FPHL Ice Chips - Game Recaps
FPHL Federal Prospects Hockey League

FPHL Ice Chips - Game Recaps

Published on December 5, 2025 under Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) News Release


PORT HURON PROWLERS at BINGHAMTON BLACK BEARS

Yates' Historic Night Leads The Way

by Brooks Hill

Binghamton, NY - The Binghamton Black Bears defeated Port Huron 9-1 on Friday night. Gavin Yates became the second player in franchise history to score four goals in a single game.

On a Friday night clash between the Empire Division's top teams, Binghamton starred all night long. Gavin Yates was a highlight reel by himself, scoring four goals and tallied one assist. Yates scored his first goal to open the game at 2:12. CJ Stubbs scored his first just 90 after that, then Yates recorded his second of the period at 9:28. At the halfway point of the period, Binghamton led 3-0.

The Black Bears carried that lead into the second period. Port Huron managed to find their lone goal of the night at 4:33 but that was the last shot Dominik Tmej allowed by him. The power play came alive in the middle period as Austin D'Orazio continued his hot streak. Yates found his hat trick goal at 8:23 but perhaps the best goal of the night came at 18:17. Stubbs stole the puck away while being shorthanded and dangled around the goalie making it 6-1 in favor of Binghamton.

It was all Black Bears in the third, as Binghamton continued to put the pedal to the medal. Austin Thompson scored on the power play, as did Zac Sirota, but Yates was the one to own the moment. Scored scored his fourth goal of the game at 5:02 of the period, etching his name in history.

Gavin Yates becomes the second player in franchise history to score four goals in a single game! (Connor Smith).

Binghamton cruises to a 9-1 victory over the Prowlers, scoring three goals in each period.

Prowlers Blasted in Binghamton

by Will Wiegelman

Binghamton, NY - The Port Huron Prowlers were thoroughly defeated by the Binghamton Black Bears 9-1 at Visions Veterans Memorial Arena on December 5. It's the second time this season Port Huron has given up nine goals.

Binghamton started right from the jump and opened up a 2-0 lead within the first four minutes on goals by Gavin Yates and CJ Stubbs. Yates added another later in the period and it was 3-0 after one.

"Obviously, a very tough start for our group and then we started sitting back," said Prowlers associate head coach Chris Paulin. "We were very slow to react, I think things started to snowball a little bit. We didn't execute even remotely close to a high level and when you do that, whether you're playing a top-end team, middle or bottom-end team, you're going to lose."

Luke James got one back for the Prowlers early in the second but the comeback window was slammed shut almost immediately by a power play goal from Austin D'Orazio and Yates' hat trick marker less than two minutes apart. Stubbs put home a short-handed goal to make it 6-1 heading to the third.

The Black Bears piled on in the final frame, getting goals from Austin Thompson, Yates and Zac Sirota to complete the onslaught.

Reid Cooper started the game for Port Huron but was pulled after allowing five goals on 22 shots through 28:23. Bailey Huber made 18 saves on 22 shots the rest of the way.

"Honestly, I thought Cooper was playing very well," Paulin said. "He was battling and competing. You could tell this morning he was on. He made some phenomenal saves. The way the game was going, I saw it as an opportunity to get Huber some minutes. It was as tough a game on our goaltenders as we've surrendered this year."

Yates added an assist to his four goals for a five-point night, the most given up by the Prowlers to an individual player this season. Stubbs had three points and five other Bears pitched in two apiece. Dominik Tmej stopped 30 shots in net.

The teams rematch on Saturday, December 6 at 7:00 P.M. That game can be seen live on the PHP Network YouTube channel.

BLUE RIDGE BOBCATS at DANBURY HAT TRICKS

Hat Tricks Beat Bobcats 6-3, Extend Win Streak to Three

by Tyler Platz

Danbury, CT - The Hat Tricks extended their winning streak to three games with a 6-3 victory over the Blue Ridge Bobcats on Friday night. With the win, Danbury jumped Blue Ridge in the Empire Division standings and moved into fourth place at 7-8-2-1 with 25 points.

