FPHL Ice Chips - Game Recaps
FPHL Federal Prospects Hockey League

FPHL Ice Chips - Game Recaps

Published on December 19, 2025 under Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) News Release


DANBURY HAT TRICKS at BINGHAMTON BLACK BEARS

Stubbs Collects 301st Professional Point

by Brooks Hill

Binghamton, NY - The Binghamton Black Bears won their 11-straight game on Friday night, defeating the Danbury Hat Tricks 4-2. CJ Stubbs recorded three points, surpassing 300 career points.

Binghamton was able to start the party early, just 88 seconds into the game. Zac Sirota scored his fourth goal of the year making it 1-0. Binghamton was able to find an insurance goal halfway through the period when CJ Stubbs scored on the power play. After the first period, Binghamton led 2-0.

The Black Bears scored their third of the night at the 4:08 mark of the second. Tyson Kirkby scored his first goal at home since his injury on opening night. Five minutes into the period, it was 3-0 Binghamton. Then Jonny Ruiz was able to score on not one, but two breakaways in the period. Ruiz's pair of goals made it 3-2 and that was the score going into the third period.

There were penalties called in the final period, and teams traded chances back-and-forth. Neither goaltender wanted to let up what good be the final goal of the game. As time winded down, Danbury was forced to pull the goalie and with 43 seconds left, Stubbs scored his second goal with the net empty. Binghamton wins 4-2 on Friday night, extending their win streak to 11-in-a-row.

Ruiz Scores Twice, yet Hat Tricks Drop 4-2 to Binghamton

by Tyler Platz

Binghamton, NY - The Danbury Hat Tricks dropped their third straight game, falling 4-2 to the Binghamton Black Bears. Danbury captain Jonny Ruiz and Binghamton forward CJ Stubbs each scored twice, as the Black Bears extended their winning streak against the Hat Tricks to eight games.

For the second straight game, Binghamton opened the scoring in the first period. Black Bears forward Mac Jansen beat Danbury defenseman Justin Movalli along the boards at the hash mark and passed to forward Zac Sirota, who scored on a one-timer at 18:32.

At 9:54 in the opening frame, Stubbs and forward Ivan Bondarenko showed off their chemistry, teaming up on a Binghamton power-play goal to make it 2-0. With the assist, Bondarenko earned a league-leading 30th assist, the most ever by a Black Bear.

Binghamton teased a 3-0 lead under the five-minute mark at 4:16 when a high-sticking call on Bondarenko wiped out Black Bears defenseman Jesse Anderson's third goal of the year.

Two of Danbury's best scoring chances came from forward Alexander Legkov, late in the first period and early in the second.

Late in the first, Legkov had a one-on-one against two of the league's best: himself, second in the league with 16 goals, and Binghamton goalie Dominik Tmej, who leads the league with a .930 save percentage. Tmej made a kick save to preserve the 2-0 lead.

At 18:48 of the second, Legkov threatened again right in front, skating so fast that his momentum knocked the net off its stakes. Hat Tricks forward Kaiden Kandereka grabbed the rebound and fired a spinning shot.

The shot missed the sliding net, giving the rare sight of the net missing the puck to keep the score 2-0.

With 15:52 remaining, the Black Bears captain, Tyson Kirkby positioned himself in the circle and scored Binghamton's third goal, giving the team a 3-0 lead. Bondarenko once again tallied an assist for his 31st of the season.

Ruiz responded with two breakaway goals. The first came at 10:35 after he read a bad Binghamton blue-line pass in the defensive zone, cutting the lead to 3-1. Four minutes later, at 6:39, Ruiz struck again on another breakaway, making it 3-2 and showing the 31-year-old still has some legs.

Hat Tricks goalie Kyle Penton vacated the net with under two minutes to go, and Stubbs scored on the empty net with 42 seconds left in the game for the final 4-2.

Danbury returns to the ice tomorrow for the fourth straight against Binghamton. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.

