Game Recaps 3/28/25

DANBURY HAT TRICKS at BINGHAMTON BLACK BEARS

 Black Bears Storm Back

by Brooks Hill

Binghamton, NY - The Binghamton Black Bears defeated the Danbury Hat Tricks 6-3 on Friday night. Auston Thomspon was the only multi-goal scorer in the contest, as Binghamton came back from behind 0-2. Binghamton scored six goals in the final two periods. 

For the ninth time this season, Binghamton and Danbury battled it out on the ice. Neither side was able to crack the scoreboard in the first period. 

It wasn’t until early in the second period that Danbury was able to break the ice. The Hat Tricks scored 1:55 into the frame and followed up with an insurance goal at 6:15. For 30 seconds the arena fell silent, as for the second time in a row, Danbury had a two-goal lead over Binghamton. An adrenaline shot came over the crowd as Dan Wieber scored his second of the year. Wieber’s tally came a minute after Danbury grew their lead to two. Later in the frame, Chris Mott batted a puck out of mid-air to tie the game. From that point on the Black Bears did not look back. A late period penalty put Binghamton on the kill but it was the Black Bears generating the offense. Austin Thompson toe-dragged around his defender, shorthanded, and gave Binghamton their first lead of the night. After two periods, the Black Bears led 3-2, after being down 0-2. 

The home team kept the tempo up in the third. CJ Stubbs scored to give Binghamton an insurance goal. Thompson grabbed his second of the night, Cam Clark added the final goal for Binghamton, as Connor McAnanama was credited with an assist. McAnanama picked up his 29th victory of the season as Binghamton has now won 45 games this year. Binghamton defeats Danbury 6-3 on Friday night in front of the back-to-back sellout crowd. 

Hat Tricks Allow Six Unanswered Goals, Fall 6-3 in Binghamton

by Wyatt Kopelman

Binghamton, NY - The Binghamton Black Bears scored six unanswered goals to rally from a two-goal deficit and defeat the Hat Tricks, 6-3, at Visions Veterans Memorial Arena on Friday. Danbury’s win streak ended at three games and it now trails the season series, 7-2.

Binghamton’s CJ Stubbs scored the game-winner at 3:30 of the third period, lifting the Black Bears ahead, 4-2. Stubbs stole the puck at center ice and broke in on the right wing, wristing it into the top corner.

Austin Thompson had two goals, and earned the first star, while Jonny Ruiz contributed a goal and an assist.

Following a scoreless first 20 minutes, the middle frame featured five combined goals as Danbury scored back-to-back at 1:55 and 6:15. Jacob Ratcliffe centered a pass from the goal line for Aleksandr Vasilyev, who scored in the low slot for Danbury’s first goal of the night and his 10th of the season. Chase Harwell tucked home a free puck on a rebound in front, giving the Hat Tricks a 2-0 lead.

But the Black Bears scored three unanswered goals in the second. Dan Wieber potted a goal from the high slot to get Binghamton on the board at 7:11. Chris Mott batted home a hanging puck in the crease to level the contest at two with 3:29 to go before the Black Bears recovered from Kyle Stephan’s interference minor on Austin Thompson’s shorthanded goal with 1:59 left.

Thompson’s shorthanded goal marked Binghamton’s 15th of the season, an FPHL high.

The scoring barrage carried into the third as the Black Bears buried three more.

After Stubbs made it 4-2, Thompson got his second goal of the night at 10:29 to pad Binghamton’s lead at 5-2 and Cam Clark scored 4:16 later.

Ruiz scored on a rebound in front following Zach Ross’ denied wrist shot at the goal line with 3:28 remaining.

Neither team capitalized on 13 combined power play chances, despite Binghamton (25.8%) holding the FPHL’s best man-advantage scoring and Danbury ranking third (24.6%). 

Conor McCollum made 42 saves but dropped to 20-12-6.

Up next, the Hat Tricks host the Black Bears for the back of a home-and-home on Alumni Night in Danbury. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.

BATON ROUGE ZYDECO at ATHENS ROCK LOBSTERS

Rock Lobsters Hold the Line on First Responders Night With 4-3 Win

by Matteen Zibanejadrad

Athens, GA - The Athens Rock Lobsters edged out the Baton Rouge Zydeco 4-3 Friday night at Akins Ford Arena.

Starting the night on the power play after a pre-game delay penalty taken by Baton Rouge, Filip Virgili was able to bury a rebound in the final seconds of the man advantage.

