FPHL Ice Chips - Game Recaps
FPHL Federal Prospects Hockey League

FPHL Ice Chips - Game Recaps

Published on December 13, 2025 under Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) News Release


INDIANA SENTINELS at PORT HURON PROWLERS

Sentinels Get First Sweep in Franchise History

by Will Wiegelman

Port Huron, MI - The Indiana Sentinels, who lost their first 10 games in franchise history, have now won three-straight games after a 4-2 win over the Port Huron Prowlers at McMorran Place. The Prowlers have dropped six in a row.

"When you're in this stretch where things aren't quite clicking, and you're playing well but not getting the results, the only way to get through that is to stay together," said Prowlers associate head coach Chris Paulin. "Unfortunately, these streaks do happen but if you can get through them, you come out stronger."

Denver Craig was the only goal scorer in the opening period. 2:16 in, he deflected home a point shot from Colin Tracy. Later in the period, Craig turned and wristed a shot from about the same spot Tracy took the shot on the opening goal. Craig's went straight in and made the score 2-0.

Indiana added to the lead with a power play goal early in the second. Ivan Ponivanov's shot from the point was deflected by both Ethan Esposito and Zac Horn. Horn got the goal and the Sentinels got a 3-0 lead.

Port Huron responded when Nick Favaro zipped a seeing-eye wrister through traffic to the back of the net and then again in the third on a rip by Tim Organ. That's as close as the Prowlers got.

"Yesterday, I thought we played a really poor game," Paulin said. "I really liked the response of the group today. I thought we got better as the game went on. There are a lot of things we did at a really high level. A lot to build on."

Ashton Collazo sealed the deal with an empty netter.

Matt Graham finished with two assists and Bailey Huber made 21 saves.

Craig added an assist to his two goals while Esposito got a pair of helpers. John Werber was the best player on the ice as he made 43 stops.

The Prowlers continue to search for answers as they prepare for another home weekend against the Blue Ridge Bobcats on December 19 and 20. Tickets are available at phprowlers.com/tickets.

"We have to hone in on the little things," Graham said. "The little things are making the biggest difference right now. We gave up four breakaways tonight, gave up three or four last night. Paulin said upstairs 'breakaways are something you give up every three games.' When we're consistently giving up Grade A chances, it's tough to win."

DANBURY HAT TRICKS at BINGHAMTON BLACK BEARS

Swain Collects 4 Goals on Teddy Bear Toss Night

by Brooks Hill

Binghamton, NY - The Binghamton Black Bears defeated the Danbury Hat Tricks 8-3 on Saturday night. Nick Swain scored four goals, tying the franchise record for goals scored in a singlegame. Binghamton wins their seventh in the season series and 10th in-a-row.

Binghamton made it a point to get off to a good start in the rematch for the weekend. On Teddy Bear Toss Night, Nick Swain delivered the goal that sent the bears flying on to the ice. After a lengthy delay to pick up the animals, the Black Bears didn't pause their attack. Mac Jansen scored an insurance goal on the power play, only to be followed by another Swain tally making it 3-0. Binghamton was able to find one more with just 11 seconds left to go in the frame, Jansen joined the two-goal club with Swain. After dominating the first period, Binghamton led 4-0.

The Hat Tricks were on the power play in the second period when they found their first goal of the night. Noah Robinson put Danbury on the scoreboard, but that was the only thing to look forward to in the middle frame. Swain collected his hat trick in the second period, but he wasn't done yet. Nine seconds after Swain's hat trick, Kyle Stephan scored his first of the season, making it 6-1.

Swain scored a franchise-tying record fourth goal of the game at 17:25 of the second. He is now the third player in franchise history to score four goals in a game and second to do so this season. (Yates).

In the third, Jesse Anderson scored his second goal of the campaign and Danbury added two more goals in the final five minutes. It proved to be too little too late as Binghamton wins 8-3, winning their 10th in-a-row.

HAT TRICKS FALL 8-3 DURING SEVENTH MEETING WITH THE BINGHAMTON BLACK BEARS

by Meghan Baker

Binghamton, NY - The Hat Tricks fell 8-3 during their first road match of December against the Binghamton Black Bears.

Binghamton opened the scoring with an even-strength goal by forward Nicolas Swain at 11:26, just over Sebastian Resar's right pad. Mac Jansen netted his 15th of the season off the sticks of CJ Stubbs and Gavin Yates at 14:20 on a power play. Swain knocked in his second of the night to make it 3-0 just 33 seconds later. Jansen ended the first frame with a goal after a neutral zone draw for his second of the period at 19:49.

