FPHL Ice Chips - Game Recaps
FPHL Federal Prospects Hockey League

FPHL Ice Chips - Game Recaps

Published on October 18, 2025 under Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) News Release


BILOXI BREAKERS at TOPEKA SCARECROWS

Scarecrows Start Strong, But Can't Withstand the Waves, 6-3

by Jon Kliment

Topeka, KS - The Topeka Scarecrows came into Saturday night looking to sweep the first two series in their existence after a 5-2 win on Friday night against the Biloxi Breakers. Though the Breakers are a new name the former Sea Wolves come into the year with some established roster players.

Gordon Whalen didn't keep fans waiting long as just 2:57 into the period on a drop pass from Elijah Wilson the defenseman opened the scoring in front of the hometown crowd to give Topeka the 1-0 lead. Despite multiple odd man advantages for both squads neither side could find the net through the rest of the first period.

The period of the long change always gives the opportunity for a team to get caught flatfooted, but Biloxi took advantage of the distance like old pros. On a Jacob Gagnon holding minor Declan Conway took a shot from above the circle and beat Daniil Bryzgalov to tie the game up at 1-1 just 2:42 into the period. Just 1:45 later after circling the net it was a pass from Yaroslav Yevdokimov to Dalton Anderson who tapped the puck home to give Biloxi their first lead of the weekend. After some frustration Elijah Wilson was sent to the box for interference and on the ensuing power play Biloxi struck again as on a point shot Yevdokimov made it 3-1 for the Breakers. Conway added another nine minutes later at even strength to bring the lead to 4-1. Brandon Lucchesi took a late tripping penalty giving Topeka their own power play opportunity and the man with the first goal of the game, Whalen, took his shot from the point. Avery Smith tipped Whalen's shot past the goaltender to make it 4-2 and cut the deficit for Topeka heading for the final frame.

Carter Thornton gave Topeka a glimmer of hope early in the third period as with just 8 seconds ticking away he was able to tuck a shot past Rosenzweig to bring the Scarecrows within a goal 4-3. 6:48 later however it was Biloxi finding the back of the net as Yevdokimov made it two on the night for the 5-3 lead on the power play. Khaden Henry found netting as well after a pickoff from Topeka's defenders and went forehand-backhand past Bryzgalov for the 6-3 win.

Bryzgalov stopped 33 of 39 in the loss.

Topeka heads out on the road for a two game set with the Prowlers in Port Huron follow along on Youtube or Sporfie next Friday night at 6:05 pm CT!

Breakers Earn First WIn in Franchise History

By Devin Dobek

Topeka, KS - After a game that got away from them last night, the Breakers looked for revenge on Saturday night in Topeka. Fueled by a pair of goals from both Yaro Yevdokimov and Declan Conway, the Breakers would outlast Topeka for their first win in franchise history.

Game 2 in Topeka, and after last night's incredible pregame, what was in store tonight? The answer, about 20 jeeps heading onto the ice for the National Anthem. Once everything had wrapped up, it was time to play some hockey. Not even 90 minutes into the game, some pushing and shoving between Connor Lind and Dylan Infantino escalated to the first fight on home ice for the Scarecrows. With the crowd behind them, not even two minutes later, Gordon Whalen beat Josh Rosenzweig glove side from Elijah WIlson to make it 1-0. Neither team could mount much momentum after that, exchanging minor penalties back and forth. The Breakers went 0/3 in their chances while Topeka went 0-2, and the score held for the remainder of the frame at 1-0. The Breakers led in shots 15-9 through the opening 20.

Rookie goaltender Daniil Bryzgalov was exceptional through 1 period, but his luck would run out in a landslide of a 2nd period. After an early Jacob Gagnon holding call, the Breakers went back to work a man up for the 4th time. Closing in on the low circle, Declan Conway beat Bryzgalov short side to tie the hockey game at 1. This was the first of a burst of 3 goals in 5 minutes for Biloxi, with the next coming from veteran forward Dalton Anderson. The Anderson tally marked both the first lead for the Breakers this season and their first even-strength goal. Back on the powerplay, the Breakers struck again. A Cole Crowder shot from the point was tipped home by Yaro Yevdokimov to push the margin to 2. That concluded the Breakers best run of the season, and doubled the margin. But they wouldn't stop there, with Declan Conway tipping home a Crowder shot pass to extend the lead to 3. But the Scarecrows would not go away quietly. Just over a minute later, Avery Smith tipped home a powerplay goal to bring the building back to life. The score remained 4-2 Breakers through 40 minutes.

