Game Recaps 2/22/25

MOTOR CITY ROCKERS at BINGHAMTON BLACK BEARS

Black Bears Score 7-straight to Win 15th in-a-row

by Brooks Hill



Binghamton, NY - The Binghamton Black Bears defeated the Motor City Rockers 7-3 on Saturday night. Gavin Yates recorded his 200th point as a Black Bear and 300th FPHL point with a goal and two assists. 

Motor City started off hot in the first period. Avery Smith scored 1:46 into the period, and Yegor Kabatayev extended the Rockers lead to 2-0 before the halfway point of the period. After the under 10 media break, the Black Bears were able to get on the board thanks to Gavin Yates with his first point of the night. The scoring stopped there in the frame, as the Rockers led 2-1 after 20 minutes. 

Binghamton managed to tie the game in the second with a power play strike from CJ Stubbs. Stubbs scored another goal six minutes later, giving the Black Bears their first lead of the night. From that point forward, the Black Bears didn’t look back. Josh Fletcher, Don Olivieri, Chris Mott, and Austin Thompson, each scored as Binghamton rattled off seven-straight goals. 

Motor City grabbed one late, but the statement had been made. Gavin Yates recorded two milestones, 200th as a Black Bear and 300th point in the FPHL. Binghamton wins 7-3, their 13th victory in a row. 

ATHENS ROCK LOBSTER at BLUE RIDGE BOBCATS 

'Cats Comeback Falls Short in 5-3 Defeat to Athens

by Brett Wiseman



Wytheville, VA - After shutting out the Athens Rock Lobsters the previous night, and despite outshooting and outhitting their Continental Division foes, the Blue Ridge Bobcats comeback effort fell just short in a 5-3 defeat before a crowd of nearly 2,000 on Stick It to Cancer Night at Hitachi Energy Arena.

After falling behind 5-0, the Bobcats sprung to life late in the middle frame, with a pair of goals in just 2 minutes and 17 seconds. At the 17:11 mark of the second period, Nick McHugh finally cracked the code on William Lavalliere and sniped a wrist shot far stick side to bring his teammates and the crowd back to life. Devin Sanders continued the momentum with just 32 seconds left in the 2nd, stuffing a shot through Lavalliere's five-hole to cut the deficit to three entering the third period.

Daniel Klinecky carried the spark further, trimming the difference to just two goals when he tapped in a backdoor pass from Josh Slegers to make it a 5-3 game. Despite numerous other chances down the stretch, the comeback fell just short.

Greg Hussey did everything he could in goal for the Bobcats, stopping 36 Athens shots for the second consecutive night including a series of spectacular saves midway through the third to keep Blue Ridge within striking distance.



The two teams meet again for a makeup of the previously postponed December 7th matchup in a Sunday night primetime affair tomorrow evening at 7:05PM from Akins Ford Arena in Athens. Coverage on BobcatsTV and 96.5 WCGX "The Cat" begins at 6:50PM.

Virgili and Milan Fuel Five-Goal Night for Crustaceans

by Matteen Zibanejadrad



Wytheville, VA - The Athens Rock Lobsters defeated the Blue Ridge Bobcats 5-3 Saturday night in Hitachi Energy Arena.

Athens wasted no time establishing their attack, as Filip Virgili pirouetted toward the crease from behind the net and poked one through the five-hole of Gregory Hussey to take the lead on a first-period power play.

Garrett Milan followed up minutes later, doubling the lead after his centering pass took a piece of Hussey’s pad and found its way into the net.

The Rock Lobsters continued their dominance in the second, with Daniil Glukharyov netting a highlight-reel goal just 39 seconds into the second period for his third in three games. 

Athens twisted the dagger with its special teams, with Malik Johnson and Virgili combining for a Swede-scored goal on the penalty kill at the 5:17 mark. 

Milan scored his second by passing it past Hussey on the power play later on in the period.

The Bobcats tried to stage a late comeback with three-unanswered goals but could not complete their efforts.

The Rock Lobsters (29-5-2, 80 pts) return to Akins Ford Arena tomorrow at 7:05 p.m. to complete the home-and-home with Blue Ridge.