After a tripping minor on Hat Tricks defenseman Kadyn Fennell, Blue Ridge made Danbury pay. Forward Daniel Martin buried a one-timer on the power play off a corner feed from forward Michael Mercurio to give Blue Ridge a 1-0 lead at 12:22 of the first.

With 10:28 left in the frame, Hat Tricks captain Jonny Ruiz used his body to break up a Bobcats wraparound in the offensive zone. After a point-to-point pass from Fennell to Danbury forward Vadim Frolov, Ruiz snapped a shot from the top of the circle past Blue Ridge goalie Anthony Shrum for his fourth straight game with a goal and eighth of the season.

Before a late Danbury man advantage, shots were about even at 9-8 in favor of the Hat Tricks in a back-and-forth opening period. Both teams had scoring opportunities to break the 1-1 tie. With 6:19 on the clock, Bobcats forward Justin Daly nearly capitalized on a bouncing puck near Hat Tricks goalie Sebastian Resar.

Less than a minute later, at 5:45, Frolov and Ruiz nearly capitalized on a two-on-one rush stemming from a defensive-zone faceoff win that would have given Danbury a 2-1 lead.

After Danbury broke up a Blue Ridge rush, a backchecking Alexander Legkov collected the loose puck and created a two-on-one with Hat Tricks forward Kaiden Kanderka. Kanderka finished the play, beating Shrum for his second goal of the season and a 2-1 Hat Tricks lead at 11:05.

Danbury extended the lead at 9:30 when Anton Rubtsov slipped a wrist shot past Shrum from the low circle to make it 3-1. Blue Ridge answered quickly, however, as defenseman Egor Ramanau tipped in a low shot from Nikita Kozyrev on a rush at 9:06 of the second to pull the Bobcats within one, 3-2.

Danbury closed the period strongly. Hat Tricks forward Genaro Fronduto snapped a wrist shot high over Shrum's shoulder on a three-on-one rush to restore a two-goal cushion at 4-2.

30 seconds into the third period, Danbury forward Austan Bellefeuille's stretch pass found Legkov in stride through the neutral zone, and he split the Blue Ridge defense to score his 15th goal of the season - his third straight game with a goal - to make it 5-2.

Late in the game at the 4:42 mark of the third frame, as the lone Bobcats forechecker, forward Justin Daly, forced a turnover and snuck a backhand deke past Resar to cut the lead to 5-3.

Danbury didn't wait long to regain a three-goal lead. Frolov converted on the Hat Tricks' power play, slipping a shot past Shrum in tight at 4:17 for the eventual final score, 6-3.

The Hat Tricks return to the ice Saturday as they host Blue Ridge for the second game of the weekend series. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.

ATHENS ROCK LOBSTERS at COLUMBUS RIVER DRAGONS

RIVER DRAGONS CRUSHED BY ROCK LOBSTERS, 8-1

by Liam Gotimer

Columbus, GA - The Columbus River Dragons fell to the Athens Rock Lobsters by a final score of 8-1 on Friday night at the Columbus Civic Center.

William Lavalliere, the former River Dragon, started in goal for Athens, while Tyler Roy received the nod for Columbus.

Athens took control early and did not look back. Gleb Bandurkin opened the scoring at 8:56, and Garrett Milan added another before the end of the first period.

The Rock Lobsters broke the game open in the second with goals from Kayson Gallant, Bandurkin once more, Jesse Lowell, and Joey Colatarci.

In the third period, Athens added two more. Luke Croucher lit the lamp, and Bandurkin secured the hat trick.

Columbus broke the shutout in the final seconds when Alex Storjohann scored at 19:56.

The River Dragons return to action Saturday night as the two teams meet again at 7:05 p.m at the Columbus Civic Center. Coverage begins at 6:35PM on YouTube Live and Sporfie!