BLUE RIDGE BOBCATS at PORT HURON PROWLERS

Port Huron Breaks Slide

by Will Wiegelman

Port Huron, MI - The wait is over. The Port Huron Prowlers snapped their six-game losing streak with a 3-2 win over the Blue Ridge Bobcats at McMorran Place. Port Huron outshot Blue Ridge 45-29 in the effort.

"Teams lose a few games in a row and they start to panic, there was none of that in our locker room," said Prowlers associate head coach Chris Paulin. "We had a bad weekend last weekend and put it behind us. We put a great week in preparation and played hard. These guys know it's a long season and they battled hard tonight."

The Prowlers' power play got off the schnide just over five minutes in when Blake Anderson found Arttu Heikkilä right in front to open the scoring.

Blue Ridge responded later in the period. Daniel Martin feathered a pass to PJ Demitrio on a two-on-one rush and he one-timed it to top shelf.

Heikkilä struck again late in the period after hard work by his linemates. His shot from the right-wing circle hit Anthony Shrum's shoulder but still found the net for his eighth of the year and a 2-1 Port Huron lead.

"[Heikkilä is] somebody who's very coachable, when we tell him where to be, he's there," Paulin said. "He runs great routes. Both of his goals, great position and perfect execution. Offensively, he's been getting chances and tonight, they went in."

It only took 11 seconds into the second period for Nikita Kozyrev to tie it up again, but Port Huron took the lead back a few minutes later. A shot by Bryan Parsons was tipped home by Matt Graham. It was originally waved off but further review showed the puck hit the back bar, not the cross bar, and it stood up as the game winner.

The Prowlers' top line led the way with Heikkilä's two goals, Graham's Gordie Howe hat trick and Lukas Lacny's pair of assists. Reid Cooper got his 10th win of the season after a 27-save performance, capped off by a paddle top in the final seconds.

"The boys played a heck of a game tonight," Cooper said. "I thought it would come down to something late game so I was ready for a big moment to happen and I made the save."

Shrum took his first loss against Port Huron after making 42 stops.

The teams battle again on Saturday, December 20 with puck drop at McMorran Place scheduled for 6:05 P.M. Tickets are available at phprowlers.com/tickets.

TWIN CITY THUNDERBIRDS at PEE DEE ICECATS

ICECATS BLANKED BY THUNDERBIRDS 3-0

by Tom Callahan

Florence, SC - Zach White scored twice and Gus Ford netted the game winner as the Twin City Thunderbirds blanked the Pee Dee IceCats 3-0 on Friday night at Florence Center.

Ford netted the first goal of the game at 8:57 of the second period with a wrist shot from the right wing that beat Ricardo Gonzalez over the left shoulder to make it 1-0.

White's first goal later in the second period was almost identical, coming on a shot off the right wing that beat Gonzalez just under the crossbar to make it 2-0 after 40 minutes.

White capped the scoring in the third as Ford fed the puck to White in the slot at 7:32 to complete the scoring.

Boris Babik turned aside 16 shots for the shutout, while Gonzalez stopped 19-of-22 in the loss.

The same two teams go right back at it tomorrow night in Winston-Salem at 6:05 pm ET, with the Powers Properties Pregame show kicking off 15 minutes prior to puck drop on the IceCats Broadcast Network.

Babik Shuts Out IceCats

by Kendall Grayson

Florence, SC - Twin City Thunderbirds goaltender Boris Babik shut out the Pee Dee IceCats in a 17-save performance Friday night at the Florence Center. Gus Ford scored once, and Zach White scored twice, in a 3-0 road win for the Thunderbirds. The victory was Twin City's eighth of the 2025-2026 regular season, and the Thunderbirds improved to 5-2-0 in head-to-head matchups against the IceCats this season. Puck drop for tomorrow night's showdown between the Thunderbirds and the IceCats at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Arena is scheduled for 6:05pm ET.