Period 3 started just about as bad as it could for the Breakers. Off the opening draw, Carter Thornton tore down the ice and buried a Breakaway goal and if you were late getting back to your seat you might've missed it. But the Breakers were able to stave off the Scarecrows tenacity scoring the final 2 goals of the contest. The all important next goal came courtesy of Yaro Yevdokimov once again tipping home a shot from the point to make it 5-2 with 13 minutes remaining. 6 minutes later, Khaden Henry put the game on ice with a great finish from Morrison and Piekarczyk to cement the score at 6-3. Morrison's 2 assists tonight serve as his first two professional points.

The Breakers earn their first win in franchise history, and improve to 1-2-0. They will have the upcoming weekend off before returning to action for their home opener set against the Monroe Moccasins on October 31 - November 1. The Scarecrows are handed their first loss in franchise history and fall to 3-1-0. Next weekend they will head on the road to battle the Port Huron Prowlers in a 2 game set.

WATERTOWN WOLVES at PORT HURON PROWLERS

Huber Earns Win in First Pro Start

by Will Wiegelman

Port Huron, MI - A third-period goal by Arttu Heikkilä propelled the Port Huron Prowlers to a 2-1 victory over the Watertown Wolves. Bailey Huber got the win in his first pro start.

"It's so exciting," Huber said after the game. "Moving up the ranks from high school to juniors to college and now playing pro. It's a dream come true."

The first two puck drops led to immediate fights but, once the actual hockey began, goaltending was the name of the game. A 1-1 tie, thanks to goals from Port Huron's Dylan Marty and Watertown's Brad Reitter, lasted into the third as Huber and Breandan Colgan turned aside numerous scoring opportunities.

The Prowlers broke the tie with just under 12 minutes to go. Reggie Millette bought time in the offensive zone after carrying the puck across the blue line and feathered a feed through to the trailer. That was Heikkilä who ripped home a perfect shot off the post and in. That turned out to be the game-winning goal and Port Huron earned a split.

Brett Morich earned his first pro point with an assist on Marty's goal and Huber made 23 saves.

"Bailey has been fantastic since he got here," said Prowlers associate head coach Chris Paulin. "He's gotten better each day. He had a great college career, we were really high on him. He came in and dominated and won us the game."

Colgan stopped 33 shots in the loss.

The Prowlers continue on their six-game homestand when they host the Topeka Scarecrows for the first time ever on October 24 and 25. Tickets are available at phprowlers.com/tickets.

COLUMBUS RIVER DRAGONS at BLUE RIDGE BOBCATS

CARDIAC 'CATS COMPLETE COMEBACK, SWEEP DRAGONS WITH 6-5 WIN

by Brett Wiseman

Wytheville, VA - For the second straight night in front of a crowd of nearly 2,000 at Hitachi Energy Arena, the Blue Ridge "Cardiac Cats" completed a multi-goal comeback and sealed their first ever season opening sweep and first ever weekend sweep of the vaunted Columbus River Dragons with a thrilling 6-5 win.

In a physical and eventful first period, it was Columbus who corralled full control of the contest early in the opening frame, chasing starting Bobcats netminder Anton Borodkin in his club debut with three goals in the first 7:08 of the game. Anthony Shrum came in relief of Borodkin and steadied the crease for the remaining 52-plus minutes of regulation.

For the second consecutive night, the "Buff State Boys" teamed up for the Bobcats opening goal of the evening, as Nikita Kosyrev found Nick Stuckless 1-on-1 with Columbus tender Tyler Roy, and the Orangeville, ON native made no mistake as he twisted Roy inside-out with a series of smooth moves for a power play goal to cut the CRD lead to 3-1 a little over halfway into the opening frame. The 'Cats continued to claw back, with Brandon Reller finding Justin Daly on the doorstep out of a net mouth scramble late in the period to pull Blue Ridge within 1 after twenty minutes of play.

Columbus counterpunched early in the middle frame, with goals from Ryan Galvin and Tyler Barrow just over six minutes apart to restore the River Dragons three goal advantage. Barrow's marker would, however, be his team's last of the evening, as Anthony Shrum shut down a multitude of opportunities in the ensuing 33 minutes of play to keep Blue Ridge within striking distance.