With a four-point deficit to begin the second period, a goalie change was made, and Resar was replaced by Kyle Penton. Resar allowed eight shots during the opening frame. Danbury was given their first power play of the game after Anton Rubtsov drew a match penalty on defenseman Austin D'Orazio at 8:26. Straight off the draw, Noah Robinson put the Hat Tricks on the board, firing one through netminder Dominik Tmej's left slot at 8:26 with help from Ian Tookenay and Alexander Legkov.

The Black Bears answered just five minutes later, netting a pair 11 seconds apart. Swain earned his first career hat trick with a shot from the far side. With a cut to the front of the net, Swain gained his fourth of the night, making him the third Black Bear in franchise history to net four goals in one game.

Binghamton continued their scoring in the final period when Jesse Anderson found the back of the net at 4:18 to put Binghamton up 8-1. After a 4-0 scoring run for the Black Bears, Jordan Kromm scored on his own rebound, roofing one over Tmej, assisted by Zach Pamaylaon and Captain Jonny Ruiz. Hat Tricks scored again late in the period with a quick sweep through Tmej's left slot from newcomer Gregory Susinski, for his first goal as a Hat Trick at 19:59.

After a hard-fought battle, the Black Bears outweighed the Hat Tricks throughout all 60 minutes of play. Danbury falls to 8-9-3-1. They continue their Binghamton road trip Friday, December 19th. Puck drop is set for 7:00 P.M.

ATHENS ROCK LOBSTERS at PEE DEE ICECATS

BEDARD SEND BEARS FLYING ON TEDDY BEAR TOSS NIGHT

by Tom Callahan

Florence, SC - Charlie Bedard's goal 5:57 into the first period sent the fur flying for the Pee Dee IceCats Inaugural Teddy Bear Toss game, a 5-3 loss to the Athens Rock Lobsters.

Bedard put home a loose puck in the goal crease with help from Chance Adrian and Houston Wilson as part of a three-goal first period that saw Pee Dee leading 3-1 after 20 minutes. Trevor Lord and Dominiks Marcinkevics also scored for the IceCats in the frame.

From there, Athens would work its way back into the game thanks to four power play goals and a shorthanded marker. Carter Shinkaruk scored twice with the man advantage, including the game-winning goal at 18:15 of the third period after Marcinkevics received a match penalty for a hit on Dustin Perillat that saw the Athens forward stretchered off the ice and taken to a local hospital for observation. No further update was available at the time of publication.

Notes:

The game featured five power play goals, two shorthanded goals, and a four-on-four goal. Not a single goal was scored five-on-five.

Charlie Bedard's goal was his first since December of 2024.

Athens scored a total of eight power play goals in the three-game series this week.

Pee Dee is back in action Friday, December 19 at 7:15 pm against the Twin City Thunderbirds.

Special Teams Help Lobsters Sweep the Cats

by Matteen Zibanejadrad

Florence, SC - The Athens Rock Lobsters won a special-teams battle Saturday night at the Florence Center, coming from behind for a 5-3 victory against the Pee Dee IceCats.

Watching Athens celebrate its Teddy Bear Toss Night 24 hours ago, Charlie Bedard got Pee Dee's festivities started with his first FPHL goal since Dec. 27, 2024 six minutes in on the power play.

Less than 30 seconds later, Rock Lobsters got a man-advantage notch of their own on a Daniil Glukharyov one timer.

Special teams continued to prove important for both teams, as Trevor Lord took the lead on the power play before Dominiks Marcinkevics dangled and finished off the IceCats' league-leading seventh shorthanded goal of the season.

Carter Shinkaruk ripped yet another signature slapper with the extra skater at 13:35 in the second period. The blueliner's third goal in four games was the only tally for either team in the middle 20.

Jeered and whistled all night long, Garrett Milan drew more boos when he tied the game at 3-3 with a shorthanded goal with less than six minutes to go in regulation.

At 16:41 of the third period, Dominiks Marcinkevics was thrown out of the game for a hit from behind on Dustin Perillat. The Athens blueliner would not return to the matchup.

Shinkaruk netted his second of the night with yet another power-play slapper, for Athens first lead of the game.

Glukharyov would follow suit and record a brace with an empty netter to finish off the IceCats and a sweep of Pee Dee.

The Rock Lobsters (14-2-3-0, 48 pts) return to the Columbus Civic Center to take on the River Dragons on Dec. 19. Puck drops at 7:35 p.m.