Bandurkin's Hat Trick Shell-Shocks In-State Foe in Battle of I-85

by Matteen Zibanejadrad

Columbus, GA - The Athens Rock Lobsters dominated all three zones in an 8-1 thrashing of the Columbus River Dragons Friday night in the Columbus Civic Center.

Athens came off the bus and took the lead 8:56 into the game through Gleb Bandurkin, who batted in a rebound off of a Jesse Lowell shot for his first goal since Nov. 1.

Garrett Milan was hungry to get back into the scoring as well, and netted on a second-chance opportunity of his own to make it 2-0 before the first-period horn.

The visitors exploded in the second period and it started with Kayson Gallant shoveling in a bar-down shot just 14 seconds into the middle period.

A smile grew wider on the Crustaceans' faces in the second, as Bandurkin scored his second, Jesse Lowell continued his rise with a five-hole tally and Joe Colatarci recorded his first goal of the year on a laser from the point.

After Luke Croucher scored his 10th of the season, Bandurkin put the finishing touches on his hat trick. It was the Moscow Mule's first trifecta as an Athens player, and first since he scored four goals as a Danbury Hat Trick on April 4.

Seconds away from his first shutout of the season, William Lavalliere was beaten for the first time on the night by Alex Storjohann at 19:56.

The Rock Lobsters (11-2-2-0, 37 pts) return to the Columbus Civic Center for the series finale between the two Peach State teams. Puck drops at 7:05 p.m.

INDIANA SENTINELS at WATERTOWN WOLVES

Wolves Down Sentinels, 5-1

by Jeff Barrett

Watertown, NY - The Indiana Sentinels made their second trip to the Watertown Municipal Arena, this time for a weekend set with the Wolves. The one previous meeting was on November 21st, with the Wolves coming from behind to score a 4-3 win.

5:33 into the first period, Watertown's Steven Klinck put the Wolves up 1-0, knifing a shot from the right hand side, beating the Sentinels starter John Werber. Watertown goalkeeper Breandan Colgan would be credited with the assist. The Wolves held the 1-0 lead at the break, with shots being dead even at 12-12 after twenty minutes.

The second period found Watertown's Klinck when he intercepted a crossing pass in the offensive zone, and sniped his second goal of the night, putting the Wolves up 2-0 at the 7:07 mark, unassisted,

Just over a minute later at 8:32, Yefim Mishkin was the benefactor of Darion Benchich pass, and added to the Wolves score making it 3-0 with Ryan Gil getting the second assist.

The Sentinels Ryan Glazer intercepted a pass and battled between a couple of Wolves defenders, and gave Indiana their first goal of the night at 11:37 sliding the puck over the leg of Colgan, making it 3-1.

Recently re-signed Domenic Della-Civita got his first goal at the 13:30 mark putting the Wolves back up by 3 at 4-1, assisted by Mishkin.

With two second left in the second, Klinck sent a shot from below the red line and pin balled the shot off a Sentinels defenseman, and over the shoulder of Rahul Sharma, putting the Wolves up 5-1 after 40 minutes of play. Assists on the goal would go to Della-Civita and Zachary Ross.

Watertown outshot the Sentinels 14-10 in the frame.

Watertown dominated the third period of play, but neither team was able to net a goal with Watertown outshooting Indiana 11-3 in the period and 37-25 total for the game, and the Wolves held on for the 5-1 win.

The Wolves and Sentinels will square off again on Saturday night with the puck drop slated for 7:30

TWIN CITY THUNDERBIRDS at PEE DEE ICECATS

ICECATS DOWNED BY THUNDERBIRDS 5-4

by Tom Callahan

Florence, SC - Houston Wilson scored twice as the Pee Dee IceCats' rally fell short in a 5-4 loss to the Twin City Thunderbirds on Friday night.

Wilson opened the scoring for the IceCats, tying the game halfway through the first period with a breakaway goal. Konstantin Chernyuk hit Wilson in stride at the opposing blue line with a pass from his own goal line, springing the winger for the goal at 10:07.