The Zydeco answered back later on in the first, as Tyler Larwood finished off a combination play between him and Narek Aleksanyan.

Halfway through both the game and the second period, Daniil Glukharyov pulled off yet another highlight-reel goal after dangling into the slot and backhanding a no-looker past Sammy Bernard.

The scoreline would get knotted up once again on a Zydeco power play, as Elijah Wilson rifled a tight-angle shot out of the near corner and found what little space William Lavalliere left on the post.

Athens would take a 3-2 lead into the second intermission with Michael Greco marking his return from injury with a right-circle wrister.

The game-winner would be the tip-in from Malik Johnson, who got rewarded for his work in front of the crease 2:46 into the third period.

After Baton Rouge thought they scratched one back after a chaotic goal that was chalked off, they would eventually make it a 4-3 game through Aleksanyan who knuckled a puck in with 24 seconds left. 

First star of the night honors went to Carter Shinkaruk, who logged a team-leading three assists.

The Rock Lobsters (39-8-3, 109 pts) return to Akins Ford Arena tomorrow night for Star Wars Night. Puck drops against the Zydeco at 7:05 p.m.

CAROLINA THUNDERBIRDS at BLUE RIDGE BOBCATS

Bobcats Blow 2-Goal Lead, Fall to Birds 5-4

by Brett Wiseman

Wytheville, VA - Despite putting home a trio of goals in the first half of the second period, and help on the out of town scoreboard, the Blue Ridge Bobcats blew a two-goal third period lead and fell 5-4 at home to the Carolina Thunderbirds before Hitachi Energy Arena's biggest ever crowd of 2,033. 

Milan Breczko took only seven minutes of his professional hockey career to hop on the scoresheet, sniping a rebound off a shot from Hunter Godmere past Boris Babik to open the scoring for both sides. Carolina added two unanswered and led 2-1 after one.

The Bobcats responded with a feline flurry in the second, starting with a snipe by Mike Mercurio just 57 seconds into the middle frame. Then, 2 goals in 37 seconds from Godmere and Josh Slegers flipped the game on its lid and saw Blue Ridge move ahead by two after 2.

Carolina responded with three unanswered in the third from Jacob Schnapp, Petr Panacek and the shorthanded game winner from Zach White.

Both teams complete their season series, which Carolina has now cliched 8-5, tomorrow night in Winston-Salem.

HC VENOM at COLUMBUS RIVER DRAGONS 

River Dragons Rally Comes Up Short

by Tom Callahan

Columbus, GA - The Columbus River Dragons tried to rally late but could not tie the game, falling to the HC Venom 3-2 at the Columbus Civic Center on Friday night.

Trailing 3-1 late in the third period, Justin MacDonald scored to bring Columbus within a goal at 16:27 from Ryan Hunter and Noah Hatcher, giving the rookie forward his first pro point on the play.

Columbus would then pull Trevor Babin (25 saves) for the extra attacker and despite a furious flurry to tie things up, the River Dragons fell short.

Clendenin Stewart scored twice and Trey Fischer netted the game winner for HC Venom.

Notes:

• The meeting was the first-ever between the River Dragons and Venom.
• Hatcher recorded his first pro point in his first pro game. Rookie forward Joel Texmo also appeared in his first pro game.
• Columbus remains two points away from clinching a post-season berth.

The same two teams play twice more this weekend, Saturday night at 7:05 pm and Sunday at 4:05 pm. Tickets are on sale for all remaining River Dragons home games through the Civic Center Box Office and online at TicketMaster.com.

PORT HURON PROWLERS at MOTOR CITY ROCKERS

Port Huron Dominates Motor City, Decimates Rockers 10-3

by Brady Beedon

Fraser, MI - It was a night to forget for the Motor City Rockers.

Port Huron came into Big Boy Arena and immediately imposed their will.

Before Motor City even recorded a shot on net, the Prowlers lit the lamp five different times.

Dylan Marty opened the scoring for Port Huron less than a minute in, going top shelf on a deflected puck sitting in the low slot.

Braiden Simmons-Fischer tipped a shot in five minutes later to extend the score to 2-0, and 20 seconds later Marty scored again, giving Port Huron the 3-0.

Austin Fetterly scored, along with two from Drew Welsch and a Lukas Lacny goal to finish off the first period with the Prowlers leading 7-0.

TJ Sneath scored a minute into the second period to put the Rockers on the board, 7-1.