The Cardiac 'Cats dug their claws in once again and climbed back into the contest late in the second period when Egor Ramanau dusted, darted, dangled and delivered to captain Danny Martin for a backdoor tap-in goal to pull Blue Ridge within two after 2.

Kyle Heitzner sniped home his first as a Bobcat 6:22 into the third to bring the Bobcats. Stuckless and Kozyrev combined once again for the equalizer at the 15:11 mark of the final frame to send the raucous crowd of 1,983 at Hitachi Energy Arena into a frenzy.

Just a minute and 13 seconds later, Filip Hlavac one-timed a pinballing puck off a carom towards the net that was redirected by Reller through traffic and into the back of the net for the eventual game winning goal. Reller earned third star honors on the night for the GWG. Heitzner's pair of points on the night earned him second star, and Nick Stuckless took home first star honors for his pair of goals on the evening. Another honorable mention for Shrum in net, who stopped 30 of 32 shots faced in his 52:13 of relief.

The Bobcats are back in action next weekend, renewing their rivalry with the Twin City Thunderbirds on Friday night on the road in Winston-Salem, then return home to begin a new rivalry with the Pee Dee IceCats on Saturday, Oct. 25th. Tickets for Halloween Costume Night presented by Aschenbach Automotive Group next Saturday night are available at blueridgebobcats.com/tickets, the arena box office or by phone at 276-335-2100.

River Dragons Get Swept by Bobcats

by Liam Gotimer

Wytheville, VA - The Columbus River Dragons were defeated 6-5 by the Blue Ridge Bobcats on Saturday night, at the Hitachi Energy Arena, in Wytheville, Virginia.

Tyler Roy was in goal for the River Dragons, while Anton Borodkin started for the Bobcats.

Columbus scored the first three goals of the contest, with Kevin Szabad, Josh Colten, and Tyler Barrow finding the back of the net, in that order.

Blue Ridge responded with two of their own to end the frame, with Nick Stuckless and Justin Daly scoring for the home side.

In the second period, Columbus received markers from Ryan Galvin and Tyler Barrow, while Captain Danny Martin scored for the Bobcats.

In the final period, with Columbus ahead firmly, Blue Ridge forged yet another fourier third period comeback. Kyle Heitzner, Nick Stuckless, and Brandon Reller all combined to put the Bobcats ahead for good, 7-5.

In the loss, Tyler Roy denied 46 of 52, while the starter for Blue Ridge, Anton Borodkin, was pulled after allowing three goals on 10 shots. Following his departure from the contest, Anthony Shrum, who was terrific the game previous, stopped 30 of 32.

BINGHAMTON BLACK BEARS at DANBURY HAT TRICKS

Hat Tricks Drop Fourth Straight, Swept by Black Bears in Weekend Set

by Tyler Platz

Danbury, CT - The Danbury Hat Tricks are still in search of their first win of the season and have dropped to 0-4-0 after two losses in their weekend series against Binghamton, where they were outscored 9-3 and fell 3-0 on Saturday night at the Danbury Ice Arena.

The Hat Tricks improved on their start from Game 1 of the series, outshooting the Black Bears 10-7 in the opening period and generating multiple chances after totaling just 13 shots in Friday's 6-3 defeat.

At the 13:30 mark, with established pressure in Binghamton's zone, Hat Tricks forward Alexander Legkov appeared to have opened the scoring for Danbury on the second shot of the game with a wraparound near the left post. The call on the ice was no goal, and after review, it was confirmed.

The two new faces in Danbury - forwards Jordan Kromm and Jake Raleigh - had chances as well, threatening to break the seal before the first intermission. With under five minutes in the opening period, forward Genaro Fronduto slid the puck out into the slot to Kromm, whose shot was blocked by Binghamton forward C.J. Stubbs.

In the final minute, Raleigh snuck by Black Bears defenseman Jesse Anderson and bounced a shot off the FPHL's reigning Goaltender of the Year Connor McAnanama's pads before being cleared.

The scoreless tie was broken in the Binghamton-dominated second period. The Black Bears capitalized on the power play after a holding penalty on Legkov. Binghamton forward Gavin Yates snuck a high wrist shot by Hat Tricks goaltender Frankie McClendon from the slot with 13:17 left on the clock.