Each team was held off the scoreboard during Friday's opening period. Twin City outshot Pee Dee by a 7-6 margin, and the 2nd period began in a scoreless tie. Gus Ford gave the Thunderbirds a 1-0 advantage in the matchup at 8:57 of the middle period. The goal was Ford's team-leading fourteenth of the 2025-2026 regular season, and was the third scoring play of the season for him at the Florence Center. Cade Hanley and James Farmer each recorded an assist on the play. Zach White scored his tenth goal of the year with less than three minutes to play in Friday's 2nd period to give the Thunderbirds a two-goal lead. Nate Keeley and Josh Labelle each collected an assist on the scoring play. Twin City heavily outshot Pee Dee by an 11-4 margin during the 2nd period, and the Thunderbirds carried a 2-0 lead into the 3rd period of Friday's night's contest.

The lone goal of Friday's 3rd period, and the final scoring play of the game, was scored by Zach White at 7:32 of the period. The goal was White's second of the game, eleventh of the season, and was assisted by Gus Ford and Jan Salak. Twin City outshot Pee Dee by a 4-3 margin during the 3rd period, and 22-16 overall during the contest. Ricardo Gonzalez dropped the game in goal for the IceCats after making 19 saves on 22 shots during the contest.

Boris Babik posted his first shutout of the season, and fifth shutout of his FPHL career with Friday night's performance. His win in net was his fifth of the season, and the fortieth of his career.

Puck drop for tomorrow night's showdown between the Thunderbirds and the IceCats at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Arena is scheduled for 6:05pm ET.

ATHENS ROCK LOBSTERS at COLUMBUS RIVER DRAGONS

PENALTY PARADE DOOMS DRAGONS ON FRIDAY NIGHT

By Liam Gotimer

Columbus, GA - The Columbus River Dragons were defeated by the Athens Rock Lobsters by a final score of 6-5 on Friday night at the Columbus Civic Center, in Columbus, Georgia.

William Lavalliere got the start in goal for Athens while Tyler Roy received the nod for Columbus.

Tyler Barrow scored the first goal of the game for Columbus, beating William Lavalliere right through the wickets.

At 8:14, Kevin Szabad took advantage of an Athens giveaway at the blue line and found the back of the net on a breakaway.

At 10:06, Alex Storjohann scored the second power-play goal of the period for the River Dragons, giving the home side a commanding 3-0 lead after 20 minutes.

In the second period, Athens scored four times, with three of the goals coming on the man-advantage. Garret Milan, Luke Croucher (2x), and Gleb Banurkin were the recipients for Athens.

Columbus did light the lamp in the second, with Lucas Texmo scoring his first goal as a River Dragon at even strength.

Kyle Moore put the River Dragons ahead midway through the third with a power-play goal, beating Lavalliere in front of the crease.

Joseph Mack evened the score for Athens, forcing overtime.

In the extra session, Athens came away victorious following a goal from Eric Neiley.

Chaos in Columbus Pays Off For Crustaceans

by Matteen Zibanejadrad

Columbus, GA - The Athens Rock Lobsters came from behind in a thrilling 6-5 overtime win against the Columbus River Dragons in the Columbus Civic Center on Friday night.

It was 20 minutes to forget to start the game for Athens, beginning with an early Columbus lead on a power-play goal from Tyler Barrow.

Kevin Szabad created his own breakaway after forcing a turnover and doubled the advantage at the 8:14 mark.

The first-period trifecta was finished off by Alex Storjohann, another power-play tally after the Rock Lobsters served 21 minutes of penalty in the opening frame.

The second period was a mirror reflection of the first, but in favor of Athens. The River Dragons took 43 minutes of penalties and their in-state foe made them pay.

Garrett Milan scored in his fourth-straight game on a high-slot wrister to get Athens started right at 4:41 after a Columbus penalty ended.

Two minutes later, Luke Croucher got free at the back door to pass the puck in on the power play.

Trying to kill off the comeback attempt, Lucas Texmo restored a two-goal advantage at the 8:33 point of the middle 20.

A déjà vu moment, Croucher scored a goal that nearly matched his first to get Athens back within one.

With less than two minutes to go in the second, Gleb Bandurkin rounded Tyler Roy on the break to complete the comeback and tie the game at 4-4. Of Athens four goals in the second period, three came via the man advantage.