After falling behind 4-1, the IceCats got back into the contest with a pair of power play goals from Patriks Marcinkevics and Trevor Lord to make it 4-3 at the end of the second period.

Late in the third, Jacob Schnapp scored to make it a 5-3 game, but Wilson struck right back for the IceCats with just over two minutes remaining in regulation to make it 5-4.

Despite pulling goaltender Matt Sayles for the extra attacker, the rally fell short for Pee Dee as the Thunderbirds claimed the first game in the home-and-home series.

Game two of the weekend set comes tomorrow night in Winston-Salem at 6:05 pm. Game coverage on the IceCats Broadcast Network starts at 5:50 pm.

Thunderbirds Defeat IceCats 5-4

by Kendall Grayson

Florence, SC - The Twin City Thunderbirds, proud members of the Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL), defeated the Pee Dee IceCats by a final score of 5-4 Friday night at the Florence Center. Gus Ford (2), Don Carter Jr. (2), and Jacob Schnapp scored goals for the Thunderbirds in the road victory. Dysen Skinner recorded the win in net for Twin City after making 45 saves during the game. The Thunderbirds return to action on home ice tomorrow night in another matchup against the IceCats. Puck drop for tomorrow night's rematch is scheduled for 6:05pm.

Gus Ford scored an even-strength goal less than four minutes into Friday's opening period to give Twin City a 1-0 lead on the road. Ford's goal was his first of the game, tenth of the season, and was assisted by Zach White. Huston Wilson netted a goal at 10:07 of the 1st period for the IceCats to bring the game to a 1-1 tie. Konstantin Chernyuk and TJ Prexler each recorded an assist on the scoring play. Gus Ford scored again for Twin City seconds later to put the Thunderbirds ahead by one goal. Ford's goal was netted on the powerplay, and was assisted by Josh Labelle. Don Carter Jr. scored a powerplay goal with less than two minutes remaining in Friday's 1st period to increase the Thunderbirds' lead to two goals. Carter Jr.'s goal was his second of the season, and was assisted by Jiri Pestuka. Twin City was outshot by Pee Dee by a 12-10 margin during the 1st period, but the Thunderbirds carried a 3-1 lead into Friday's 2nd period.

Don Carter Jr. scored his second goal of the contest just over a minute into the 2nd period to give Twin City a three-goal lead. Carter Jr.'s goal was his third of the season, and was assisted by Zach White and Josh Labelle. The IceCats netted back-to-back powerplay goals with less than five minutes to play in the 2nd period to cut the Thunderbirds' lead to one goal. Patriks Marcinkevics scored at 15:46 of the period to bring the score to 4-2. Marcinkevics' goal was assisted by Dominiks Marcinkevics and Houston Wilson. Trevor Lord scored another powerplay goal for the IceCats at 18:18 of the 2nd period. Lord's scoring play was assisted by Eli Rivers and Nick Gullo. Pee Dee outshot Twin City 20-6 during the middle period, and the Thunderbirds carried a 4-3 lead into Friday's final period.

Jacob Schnapp scored the game-winning goal of Friday night's game with less than four minutes to play in the 3rd period. Schnapp's goal was assisted by Josh Labelle and Jon Buttitta. The final goal of the contest was scored at 17:50 of the period by Houston Wilson. Trevor Lord and Dominiks Marcinkevics collected an assist on the play. Twin City was outshot 17-5 during the 3rd period, and 49-21 overall during the matchup. The Thunderbirds improved to 5-10-0 overall, and 1-6-0 on the road this season in Friday night's 5-4 victory at the Florence Center. Twin City now leads the season series against the IceCats with a 3-2-0 record in head-to-head games played against Pee Dee this season.

Dysen Skinner improved to 2-5-0 in net for the Thunderbirds this season in a 45-save-on-49 shot effort. Matt Sayles dropped a game in goal for the first time this season for Pee Dee after making 16 saves on 21 shots.