In the third period, the Hat Tricks struggled to break out of their defensive zone as the Black Bears continued to suffocate them at center ice.

Five minutes into the final period with control in the Hat Tricks' zone, Binghamton forward Ivan Bondarenko fed veteran Mac Jensen for a one-time goal at the left circle, extending the lead to two goals. After Danbury pulled McClendon late, Jensen notched his second of the period in the final seconds to make it 3-0.

The Hat Tricks struggled once again to take advantage of chances on the power play, going 0-3 on the man advantage. After a stellar first period, Danbury's play faded as the night went on, managing just three shots in the final frame.

The Hat Tricks hit the road Saturday, Oct. 25, seeking their first win of the season against the Indiana Sentinels; the action begins at 7:30 p.m. from Hamilton Community Ice Arena.

ATHENS ROCK LOBSTERS at INDIANA SENTENELS

Virgili Nets Four; Crustaceans Crush Indiana

by Matteen Zibanejadrad

Columbus, IN - The Athens Rock Lobsters defeated the Indiana Sentinels 7-2 on Saturday night in Hamilton Community Center and Ice Arena, highlighted by a four-goal performance from Filip Virgili.

Just 1:14 into the game, the Sentinels did what they couldn't last night. Alexandre Vigor potted the game's first goal to take the game's first lead.

In the blink of an eye, the visitors snatched the lead with Jesse Lowell and Virgili tallies that were separated by just 32 seconds.

The second period started tied at two after a Connor Mullins score on the welcome mat, but Athens' resident Swede netted at the backdoor for his second of the night.

The rest of the middle period of the game was dominated by the Crustaceans; Jordan Ribbink scored his first as a professional while Virgili secured his hat trick.

The Sentinels were outshot 26-4 in the second period.

The polishing touches were put on by Luke Croucher and Virgili, securing a 7-2 victory before leaving Indiana.

The Rock Lobsters (2-0-0-0, 6 pts) travel to Florence, SC to take on the Pee Dee Ice Cats for the first time on Friday, Oct. 24 at 7:15 p.m.

BATON ROUGE ZYDECO at MONROE MOCCASINS

ZYDECO TOP MOCCASINS 4-1 ON HOCKEY FIGHTS CANCER NIGHT

by Joseph Furtado

Monroe, LA - René Hiekkataipale scored twice and Bailey Stephens made 36 saves to help the Baton Rouge Zydeco defeat the Monroe Moccasins 4-1 on Saturday night at the Monroe Civic Center.

On Hockey Fights Cancer Night, fans filled the arena in pink to honor and support those affected by cancer. Hiekkataipale opened the scoring just 1:52 into the first period, to give Baton Rouge the early lead. Dmitry Kuznetsov extended it to 2-0 midway through the frame, and the Zydeco carried that cushion into intermission.

In the second, Baton Rouge took full control. Tyler Larwood struck with a shorthanded goal at 7:19, while Hiekkataipale netted his second of the night on the power play in the final minute to make it 4-0. Monroe broke through late in the third when Austin Albrecht with 1:10 left in regulation, spoiling the shutout bid for Stephens.

Richie Parent made his first start in net for the Moccasins, stopping 27 of 31 shots in the loss. Despite outshooting Baton Rouge 37-31, Monroe struggled to solve Stephens, who was solid between the pipes.

The Moccasins (1-1-0) will look to bounce back when they host the Zydeco (1-1-0) again next Friday to open a two-game series in Monroe.

PEE DEE ICECATS at TWIN CITY THUNDERBIRDS

Thunderbirds Collect First Win against IceCats

by Kendall Grayson

Winston-Salem, NC - The Twin City Thunderbirds, proud members of the Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL), defeated the Pee Dee IceCats by a final score of 5-2 Saturday night at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Arena to post the organization's first win of the 2025-2026 regular season. Zach White (2), Jan Salak, Gus Ford, and Noah Hippolyte-Smith scored goals for Twin-City in the victory. Boris Babik posted his first win of the season in net for the Thunderbirds. Twin City will return to action on Friday, October 24th, in a home game against the Blue Ridge Bobcats. Puck drop for the matchup is scheduled for 7:35pm ET.