The home crowd was brought back to its feet on a Kyle Moore power-play goal, after the North Carolina native got free at the net front before converting.

Brandon Picard tested Roy with a shot that Joe Mack swept in knot the scoreline back up at five with less than five minutes to go.

Sent into the penalty box late in regulation, Croucher stormed out of the sin bin in overtime and found Eric Neiley out in front for the veteran's wicked-release winner at 6-5.

The Rock Lobsters (14-2-4-0, 50 pts), riding an eight-game winning streak, return to the Columbus Civic Center Saturday night at 7:05 p.m. to finish off the weekend series against their in-state foe.

MONROE MOCCASINS at BILOXI BREAKERS

Borodkin's 46 Save Night Falls Short

by Devin Dobek

Biloxi, MS - After an eventful previous weekend between the Moccasins and Breakers, the two banged up clubs hit the ice in Biloxi to kick off a home and home set. Breakers netminder Anton Borodkin made 46 saves in a 3-1 defeat to the snakes this past Friday night in Biloxi.

Period 1 was rather quiet. With significant injury trouble for both sides, a lot of goalscoring power remained in the stands. Monroe was able to generate 17 shots on goal, but Breakers netminder Anton Borodkin answered them all with a save. The start marked Borodkin's first since November 26th, but he looked sharp. On the other end, the Breakers could only muster 3 shots of their own. Making his pro debut, Moccasins goaltender Tyler Masternak had a relatively easy workload through 20. The teams hit the dressing rooms with 40 more miles to go, still scoreless.

Period 2 began quickly, with Frank Schumacher sliding a one-timer from the point past a screened Borodkin to open the scoring at 1-0 just 2:59 in. A couple minutes later, a gray area Monroe check led to a scrum and slew of penalty minutes. Ultimately, AJ Schlepp was the only one deserving of a match penalty. A unique 4 on 3 powerplay preceding a penalty kill would open the window of opportunity for the home team. Sure enough, in their return to the Breaker lineup, Aldi Nurlan fed a pass to Yaro Yevdokimov that was fired home to tie the game at 1. On their ensuing 3 minute powerplay, Monroe couldn't manage too many opportunities, forfeiting their last minute by taking a penalty of their own. Back and forth we went into the back half of the contest. Back to playing 5-on-5, Monroe found their footing again. With just over 4 minutes remaining in the middle frame, Casey Gerstein crashed the net after a flurry of shots and was rewarded with a tap in goal to restore the Monroe lead at 2-1. After the horn, a Tucker Scantlebury shot from center ice hit Breakers forward Lucas Piekarczyk up high, leading to a 10 minute game misconduct. Piekarczyk would return to the bunch with a bubble for period 3. The Moccasins outshot the Breakers 17-8 in period 2.

Period 3 had a methodical start. Anton Borodkin continued to make save after save, waiting on his offense to help him down the other end. Into the back half, another golden opportunity arose when Hagan Moe was assessed a match penalty for a hit to the head of Trey Fischer. With inside 7 minutes to play and 5 of them a man up, Biloxi had their chance to even the odds. On the penalty kill, Ben Stefanini tied the puck up on the wall for quite some time, drawing a reaction out of Tim Payne for cross-checking that put the Breakers back to 4 on 4. From then on Monroe controlled the tempo. At 16:33, checking back into the game was Tucker Scantlebury with a shorthanded mark to give Monroe a 2 goal lead and take the wind out of the sails of the home squad. The horn sounded with Monroe earning a 3-1 victory, outshooting Biloxi 49-16. The loss marks the first time the Breakers held their opponent to less than 5 goals in a defeat.

Biloxi falls to 5-14-1 through their first 20 games, while Monroe improves to 15-4-2. The two teams will square off for a 9th time this season tomorrow night inside the Monroe Civic Center at 7:05 CST.

TOPEKA SCARECROWS at BATON ROUGE ZYDECO

Zydeco Earn Points in Back-to-Back Overtime Battles

by Bryan Flores

Baton Rouge, LA - For the first time this season, the Baton Rouge Zydeco picked up points in back-to-back games, pushing both contests past regulation before falling by identical 2-1 overtime scores.