Twin City returns home to the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Arena tomorrow night for the first time following three consecutive road games. The game will serve as the organization's Special Olympics Night presented by Flow Automotive. The Thunderbirds will wear specialty jerseys that will be auctioned off live following the matchup. There will also be a postgame skate after tomorrow night's battle between the Thunderbirds and the IceCats.

MONROE MOCCASINS at BATON ROUGE ZYDECO

Zydeco Look to Respond Saturday in Monroe After 4-2 Loss

by Bryan Flores

Baton Rouge, LA - The Baton Rouge Zydeco built leads twice Friday night but were unable to hold off a strong third-period push from the Monroe Moccasins, falling 4-2 at the Raising Cane's River Center in the opening game of the home-and-home series.

Baton Rouge opened the scoring at 8:02 of the first period, as Scott Shorrock finished an even-strength chance off assists from Austin Weber and Ilnur Madiarov to give the Zydeco an early 1-0 advantage.

Monroe tied the game late in the second period when Carlos Fornaris capitalized at 1:12, sending the teams into the break deadlocked at one.

The Zydeco regained the lead midway through the period on the power play. Tyler Larwood found the back of the net at 16:40, converting a setup from Nick Ketola and Jake Cox to restore a 2-1 Baton Rouge lead.

Monroe answered back in the third, tying the contest at 6:12 on a goal from Ben Stefanini, before pulling ahead for good at 10:02 when Casey Gerstein broke through with the go-ahead tally. The Moccasins sealed the win with an empty-net goal from Fornaris at 18:47, his second of the night.

Connor Green turned aside 36 shots in goal for Baton Rouge, while the Zydeco went 1-for-2 on the power play. Monroe finished the night with a 40-30 edge in shots and three unanswered goals in the final period.

The Zydeco will have an immediate chance to answer back as the series shifts north. Baton Rouge travels to Monroe on Saturday night for a 7:05 PM puck drop at the Monroe Civic Center, looking to split the series before returning home.

BILOXI BREAKERS at TOPEKA SCARECROWS

Topeka Catches Biloxi Hibernating on Teddy Bear Toss Night, 5-3

by Jon Kliment

Topeka, KS - The Scarecrow did battle with the Biloxi Breakers for the third time this season and for the third time at the Landon Arena in the Stormont Vail Events Center. After splitting the first two games of the season series Topeka has found their footing and now sit at 7-3-0-2-0 while Biloxi has struggled to string together wins entering the weekend series.

The Scarecrows wasted no time firing away just 6:25 into the first period Jacob Gagnon took a pass from Tyler Inlow and backhanded it past the Breakers netminder Josh Rosenzweig to send the bears flying on Teddy Bear Toss night in Topeka. 2:41 later it was Gagon again coming in on the rush down the far side wall. Once Jacob got inside the circle he sniped a shot over the shoulder of Rosenzweig to give the Scarecrows a 2-0 edge. Late in the period Topeka threatened again and as Zach Papapetros drew the attention of the goaltender he dragged the puck below the goal line and passed it to a wide open Tyler Inlow who put it in the empty cage to give the Wichita native his first professional goal and give the Scarecrows the 3-0 advantage.

Biloxi made a number of changes throughout the last couple of weeks and looked to make a statement after going down early. In the second period Aldyir Nurlan took control for the Breakers and found ways to find the back of the net. 5:42 into the period Nurlan got open for a cross zone pass on the power play and fired home Biloxi's first of the night to close the gap to 3-1. 2:28 later on a Brendan Spinale point shot Nurlan tipped the puck over the shoulder of Daniil Bryzgalov to shrink down the Scarecrows lead to 3-2.

After a too many men penalty to Biloxi, Inlow hustled to the net off a face off and buried the puck past Rosenzweig to give Topeka back a two goal lead, 4-2. 2:58 later Cameron Clark was sprung on a Elijah Wilson pass and went forehand-backhand-underneath the goaltender to put the Scarecrows up 5-2. Late in the period with the goalie pulled and Topeka down a man on an Avery Smith roughing minor Fabian Lehner scored his first as a Breaker after multiple attempts sent Bryzgalov sprawling, 5-3.