DASHERS of DANVILLE at CAROLINA THUNDERBIRDS

Carolina Downs the Dashers, 9-1

Thunderbirds have eight players record multi-point games

by Brendan Reilly



Winston-Salem, NC - The Carolina Thunderbirds finished off a three-game weekend at home with a 9-1 victory over Dashers Hockey on Saturday evening at the Fairgrounds Arena in front of 3,120 fans.

After scoring 11 goals on Friday night, Carolina (30-7-3) opened the scoring just 3:36 into the 1st on a deflection by Gus Ford in the slot putting the Thunderbirds ahead, 1-0. Zach White doubled the lead for Carolina just over three minutes later. Dashers Hockey (1-34-3) responded over a minute later with a shorthanded goal from Yosuke Jumonji, cutting the Thunderbirds lead in half, 2-1. 

Carolina took that lead into the 1st intermission and in the second, the Thunderbirds attack exploded. Roman Kraemer buried a one-timer 3:40 into the middle 20 minutes before Jiri Pestuka and Ford scored twice within five minutes putting the Thunderbirds ahead, 5-1. Joe Kennedy and Danyk Drouin both scored over the final seven minutes of the 2nd period and Carolina took a 7-1 lead into the 3rd period. 

Across the final 20 minutes, Jan Salak and James Farmer both netted goals as the Thunderbirds rolled to their 13th straight win, 9-1. 

Mario Cavaliere picked up the win for Carolina saving 25 out of 26 shots while Kraemer finished the three-game weekend with 11 points. 

The Thunderbirds hit the road again this coming weekend for three games with a trip to see the Watertown Wolves in Watertown, New York. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. from the Watertown Arena. 

New Day, Same Thunder

by Devin Dobek



Winston-Salem, NC - It would take an all hands on deck effort from a unique Dasher’s roster to compete with Carolina in front of a near sell-out this past Saturday. Unfortunately, this 60 minutes would be more of the same as last night, with one of the few positives being Dashers rookie Yosuke Jumonji earning his first pro goal shorthanded.

Following one of the most forgettable losses of the season last night, the Dashers were eager to turn the page for their final meeting with the Continental’s best Carolina Thunderbirds. Period 1 Carolina picked up right where they left off with the offensive pressure, peppering Ryall Purdy from every possible angle. It took just 3:36 for Gus Ford to open the scoring from in tight, finishing for his team leading 55th point of the season. Not backing down, just over 3 minutes later Zach White took a pass in the slot and whipped it over Purdy’s shoulder to double the lead, his fourth of the weekend. It looked like the game was going to get out of hand when moments later Zac Horn was sent to the box for a trip. Battling with the top ranked power-play in the league, you never anticipate good things are going to happen. But against all odds, the Dashers forced a turnover with a strong forecheck. Zach Slinger led Dashers rookie Yosuke Jumonji with a beautiful pass for a breakaway. Jumonji got the reigning goaltender of the year and Fed’s pinnacle to bite before backhanding one into the net for his first professional goal. This was the first shorthanded goal surrendered by the Thunderbirds all season long. Taking exception, they cranked up the heat on Ryall Purdy. Purdy continued to make save after save, and faced a season high 30 shots in a single period. Not another got by him, and the Dashers scampered to the locker room trailing 2-1 while being outshot 30-6 through the opening 20.

Period 2 is when the floodgates opened. Carolina scored all 5 goals in the period, while outshooting the visitors in the frame 26-7. First it was Roman Kraemer nabbing his 5th goal in 3 games at the 3:40 mark. About 2.5 minutes later, Jiri Pestuka ripped a shot over the shoulder of Purdy to extend the lead to 3. Pestuka is currently 15th all time in league scoring with 335+ points, and leads the team in shot percentage. The Dashers made the mistake of giving him just a little bit of room to shoot and he made them pay. Less than 5 minutes later, Pestuka added another mark and in the blink of an eye it was 5-1. Another 2 minutes barely crawled by before 3rd year Thunderbird Joe Kennedy potted another goal from the point for his second of the weekend and fifth of the season to push the score to 6-1. The final blow was less than 2 minutes after the previous, with Danyk Drouin finishing a long possession with a mark from the spot to make it 7-1. With the total shot totals at 56-13 and the score 7-1, the Dashers would look to create positives to build on in the final 20.