COLUMBUS RIVER DRAGONS at TWIN CITY THUNDERBIRDS

Thunderbirds Defeat River Dragons 4-2

by Kendall Grayson

Winston-Salem, NC - The Twin City Thunderbirds, proud members of the Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL), defeated the Columbus River Dragons by a final score of 4-2 Saturday night at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Arena. Jiri Pestuka (2), Gus Ford, and Roman Kraemer each scored goals for Twin City in the victory. Dysen Skinner won the game in net for the Thunderbirds for the third time this season in a 27-save-on-29-shot effort. Twin City will return to action next weekend with two games against the Pee Dee IceCats. Friday's game will be played on the road at the Florence Center, and will begin at 7:15pm. The Thunderbirds will host the IceCats at 6:05pm on Saturday.

Gus Ford netted his team-leading thirteenth goal of the season at 5:58 of Saturday's opening period to give Twin City a 1-0 lead in the matchup. Jan Salak notched an assist on the scoring play. The assist for Salak was his fifth of the season. Brodie Thorton tied the game at 1-1 with less than thirty seconds to play in the 1st period. Thorton's game-tying goal for Columbus was assisted by Ryan Hunter and Tyler Barrow. The Thunderbirds outshot the River Dragons by a 14-10 margin during Saturday's 1st period.

Josh Colten gave the River Dragons a 2-1 lead with a powerplay goal just over two minutes into the 2nd period. Cody Wickline and Ryan Galvin each notched an assist on the scoring play. Roman Kraemer answered with a powerplay goal of his own at 13:03 of the 2nd period to bring the game to a 2-2 tie. Kraemer's goal was his sixth of the season and was assisted by Gus Ford and Josh Labelle. Columbus outshot Twin City by a 14-5 margin during the 2nd period.

Jiri Pestuka netted a powerplay goal to put the Thunderbirds in the lead again at 2:43 of the 3rd period. Pestuka's goal was his first of the game, third of the season, and was assisted by Gus Ford and Jon Buttitta. Pestuka scored an empty net goal with less than 15 seconds to play to seal Twin City's 4-2 win on home ice. Each team recorded 29 shots on net during the battle. The Thunderbirds improved to 7-11-0 on the season with the two-goal victory.

Dysen Skinner made 27 saves in net to record the victory for the Thunderbirds. Trevor Babin dropped the game in goal for Columbus in a 25-save-on-28-shot effort.

Dysen Skinner was named the 1st Star of Satuday's game with teammates Jiri Pestuka and Gus Ford collecting 2nd Star and 3rd Star honors, respectively.

COLUMBUS SUFFERS 4-2 LOSS TO TWIN-CITY

by Liam Gotimer

Winston-Salem, NC - The Columbus River Dragons were defeated by the Twin-City Thunderbirds, 4-2, on Saturday night at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Dysen Skinner got the start in goal for Twin City, while Trevor Babin received the nod for Columbus.

Twin-City opened the scoring when Gus Ford, who also netted last night's opening tally, lifted a backhand shot over an outstretched Babin.

With 22 seconds remaining in the first period, Brodie Thornton took a cross-ice pass from Tyler Barrow and picked the top corner over Skinner to tie the game.

In the second period, the River Dragons took their first lead of the night on the power play, as Josh Colten found the back of the net. The goal came in Colten's 300th career game in the Federal Prospects Hockey League.

Roman Kraemer answered for Twin-City with a power-play goal just past the midway point of the second period, evening the score at 2-2.

In the third period, the River Dragons surrendered another power-play goal. This time, it was Jiri Pestuka who made no mistake, burying the go-ahead tally.

Pestuka sealed the win with an empty-net goal as time dwindled in the final frame, putting the game away for good.

Dysen Skinner made 27 saves on 29 shots in the win for the Thunderbirds, while in the loss for Columbus, Trevor Babin denied 25 of 28.

WATERTOWN WOLVES at BLUE RIDGE BOBCATS

Wolves Hang On, Even Weekend Series with 5-3 Win Over Bobcats

by Brett Wiseman

Wytheville, VA - The Blue Ridge Bobcats trailed entering the third period for the second straight night, but could not overcome an early second-period barrage from the Watertown Wolves and fell short in a 5-3 defeat before a crowd of nearly 2,000 on Teddy Bear Toss Night at Hitachi Energy Arena.