Friday night at the Raising Cane's River Center, Baton Rouge went toe-to-toe with the Topeka Scarecrows, skating to a 1-1 draw through 60 minutes before Topeka ended it 1:27 into overtime. The Zydeco answered early adversity with resilience, matching Topeka's first-period opener just 28 seconds later when Matthew Bazarin buried the equalizer, assisted by Richard Durina and Ross Bartlett.

Baton Rouge carried that momentum through the rest of the night, outshooting the Scarecrows 28-24 and locking things down defensively across the second and third periods. Despite multiple chances at both ends, neither team found a breakthrough in regulation, forcing a second straight game into extra time.

Topeka's Elijah Wilson netted the overtime winner, but the Zydeco once again showed their ability to hang in tight, playoff-style hockey games. Bazarin earned Third Star honors with his goal, while the Zydeco blue line and goaltending kept the game locked at even for most of the night.

After suffering regulation losses earlier in the year, Baton Rouge has now turned consecutive nights into standings points, a small but meaningful step forward as the group continues to battle, build confidence, and turn close games into results.

Scarecrows Find Mute Button On Zydeco's Music In OT, 2-1

by Jon Kliment

Baton Rouge, LA - Topeka returned to Baton Rouge one week after their previous victory on Friday night last week. With the Zydeco fresh off an overtime loss it would be on the Scarecrows to come out quickly and find ways to beat a beleaguered team off to a tough start. Though the Scarecrows brought a 3-1 lead in the season series into the game it was the most recent game that saw the Zydeco close the gap.

Topeka kicked off the scoring in the first as after a lot of back and forth action Jacob Gagnon came out of a corner scrum and launched his 9th of the season past Ed Coffey who was down covering the corner of the net. It took just 28 seconds for Baton Rouge to respond, however, as Richard Durina took a shot on Sammy Bernard that Sammy got all of but the puck dropped down as Bernard came across and Matthew Bazarian swatted the loose puck into the back of the net to tie the game up at 1-1.

Both sides pushed back and forth for the remainder of regulation, but neither side could find a way to beat either netminder and we went to 3 on 3 overtime knowing the next goal would earn one squad the extra point. After Bernard stifled a breakaway attempt from the Zydeco. Topeka returned fire and as Elijah Wilson got a pass from Connor Lind he walked into the slot and fired it past Coffey for the 2-1 victory.

Bernard stopped 27 of 28 in the win, his fifth of the season.

Topeka finished out their four game road trip tomorrow night here in Baton Rouge. Tune in on Youtube and Sporfie!

WATERTOWN WOLVES at INDIANA SENTINELS

Sentinels' Three-Game Win Streak Ends at Home

by Sentinels staff

Columbus, IN - The Indiana Sentinels saw their three-game win streak come to an end at home as they fell to Watertown in a tightly contested matchup.

Watertown struck first early in the opening period when Egor Filippov found the back of the net, assisted by Mishkin and Della Civita. Indiana responded quickly, wasting no time in answering with three consecutive goals to take control of the game. Before the period came to a close, however, Watertown's Trevor Grasby cut the deficit to 3-2, keeping the game within reach heading into the intermission.

The second period belonged entirely to Watertown. The visitors scored three unanswered goals from two different scorers, swinging the momentum firmly in their favor. Grasby completed his hat trick in dramatic fashion, scoring a shorthanded goal at the 7:22 mark of the period. Indiana's final goal of the night came late in the frame, as Denver Craig scored in the final 90 seconds to keep the Sentinels within striking distance.

Defenses took over in the third period, with both goaltenders turning aside every shot they faced. Indiana was given a prime opportunity to tie the game after Ryan Gill was assessed a five-minute interference penalty, but the Sentinels were unable to convert on the extended power play.

In the final second of the game, Watertown put the puck into Indiana's empty net as the horn sounded. Despite no faceoff taking place after the clock reached zero, the goal was awarded, sealing the outcome and officially ending the Sentinels' win streak at three games.

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Federal Prospects Hockey League Stories from December 19, 2025


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