Dan Chartrand and Bobby Price each found the back of the net, extending the Port Huron advantage to 9-1.

Eli Rivers and Nick Magill-Diaz each netted a goal for Motor City, slightly lowering the deficit to 9-3.

The final goal of the game was scored by Jamie Bucell, capping the score at 10-3 Port Huron.

The loss snapped the Rockers modest three game win streak, while the Prowlers extended their winning streak to eight.

The two squads will rematch in Port Huron at McMorran Arena, puck drop is scheduled for 6:05, catch the action on the Rockers YouTube page for their first road broadcast of the year.

Prowlers Hang 10 On Motor City

by Will Wiegelman

Fraser, MI - A seven-goal first period put the Port Huron Prowlers in cruise control en route to a 10-3 victory over the Motor City Rockers on March 28. Drew Welsch and Bobby Price each scored their first pro goals in their debuts.

For the fourth time in their last five games, the Prowlers got the opening goal within the first two minutes. Tonight, it was courtesy of Dylan Marty smacking home a loose puck at the crease. Later, Austin Fetterly had a shot tipped home by Braidan Simmons-Fischer right in front of the net and 20 seconds later, Bryan Parsons found Marty on the back post for his second of the night.

Just before the midway point of the first period, Fetterly crashed the net and put the puck home from in tight to make it 4-0. 45 seconds later, Price found Welsch for a one-timer right off a faceoff to chase Ricardo Gonzalez who allowed five goals on 14 shots. 

Just over two minutes later, the puck slipped in front to Welsch who potted his second of the night and the rout continued. Lukas Lacny picked the corner for a power play goal with nine seconds left and Port Huron had a touchdown with the extra point before the first 20 minutes expired.

“The guys showed up ready to go tonight,” said Prowlers assistant coach Chris Paulin. “It’s a rivalry series and we knew it was going to be difficult. We came with the intensity that allowed us to have success early.”

TJ Sneath got one back early in the second but the Prowlers pressed back. Price set up Daniel Chartrand for a tally and then got his first pro goal on a rip from the slot. 

“To see the boys get their pro debuts after four years of playing with them and to get a goal was super cool to see,” Price said.

Motor City picked up a couple more goals late in the second. Jamie Bucell rounded out the scoring with the only goal of the third.

Fetterly, Price and Simmons-Fischer added a pair of assists each to their goals. Tyler Fox dished out three helpers in his pro debut. Welsch and Marty had two goals while Alex Johnson and Adam Heinzl added two assists. Reid Cooper got the win with 23 games.

Sneath and Eli Rivers picked up a goal and an assist apiece and Nick Gullo had two helpers. Bryn Sommerfelt made 27 saves on 32 shots in relief but Gonzalez took the loss.

The series shifts to Port Huron on March 29 at 6:05 P.M. Tickets are available at phprowlers.com/tickets.

MISSISSIPPI SEA WOLVES at MONROE MOCCASINS

MOCCASINS PULL AWAY IN THIRD TO DEFEAT SEA WOLVES, STRENGTHEN PLAYOFF PUSH

by Joseph Furtado

Monroe, LA - The Monroe Moccasins broke open a close game with a dominant third period, securing a 5-2 victory over the Biloxi Sea Wolves on Friday night at the Monroe Civic Center. The win is a crucial boost for Monroe as they continue their push for a playoff spot in the final stretch of the season.

Seth Bacon put Monroe on the board late in the first period, scoring at 19:20 off assists from Christopher Rex Moe and Dustin Jesseau.

Biloxi responded early in the second, as Dalton Anderson netted the equalizer at 4:35 with assists from Carter Eha and Noah Hippolyte-Smith. The Moccasins regained the lead on the power play at 8:54, when Moe buried a shot past the Sea Wolves goaltender, assisted by Frank Schumacher and Corey Cunningham.

Monroe took control in the third. Blake Anderson extended the lead with a shorthanded goal at 5:10, set up by Cunningham. Rasmus Asp added to the advantage at 8:16 off an assist from Houston Wilson. Biloxi cut the deficit to two when Don Carter Jr. scored at 15:00, but Wilson sealed the win with an empty-net goal at 19:52.

Monroe outshot Biloxi 48-23 in a commanding offensive effort. The victory evens the regular season series between the two teams at 3-3.