Period 3 was very similar to yesterday, with low energy and effort paired with minimal scoring. The Dashers would actually outshoot Carolina 13-8 in the final frame, but each of the two goals scored were Thunderbirds tallies. Less than 5 minutes in, Jan Salak posted his name to the scoresheet with a wrister to make 8-1. And then the final punch was James Farmer scoring on an odd man opportunity for his third of the year to cement the score at 5-1. There were a few short fights inside of 5 minutes, but other than that it was a game with minimal physicality, and another one the Dashers will be thrilled to put behind them. The final shot totals were 64-26 in favor of Carolina. Ryall Purdy made 55 saves while Mario Cavaliere earned his 16th win of the season.

The Dashers fall to 1-34-3 with 18 games remaining. They will travel to Binghamton next weekend for a Friday/Saturday slate with both games beginning at 6:00 CST. Meanwhile Carolina improves to 30-7-3, and will have a 2 game date with Watertown next weekend.

PORT HURON PROWLERS at DANBURY HAT TRICKS 

 Bandurkin Seals Comeback Win in Shootout, 6-5 Over Prowlers

by Wyatt Kopelman



Danbury, CT - The Danbury Hat Tricks stormed back from a three-goal deficit in the third period to force overtime and defeat the Port Huron Prowlers, 6-5, in a shootout win at the Danbury Ice Arena on Saturday.

Gleb Bandurkin scored the deciding goal in the seventh round of Danbury’s third shootout victory of the season, and first since topping HC Venom at home on Jan. 4 (4-3SOW). The rookie center beat Port Huron goalie Reid Cooper after Conor McCollum turned away Austin Fetterly for a 3-2 shootout finish.

Dylan Hullaby’s deflection in the crease, his second goal of the game, evened the contest at five with just 1:17 remaining in regulation.

Trailing 4-1 at the second intermission, Danbury got the spark it needed to keep battling.

Noah Robinson scored on the power play from the center of the right circle and Danbury cut the advantage to 4-2. Dylan Hullaby guided a centering pass off a Prowler and in from the goal line at 3:30 for a second straight goal on the man advantage.

Jonny Ruiz tied it at four 1:52 later, corraling an elevated pass in the slot to cap off three unanswered Hat Tricks goals in 5 ½ minutes.

Then Port Huron countered thanks to a fortunate bounce off the end board which gave Lukas Lacny an empty net to push the Prowlers ahead, 5-4, with 6:16 remaining.

Josh Labelle was ejected on an abuse of officials penalty with approximately three minutes left.

Stefan Diezi began the scoring for Port Huron, scoring with a slapshot from the top of the slot with 3:52 to go in the first.

The Prowlers continued their momentum in the second as Kenneth Styles buried a goal on the backhand in the slot just more than three minutes into the middle frame to extend the Prowlers’ lead to two. Matt Graham redirected Reginald Millette’s turnaround point shot and Port Huron went ahead 3-0 at 8:14.

Aleksandr Vasilyev gave Danbury a jolt at 12:23 of the second, tapping home a bouncing puck near the crease to trim the lead to 3-1.

But another awkward bounce off an end board in the Prowlers' offensive zone gave Luke James a goal on the backhand, replenishing Port Huron’s three-goal lead with about 2 ½ minutes left.

Conor McCollum made 45 saves and stopped five of seven shooters to improve to 16-10-4. The second-year netminder has won in six of his last seven starts.

Up next, the Hat Tricks return to Watertown, N.Y., for their second battle with the Wolves this weekend. Puck drop is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.

Hat Tricks Steal Two Points From Prowlers

by Will Wiegelman



Danbury, CT - The Danbury Hat Tricks came back from deficits of 4-1 and 5-4 in the third period as they robbed the Port Huron Prowlers of two points in Danbury. Gleb Bandurkin scored the winner in the shootout’s seventh round.

Port Huron got goals from Stefan Diezi, Kenny Styles, Matt Graham and Luke James to build a 4-1 lead through 40 minutes of play. Aleksandr Vasilyev had the only Danbury goal up to that point.

“We had a good first period and an even better second period,” said Prowlers assistant coach Chris Paulin. “As we said after the second, you don’t win the war in the beginning, you win it at the end. [In the third,] a couple of things didn’t go our way, we made a couple of mistakes and Danbury made a couple of good plays.”

