

While Saturday's victory secured the Falcons' second consecutive win, the significance of the weekend extended well beyond the standings.

Friday night's return to Selland Arena marked the first professional Falcons home game in 17 years, reopening a chapter in Fresno's hockey history that dates back to 1946.

The historic occasion was made even more memorable by a record-breaking 7,977 tickets sold, establishing a new attendance benchmark for the Federal Prospects Hockey League.

On the ice, Fresno matched the excitement surrounding the franchise's return.

Across two games against Oceanside, the Falcons combined for 12 goals while receiving strong performances from both starting goaltenders.

Austyn Roudebush stopped 51 shots in Friday's 7-2 victory, while Skinner followed with 22 saves on Saturday, giving Fresno victories from both netminders to begin the season.

Albrecht finished Saturday's contest with four points, while Wilson continued his offensive production with a goal and an assist. Iserhoff's two-goal performance highlighted a balanced Fresno attack that has already produced 12 goals through the first two games.

The Falcons also found success on special teams, finishing Saturday's contest 2-for-6 on the power play while outshooting the Shock 45-24.

For a franchise beginning its newest chapter, the opening weekend provided a fitting reminder of the passion and tradition surrounding hockey in the Central Valley.

Seventeen years after professional hockey last called Fresno home, the Falcons have returned, the fans have responded in record-breaking fashion, and a new generation of Fresno hockey has begun with back-to-back victories.

Final Score: Fresno Falcons 5, Oceanside Shock 2

Fresno Falcons Record: 2-0-0