Trevor Neumann opened the scoring just over two minutes into the contest, recovering from fumbling a solo breakaway to snipe a wrist shot past Anthony Shrum and put the Wolves ahead 1-0.

Nikita Kozyrev struck for the second consecutive night, converting a lightning-quick one-timer from the high slot to tie the game and send the teddy bears flying late in the first.

The ultimate game-deciding early middle frame onslaught saw Watertown blast home three goals in the first 7:40 of the second period. Quinn Chevers also converted for the second night in a row, followed by back to back goals from Yefim Mishkin to put the Wolves in command 4-1.

The Bobcats battled back, with Justin Daly sniping home a shorthanded goal at the 14:52 mark, followed 3:07 later by a wicked wrister from Brandon Reller to bring Blue Ridge within 1 entering the third.

Both sides traded chances but the difference remained a single goal until a dagger from Darion Benchich into the empty net with just over a half minute remaining in regulation.

Both sides meet tomorrow afternoon for the rubber match of the three game series with puck drop set for 4:05 PM.

BILOXI BREAKERS at MONROE MOCCASINS

MOCCASINS SET FRANCHISE RECORD IN 12-1 ROUT OF BREAKERS ON TEDDY BEAR TOSS NIGHT

by Joseph Furtado

Monroe, LA - The Monroe Moccasins turned Teddy Bear Toss night into an offensive avalanche, scoring early and often in a 12-1 win against the Biloxi Breakers on Saturday at the Monroe Civic Center.

Frank Schumacher opened the scoring just 36 seconds into the game, triggering the annual teddy bear toss and setting the tone for a dominant night. Monroe added goals from Daryk Dubé-Plouffe and Austin Albrecht to take a 3-0 lead after the first period, outshooting Biloxi 19-5.

The Moccasins stretched the lead in the second period with four more goals. Tucker Scantlebury scored on the power play and Kyler Matthews added a shorthanded goal. After Biloxi's lone goal from Trey Fischer on the power play at 10:55, Jared Christy scored twice on the man advantage to make it 7-1 heading into the third period..

Monroe continued to roll in the final period with five unanswered goals on their way to a franchise record for most goals in a game with 12. The Moccasins outshot the Breakers 39-17 and capped a festive night at the Civic Center as hundreds of teddy bears rained onto the ice. The Moccasins improved to 13-4-2-0-0 on the season and remained unbeaten against Biloxi at 7-0, while the Breakers fell to 4-13-1-1-0.

Moccasins Score 12, Make History to Complete Sweep of Breakers

by Devin Dobek

Monroe, LA - Monroe came out looking to make a statement and complete the sweep Saturday night against the Breakers. In a one sided affair, Monroe dominated on all cylinders en route to a 12-1 victory, the most goals ever scored in an FPHL contest.

A banged up Breakers group got set to go and close out a 2 game road trip with the Monroe Moccasins this past Saturday night. Down 5 of their top scorers (Henry, Yevdokimov, Conway, Nurlan, Crowder) this would be a true war of attrition to try and hang with a high scoring, physical Mocs group. Prior to puck drop, former Mocs assistant captain Rex Moe was honored and celebrated by the Monroe faithful after his decision to retire. After an emotional tribute, it was time for some hockey. Just 36 seconds into the contest, Frank Schumacher fired a shot from the near circle over the glove of Rosenzweig to put the Mocs up first at 1-0. Being Teddy Bear Toss Night, an armada of stuffed animals cascaded over the glass as a donation to toys for tots. Monroe's puck possession in the first period was more than impressive, and they were rewarded once again when Daryk Dube Plouffe potted one for his 6th of the season to make it 2-0. Monroe was not done just yet, as at 11:34 Austin Albrecht grabbed his own failed shot attempt and shoveled in the rebound to make it 3-0. The remainder of the period bled out with the Mocs carrying a 3 goal lead into the room and outshooting Biloxi 19-5.

Period 2 turned into a war. It started out rather mild, with the Moccasins picking right up where they left off offensively. At 2:08 Tucker Scantlebury fired home a powerplay goal to make it 4-0. Then at 7:25, Kyler Matthews scored his first goal as a Moccasin shorthanded to make it 5-0. After that the minor penalties began to pile up for both sides, with all kinds of bad discipline. Into the back half of the game, Trey Fischer scored on the powerplay to extend his point streak to 3 games and put Biloxi on the board at 5-1. Monroe had a quick response to that with Jared Christy tucking home a powerplay goal of his own to make it 6-1. That's when it got crazy. Inside the final 5 minutes Josh Rosenzweig got into it with Corson Green and a huge brawl broke out, leading to 39 total PIMs between the two sides. Brendan Spinale pounded Mocs assistant captain Kyler Matthews off to the side while all the madness continued. Garrett Johnson would enter to replace the Breakers' starting goaltender. On the next draw Tim Payne dropped the mitts with Yianni Liarakos, and Liarakos won decisively with authority, sending the building into a frenzy. To cap off all the chaos, Jared Christy tucked home another tally to make it 7-1 Monroe inside the final minute. The Mocs led the Breakers 27-13 in shots through 40 minutes.