Noah Robinson and Dylan Hullaby scored power play goals less than two minutes apart followed by the game tying goal by Jonny Ruiz within the first 5:22 of the third.

“What I didn’t love is that the confidence on the bench decreased as we started the third period,” Paulin said. “Things are going to happen, good and bad. We gain confidence from our preparation, not one particular shift or one bounce.”

A fortunate bounce set up Lukas Lacny to put the Prowlers back ahead late in regulation. With Connor McCollum on the bench for the extra attacker, Zach Pamaylaon floated a shot from the point that Hullaby deflected to send the game to overtime and, eventually, a shootout. 

After Hullaby scored in the first round, Austin Fetterly and Reggie Millette gave Port Huron the lead heading into the bottom of the third. Pamaylaon kept the skills competition alive with a goal there and no one scored until Bandurkin’s winner.

Braidan Simmons-Fischer picked up his first two pro points with a pair of assists. Millette had two helpers as well while Styles and Diezi finished with a goal and an assist. Reid Cooper made 29 saves in net and made four saves in the shootout.

Vasilyev and Ruiz ended up with three points apiece on a goal and two assists. Pamaylaon and Kyle Gonzalez ended up with two helpers each. McCollum stopped 45 Port Huron shots and made five saves in the shootout, including on the last four shooters he faced.

“It hurts,” Paulin said. “A lot of the guys in the locker room are wearing this one pretty hard from every position. We have these guys for two more games. The intensity and focus has to be sharp come Monday because we have a big week ahead.”

The teams meet again in Danbury next weekend, February 28 and March 1. Both games will be streamed live on the PHP Network YouTube channel.

WATERTOWN WOLVES at HC VENOM

Venom Lose High-scoring Game to Watertown, 9-5

by Ben Leeds



Poughkeepsie, NY - Powered by Davide Gaeta’s four goals, the Watertown Wolves bested HC Venom 9-5 at McCann Ice Arena on Saturday night.

Gaeta – a former member of the Venom – stayed hot for Watertown, scoring four goals and an assist. Gaeta has been dominant in his time with the Wolves; the 23-year-old has tallied 20 goals and 12 assists in just 16 games played since being acquired from the Venom.

The Venom’s five goals came from four different players. Danila Belov had two, and Max Sazanovets, Stavros Soilis and Olivier Beaudoin each netted one.

Dustin Jesseau added four assists, one more than he had in Friday night’s 3-2 win over the Port Huron Prowlers, marking the 10th time Jesseau has notched three or more points this season. Additionally, with an assist in the first period, Connor Craig extended his point streak to nine games.

Goalie Joel Eisenhower made his season debut for Watertown and the Venom tested him early with six quick shots on goal, but Eisenhower saved them all. The Venom peppered Eisenhower with 54 shots over the course of the night – he saved 49 of them. The Wolves avoided the early Venom push, then scored the game's first goal at 2:41. 

Gaeta picked up a loose puck near his own blue line and broke free. On a breakaway chance, he beat Rahul Sharma over the glove as he sprawled to try and stop Gaeta.

The original Watertown lead was shortlived. Sazanovets – celebrating his 23rd birthday – skated into the zone and ripped a shot over Eisenhower’s blocker to even the score at one, marking his first goal scored with the Venom.

Watertown grabbed the lead back shortly thereafter; Chase DiBari found Tate Leeson in the slot with a perfect pass. Leeson converted, putting the Wolves back out front at 7:55. They quickly padded their lead a tick over a minute later. 

At 8:56, Gaeta scooped up another loose puck and maneuvered around two Venom skaters. He let a wrist shot fly, scoring to clinch his sixth multi-goal game in 16 games with the Wolves.

The Vemom answered, keeping the high-scoring period going. On a two-on-one chance with Venom captain Bret Parker, Belov elected to shoot rather than pass to Parker. It was the right choice, as his wrister found the back of the net at 10:25.

Early in the second period, Trevor Gatsby attempted to send the puck around the boards as his Wolves teammates skated in. The puck took an awkward carom off the wall, bouncing right out in front of the net. In the perfect place at the perfect time, Gaeta knocked the puck past an unexpecting Sharma who thought the puck would go all the way around the boards at 3:59.