Bryzgalov stopped 26 of 29 in the win, his sixth of the season.

These two rivals reignite things tomorrow night at the Stormont Vail Events Center at 7:05pm. Get your tickets on Ticketmaster or by stopping by the Cable Dahmer Box Office.

Scarecrows Stave Off Breakers

by Devin Dobek

Topeka, KS - Three valuable points were on the line Friday night in Topeka as the Breakers squared off with the Scarecrows in their 3rd meeting of the season. In a game with a back and forth tempo, Topeka pulled away late to close out the Breakers comeback attempt by a final of 5-3.

It had been a month and a half since the Scarecrows and Breakers squared off in October, and with plenty of changes and 10 more matchups to go, Friday's action would serve as a great bar for what to expect closing into the new year. After a relatively docile opening 5 minutes, Topeka turned it on. They began to dominate in puck possession and zone time, a bad recipe for a Biloxi team searching to limit shots. At 6:26, Jacob Gagnon backhanded a vacant puck in the slot over the glove of Rosenzweig to open the scoring and cue the Teddy Bear Toss. After the donations were collected, Topeka went right back to work. At 9:06, Jacob Gagnon powered his way through the far circle before uncorking a bullet to beat Rosenzweig on the blocker side and double the margin at 2-0. Needing to strike some life into his team, AJ Schlepp squared off with Justin Schmitt at center-ice for their second go of the year. Schlepp had the edge early on, until Schmitt pulled him in tight and a grappling match commenced. The Breakers continued to play on their heels, struggling to generate anything in Bryzgalov's end. At 19:01, a patient Zach Papapetros drew his former Athens teammate in Rosenzweig out of the blue paint before centering the puck to Tyler Inlow who banged it home for his first pro goal to make it 3-0. The Scarecrows outshot the Breakers 14-7 in the opening frame.

After a lethargic opening 20, Charlie Pens fired some life into his group heading into period 2. Beginning on the man advantage after a Gordon Whalen minor to end period 1, the Breakers struggled to enter the offensive zone as a unit. As the penalty expired, the Breakers began to finally play with some poise and force Topeka to be a little off tilt. At 5:10, Alex Norwinski was assessed a trip, and a Breakers group who was beginning to get warm had an opportunity to do damage. At 5:42, Aldi Nurlan buried a one timer on the near side off a hard feed from Khaden Henry, and the Breakers drew to within 2. With the momentum on their side, Nurlan stepped up again on his very next shift, redirecting a Brendan Spinale shot over the shoulder of Bryzgalov to make it 3-2. Spinale's assist goes down as his first professional point on his 24th birthday. The Breakers pressure in the back half eased up a bit, and the final 10 minutes featured end to end fast-paced action, with both goaltenders refusing to surrender the next mark. The horn sounded with the score 3-2 Topeka, and the shots also in their favor at 26-22.

With each team "winning" a frame, period 3 was up for grabs. It was a slow start for both sides, a lot of back and forth hockey with the shots relatively close. The next goal was obviously the most important, either tying the game or restoring Topeka's lead to 2. At 9:46 there was a verdict, with Tyler Inlow canning a rebound on the powerplay for his second of the night to make it 4-2. The tally seemed to suck the life out of the visiting squad, as 3 minutes later Cameron Clark completed his 3 point night with a breakaway 5-hole mark to make it 5-2. However, the Breakers wouldn't go away on a negative note. Fabian Lehner, who had been on the IR since training camp, backhanded home a loose puck in his first game back on the powerplay to conclude the scoring at 5-3. Topeka outshot Biloxi 38-29 in full time.

The Scarecrows improve to 10-4-0, continuing to chip away at the Empire division race. The Breakers fall to 4-11-1, and sink to 6th in the Continental. The two teams will battle tomorrow once again at 7:05 inside the Stormont Vail Events Center.

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Federal Prospects Hockey League Stories from December 5, 2025


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