The 3rd period was a piece of history. The Moccasins scored 5 more goals to set the FPHL all-time single game goals record with a dozen. The previous record was 11. At 5:27 Sam Turner scored the 8th. At 7:43 on the power play Austin Albrecht sent in a shot through traffic to make it 9. At 11:12 Daryk Dube Plouffe scored on a shot attempt he barely got off the blade and slid through Johnson's five-hole for the 10th. At 14:55 Scantlebury tied the record with an 11th on a wrister. Ending the game on the powerplay, former Mississippi Sea Wolf Sam Turner scored from the point to set the record and make it 12-1. The horn sounded and the crowd erupted with gratitude for witnessing history.

The Breakers fall to 5-13-1, while Monroe improves to 13-4-2. The two teams will battle once more in a home and home set this upcoming weekend beginning in Biloxi Friday night at 7.

TOPEKA SCARECROWS at BATON ROUGE ZYDECOS

Zydeco Battle Past Topeka 2-1 in Gritty Home Win

by Bryan Flores

Baton Rouge, LA -The Baton Rouge Zydeco delivered one of their most complete efforts of the season Saturday night, knocking off the Topeka Scarecrows 2-1 at the Raising Cane's River Center - capped by a jaw-dropping, last-second save by Coffee to seal the win.

Baton Rouge set the tone early, outshooting Topeka and dictating play throughout the opening frame. The breakthrough came at 11:33 of the first period, when Dmitry Kuznetsov ripped home the game's opening goal off feeds from Jake Cox and Tyler Larwood, giving the Zydeco a 1-0 lead.

Topeka answered in the second period, tying the game at 9:15 on a goal from Avery Smith, setting up a tense third period with everything on the line.

The difference came midway through the final frame. At 10:16 of the third, Ross Bartlett buried the go-ahead goal, finishing a setup from Austin Weber and Chris Ciolek to put Baton Rouge back in front, 2-1.

From there, it was survival hockey.

Topeka pushed hard late, pulling the goalie and throwing everything they had toward the Zydeco net - but Coffee stood tall, turning aside chance after chance. With time expiring, Coffee made a spectacular, heart-stopping save in the final second, bringing the River Center to its feet and slamming the door shut on a massive Zydeco victory.

Baton Rouge finished the night with a commanding 38-20 shots advantage, a reflection of their effort, pace, and physical edge throughout the game.

Next up for the Zydeco they take on the Monroe Moccasins Wednesday at 7:05 back at the River Center!

Late Error Dooms Scarecrows, 2-1

by Jon Kliment

Baton Rouge, LA - After securing a win to start the weekend on Friday night Topeka had themselves within two points of second place in the Empire Division entering Saturday night, while the hometown Zydeco continued to search for a path out of the basement of the Continental division. Both squads entered the night hoping for three points.

Topeka had two early power play chances, but couldn't find a route past Ed Coffey on either opportunity. After being released from the box, Dmitry Kuznetsov came out with a vengeance and on a drop pass from Jake Cox that sent goaltender Daniil Bryzgalov sprawling, Kuznetsov picked his corner and gave the Zydeco a 1-0 lead at 11:33 of the first period.

In the second Topeka killed off the remaining power play from the first period and then hunted down some offense of their own. Hunter Hall rushed into the Zydeco zone at 9:15 of the period and as Avery Smith jumped in on a two-on-one Hall fed the pass perfectly across and Smith went backhand through Ed Coffey to tie the game at a goal a piece.

This one came down to a misplay at the Scarecrows blue line that gave Ross Bartlett a breakaway that he fired past Bryzgalov for the 2-1 lead 10:16 into the third period.

Bryzgalov stopped 36 of 38 in the loss.

Topeka will return to Baton Rouge next Friday and Saturday. Follow along on Youtube and on Sporfie.

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Federal Prospects Hockey League Stories from December 13, 2025


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