Watertown swiftly added two more goals in a minute and 33-second span, extending their lead to a comfortable four goals at 8:11. The Wolves then scored their seventh of the night on a goal from Ludlow Harris Jr. at 10:36.

Despite the five-goal deficit, the Venom did not back down, scoring two power play goals to get the deficit back down to three. Soilis got the first at 13:10, then Beaudoin scored his man-up advantage goal at 17:04.

Before the period game to a close, Gaeta got back in the point column, this time with an assist on Trevor Lord’s goal at 18:48 to push their lead to four going into the second intermission. Watertown rode comfortably through the third period, as Gaeta scored another goal on their way to a 9-5 victory. 

Belov scored his second goal – his sixth in his last seven games – of the night on the power play at 13:04. The goal marked their fourth on the power play on the night, tying the franchise record for most power-play goals in a game.

The Venom will go back on the road next weekend, heading to Wytheville, Virginia to take on the Blue Ridge Bobcats on Friday at 7:30 p.m.

BATON ROUGE ZYDECO at MISSISSIPPI SEA WOLVES

Zydeco Lull Sea Wolves to Sleep, 6-1

by Jon Kliment



Biloxi, MS - The Sea Wolves and the Zydeco met up again in the Mississippi Coast Coliseum as Baton Rouge had an opportunity to win the season series as they hold a 6-2 lead after eight games. Tonight the Sea Wolves look to rebound after falling 4-1 last night. 

 Baton Rouge picked up right where they left off last night as it took just 2:32 for Shane Haggerty to find the back of the net against Richie Parent to give the Zydeco the 1-0 lead. 1:36 later on an interference call to Andrew Stacey Haggerty made it two in a row on the power play to give Baton Rouge the 2-0 lead. Then again in quick succession just 2:41 later Jake Cox buried one from an odd angle to give the Zydeco the 3-0 lead after one period. 

2:52 into the second period Baton Rouge struck again as Scott Shorrock made it 4-0 on a wrister over the shoulder of Parent. The Sea Wolves answered back with a two on one 7:13 into the period as Curtis Hansen took an Andrew Stacey pass and went backhand over Bailey Stephens to bring the Sea Wolves back to 4-1.

Brodie Thorton found the back of the net just 3:51 into the final frame to continue the scoring trend in the first five minutes of a period. After a Justin Barr reaction to a tough game that ended up seeing him tossed and the Sea Wolves on a 5 minute major penalty kill and an odd Andrew Stacey boarding call the Zydeco added a sixth goal from Nick Ketola.

Parent stopped 33 of 39 in the loss.

The Sea Wolves return to the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in two weeks to take on these same Zydeco to finish out the home portion of the season series. Get your tickets on Ticketmaster or by stopping by the box office.

Zydeco Sweep Away the Sea Wolves

by Bryan Flores



Biloxi, MS - Zydeco looking to complete the weekend sweep vs the Mississippi Sea Wolves before their Mardi Gras break. 

Tonight the beat goes on for the Zydeco as Shane Haggerty finds the back of the net just 2:32 into the game. Haggerty again would find the back of the net on the Power Play to make it 2-0 Zydeco early just 4:08 into the game. Jake Cox on a pretty play would net one home making it 3-0 just 2 minutes later. After 20 minutes the Zydeco lead 20 minutes.

In the second period the Zydeco would strike fast again just 3 minutes into the middle frame, Scott Shorrock on a beautiful shot would make it 4-0. 5 minutes later Curt Hansen would find the back of the net to make it 4-1 and ruin the shutout again for Bailey Stephens.

In the third period Brodie Thornton on a beautiful impossible angle shot would net one far side to make it 5-1 just 3 minutes into the third. And on a 5 on 3 the Zydeco would strike for the second time on the Power Play as Nick Ketola snipes one from the slot at 15:57 of the third. The Zydeco would skate off with a sweep and 6 crutial points.

Winning goaltender Bailey Stephens saves 32 of 33 for a 0.970s% earning his 10th win of the season, improving his record to 10-2-2

Losing goaltender Richie Parent saves 33 of 39 for a final save percentage of a 0.846s% falling to a record of 1-6-0. 

Next week the Zydeco will be off and get a chance to rest up before their final road trip weekend against Mississippi back in Biloxi before finally returning home for their first home game in 3 months!