With the win, the Moccasins improve to 17-21-7-1-3 with 66 points, tightening their grip on a playoff spot as the postseason race intensifies. The Sea Wolves fall to 10-37-3-0-1 with 35 points. Both teams will meet again tomorrow for the regular season finale at 7:05pm.

WATERTOWN WOLVES at DASHERS of DANVILLE

Heartbreak in Danville

by Devin Dobek

Danville, IL - After a 7 game road trip, the Dashers couldn’t wait to return home with some new and returning weapons to take on the Watertown Wolves. In a back and forth game of the year candidate, Trevor Lord’s goal with inside 2 seconds to play in regulation lifted Watertown to a thrilling come from behind 6-5 victory.

There was a different buzz around the rink tonight, with fans feeling optimistic following last week's win and going up against a struggling Watertown team. Former Dasher and current Wolf Dustin Henning was a healthy scratch in his homecoming, which definitely was a disappointment for those in attendance. There was a brief delay before the puck was dropped due to the ice being a little wet, and the players tried to stay warm in the meantime. Once the puck was dropped, nobody skipped a beat. End to end action back and forth at a quick tempo characterized the opening 20, with both teams’ generating grade A scoring chances. The door was opened for the deer when Andrew Whalen was booked for a slash. Off the faceoff, the Dasher man-advantage played some hot potato at the blue line. Justin Brausen made a slick feed to Nathan M’Lot in the near circle who snapped it home for his first professional goal and with it a 1-0 lead for his squad. But the Dashers offense continued to kick it into gear and were rewarded again in the form of TJ Prexler’s 3rd of the season approximately 5 minutes later. Watertown peppered Rutherford, but he turned aside all 17 shots in his direction. Bouchard in goal for the Wolves stopped 22/24 as the Dashers took a 2-0 advantage into the room.

Period 2 the Dashers picked right up where they left off. TJ Prexler, who has been on a recent tear, potted his second of the night 5 minutes into period 2 to extend the lead to 3. The 3 goal advantage marked the second largest margin of the season for the Dashers, behind they’re 6 goal cushion against the Venom last Thursday. However, Watertown would not go away quietly. You could see their frustrations boiling on the ice, trailing a team they have had so much success against this year. Less than 3 minutes after Prexler’s second, Trevor Grasby tipped home a shot from the point to make it 3-1. Jacob Gagnon was assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct minor as well following the goal, setting Watertown up for a man-advantage to get another one back. And that’s exactly what they did, with Andrew Whalen firing home a snapshot from in between the circles to cut the lead to 1. The momentum was on full tilt in favor of Watertown, dominating the zone time and making Rutherford scramble back and forth to protect the lead. But Rutherford could only do so much, as Carter Thornton tapped home a 2-on-1 break to tie the hockey game at 3. The Palmer was silenced in disbelief, and that silence turned to a collective groan when 2 minutes later a Ludlow Harris Jr. wrap-around gave Watertown a 4-3 advantage. And then finally the groans went to cheers 18 seconds later when a Jhuwon Davis bottle-pop snipe tied it once more. The teams once again hit the locker rooms to grab a breath before the stage was set for a barnburner finish in period 3.

Period 3 was a roller coaster. About 3 minutes in, Jhuwon Davis took a bad hit into the wall and went down. After a delay he was helped off, and eventually stretched out, giving a fist pump and wave to the crowd. Chris Affinati answered the bell to stick up for his teammate, challenging Ian McDonald to a brawl that ended in a draw. But the crowd had come alive. Who would get the next big goal? It would be Jhuwon’s roommate, TJ Prexler completing his hat-trick on a deflection goal to put the Dashers back in the driver’s seat at 5-4. But of course, 10 minutes and just a 1 goal lead was not nearly enough to be comfortable. With inside 4 minutes to go, in the midst of a Dasher 3 on 1 rush, a penalty was called from way back in the opposite direction. Watertown’s league 2nd best powerplay would capitalize, with David Gaeta tapping home the equalizer. But no one could forecast how this game would end. A defensive zone draw with 6.9 seconds on the clock seemed like just a formality ahead of overtime. After the puck was dropped, it pin-balled to the slot where Trevor Lord unleashed a wrister. Rutherford made the initial save, but Lord followed his shot and batted it home with inside 2 seconds to play to lift Watertown to a 6-5 victory in front of a stunned Dashers crowd. This was arguably the most heartbreaking ending to a Dasher game all season.

The two teams will go at it again one last time tomorrow at 7:05 inside the David S. Palmer Arena for Cancer Awareness Night.