Patriks Marcinkevics opened the scoring for the IceCats Saturday night at 6:48 of the opening period. Timur Rasulov and Houston Wilson each collected an assist on the scoring play. Zach White netted his first goal of the game less than three minutes later to bring the score to a 1-1 tie. Gus Ford notched an assist on the scoring play. The final goal of Saturday's 1st period was scored by Trevor Lord with less than a minute to play. The goal was assisted by Nicholas Magill-Diaz and Dustin Jesseau. The IceCats outshot the Thunderbirds 10-9 during the 1st period, and carried a 2-1 advantage into Saturday's middle period.

Jan Salak scored the first of four unanswered goals by the Thunderbirds at 11:56 of the 2nd period. Salak's scoring play was assisted by Jiri Pestuka and Michal Mania. Twin City captured the lead on a scoring play by Gus Ford at 14:47 of the 2nd period. Roman Kramer and Zach White each notched an assist on the go-ahead goal. Each team recorded 14 shots on net during the 2nd period, and the Thunderbirds entered Saturday's final period with a one-goal lead.

Zach White scored his second goal of the contest at 3:57 of the 3rd period to give Twin-City a two-goal lead in the battle. Gus Ford and Roman Kraemer each notched an assist on the scoring play. The final goal of the matchup was scored by Noah Hippolyte-Smith into an empty net with less than three minutes to play in the game. Jon Buttitta and Nate Keeley recorded an assist on the game's final scoring play. Twin City was outshot 15-8 in the 3rd period, 38-32 overall in the matchup, but skated away with a 5-2 victory. Boris Babik made 36 saves on 38 shots in the Thunderbirds' bounce-back win over the IceCats.

The Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Three Stars of the Game were Zach White (1st), Boris Babik (2nd), and Gus Ford (3rd).

Thunderbirds Skate Past IceCats 5-2

by Dan Aston

Winston-Salem, NC - The Twin City Thunderbirds were away with a split on the Pee Dee IceCats in the second of two road games for the IceCats. While the IceCats brought the heat in the first, Boris Babik stopped 36 out of 38 shots on goal, with Zach White notching two out of five goals for the Thunderbirds.

The IceCats came out of the gate pushing the pace, winning the puck drop. After a slashing call on Dustin Jesseau, the IceCats got to show their skill in the penalty kill. Patriks Marcinkevics extended his scoring streak, with a goal early in the first period, IceCats went up 1-0. Zach White punched one in to tie the game up at 1-1, 9:19 in. Ricardo Gonzalez spent the period making incredible saves, stopping 9 out of 10 shots. Deep into the first, Trevor Lord scored from the left faceoff circle, bringing the IceCats to a 2-1 lead.

Though the second period started off slow, the action ramped up. Twin City was able to tie the game up, with a goal from Jan Salak, tying up the score at 2-2, with 9:04 left in the second. Less than 3 minutes later, Twin City took the lead, for the first time in the game with a goal from Gus Ford, bringing the score to 3-2. While letting in 2 goals, Ricardo Gonzalez was still making incredible saves, stopping 12 out of 14 shots, with an incredible save right before the buzzer.

The Thunderbirds continued to bring the pressure in the third. Even with 2 powerplays for the IceCats, the Thunderbirds were able to kill both penalties. Zach White recorded his second goal of the night, 3:57 into the third, bringing the score to 4-2. The IceCats pulled Ricardo Gonzalez out of goal with 3:16 bringing an extra attacker onto the ice. Noah Hippolyte-Smith Notched his first goal of the season on the empty IceCats net, with 2:18 left in the third. Closing score 5-2.

Patriks Marcickevics of the IceCats was able to extend his scoring streak for another game, scoring one goal, with 7 Minutes of penalties. Zach White of the Thunderbirds tallied 2 goals, and 1 assist, earning him star of the game.

Both goalies made incredible saves this game. Boris Babik of the Thunderbirds saved 36 out of 38 shots, while Ricardo Gonzalez saved 27 out of 31. Both Gonzalez, and Babik made highlight stops throughout the night.

Going into next week's games, the IceCats (record now standing at 2-2), look to take down the Athens Rock Lobsters on their return to home ice. The next game, Fri October 24th, is also Hometown Heroes night. A special ticket offer for first responders and municipal workers is available by emailing tickets@peedeeprohockey.com. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:15 PM.

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Federal Prospects Hockey League Stories from October 18, 2025


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