FPHL Ice Chips - Game Recaps
FPHL Federal Prospects Hockey League

FPHL Ice Chips - Game Recaps

Published on December 31, 2025 under Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) News Release


TOPEKA SCARECROWS at BATON ROUGE ZYDECO

Zydeco Fall 3-2 to Topeka in New Year's Eve Matinee at River Center

by Bryan Flores

Baton Rouge, LA - The Baton Rouge Zydeco battled until the final horn but came up just short in a 3-2 loss to the Topeka Scarecrows on Tuesday afternoon at the Raising Cane's River Center.

Baton Rouge opened the scoring midway through the first period when Ethan Matchim capitalized at even strength, finishing a setup from Tyler Larwood to give the Zydeco a 1-0 lead. Topeka responded late in the frame, as T.J. Sneathevened the score heading into the intermission.

The Zydeco regained momentum early in the second period when Blake Keller netted his first goal as a Zydeco, converting a passing play from Chris Ciolek and Matchim to restore the lead at 2-1. Once again, Topeka answered, tying the game later in the period to send the contest into the third deadlocked.

The deciding goal came at the 13:21 mark of the third period when Avery Smith scored for Topeka, breaking the tie and holding up as the game-winner.

Despite the loss, Connor Green delivered another strong performance in net for Baton Rouge, stopping 32 of 35 shotsand earning Third Star honors. The Zydeco were outshot 35-30 but generated sustained pressure late, pushing for the equalizer until the final seconds.

The game drew an announced attendance of 1,940 fans, closing out the calendar year in front of a lively New Year's Eve crowd in downtown Baton Rouge.

The Zydeco will look to respond as they continue their homestand against the Rock Lobsters before going on a lengthy road trip.

Fireworks Fly Early Topeka Wins 3-2 Over Zydeco

by Jon Kliment

Baton Rouge, LA -Topeka made their final trip to Baton Rouge this season on New Year's Eve looking to bring in a new year with a win and snap a two game losing streak while the Zydeco came in trying to solve the Scarecrows which has been a difficulty for them through six games this season.

The Zydeco found the back of the net first as Ethan Matchim took a Tyler Larwood pass across the zone and picked his corner on a 4 on 2 rush and Sammy Bernard was stretched out but couldn't make the save at 6:24 of the first period. TJ Sneath was able to answer back for the Scarecrows as at 18:23 of the first Alex Norwinski took a shot that popped up in the air and Sneath knocked it out of mid air past Connor Green to tie up the game, 1-1.

Baton Rouge found the back of the net again on a similar looking play to their first period goal Blake Keller came streaking in and took a shot over the shoulder of Bernard for the 2-1 lead just 8:04 into the period. Topeka had the answer again though as Elijah Wilson took a pass from TJ Sneath in the slot and slapped it by Green for the 2-2 tie 14:00 into the second period.

In the final frame it was Topeka who finally put the hammer down as Jacob Gagnon ripped a shot that deflected off Green and Avery Smith fired in the rebound for this 5th of the season to give the Scarecrows a 3-2 lead they wouldn't look back from.

Bernard stopped 28 of 30 in the win, his 6th of the season.

Topeka heads to Biloxi for a Friday night game against the Breakers at 7:05pm. Follow along on Youtube and Sporfie!

WATERTOWN WOLVES at BINGHAMTON BLACK BEARS

2025 ENDS WITH A BANG

by Brooks Hill

Binghamton, NY - The Binghamton Black Bears defeated the Watertown Wolves in style 9-1 on New Year's Eve. Gavin Yates led all skaters with five points (2g, 3a) as Binghamton scored three goals in each period.

In the final calendar day of 2025, Binghamton ensured to maintain their dominance over Watertown. The Black Bears scored three goals in the first period, all from different skaters. Yates, Sargis and Swain all scored at even strength, while Dominik Tmej turned away all the shots he saw in the first period. After one, Binghamton led 3-0.

The power play got hot in the second from the home team. Yates and Sirota scored on a 5-on-3 sequence that turned into the traditional man-advantage. Halfway through the period, Binghamton extended their lead to 5-0. It did not stop there, Kyle Stephan added another breakaway goal to the total, making it 6-0 Black Bears after the second.

Watertown was finally able to break the shutout bid early in the third. Darion Benchich scored for the Wolves 48 seconds into the period, ending the Binghamton scoring run. Defense continued to unravel at the Wolves' expense in the final period. Mac Jansen, Cam Cervone and Nick Swain continued to make the exclamation point, all scoring in the final 10 minutes of the game.

Tmej finished with 28 saves, Yates led the team with five points and Binghamton continues their win-streak, now at 15 games.

COLUMBUS RIVER DRAGONS at ATHENS ROCK LOBSTERS

Crustaceans Stay Perfect at The Tank on New Year's Eve

by Matteen Zibanejadrad

Athens, GA - The Athens Rock Lobsters defeated the Columbus River Dragons 6-5 in a shootout in front of a New Year's Eve crowd of 5,205 at Akins Ford Arena; it marked the second-straight shootout Athens has won on New Year's Eve.

Sporting the best power play in the Continental Division, the River Dragons made Athens pay on the man advantage with first-period goals from Kevin Szabad and Ryan Hunter.

Athens fired back at the start of the middle frame with a power-play goal of its own, as Gleb Bandurkin converted past a sprawling Trevor Babin.

Four days removed from a three-assist night, Devyn Mayea buried a Joe Mack feed from the high slot for his first professional goal.

But as quickly as Columbus' two-goal lead vanished, it was restored Hunter's second of the night and a Tyler Barrow finish at the crease.

The Cardiac Crustaceans never gave up, with Eric Neiley starting the scoring in the third period with a power play goal at 2:42.

Bandurkin logged his second of the night, with a poker through the five hole of Babin less than two minutes later.

Mack pulled the hosts to their first lead of the game as he fell to the ice, his fourth goal in his last three games against Columbus.

Chiwetin Blacksmith ended the Classic City celebration quickly, tying the game back up at 5-5 less than 30 seconds afterward.

With nothing separating the scoreline for 65 minutes, it was Filip Virgili who ended the night with the only shootout goal.

Having made 41 saves on 46 shots already in the matchup, William Lavalliere stopped all three Columbus shots in the shootout.

The Rock Lobsters (15-5-4-0, 53 pts) travel to Baton Rouge, La. to take on the Zydeco for the first time this season. Puck drops on the two-game road series on Friday, Jan. 2 at 8:05 p.m. EST.

RIVER DRAGONS END UP ON THE SHORT END OF A SHOOTOUT THRILLER IN ATHENS

by Liam Gotimer

Athens, GA - The Columbus River Dragons fell to the Athens Rock Lobsters on Wednesday night, losing 6-5 in a shootout.

Trevor Babin tended the net for the River Dragons, while William Lavalliere, formerly a member of Columbus, got the start for the road team.

Kyle Moore scored on the first shot of the game for the River Dragons, but the goal was waved off due to an offside call.

At 5:17 of the opening period, Columbus capitalized on the power play as Kevin Szabad beat Lavalliere from between the circles to give the River Dragons the lead.

At 14:35, also on the power play, Ryan Hunter scored his first of two goals on the night, putting the road team ahead by two.

In the second period, the Rock Lobsters struck twice in a span of 4:32, with goals from Gleb Bandurkin and Devyn Mayea.

Two goals in less than a minute restored the River Dragons' two-goal advantage, as Hunter netted his second power-play goal of the night, followed shortly by a goal from Tyler Barrow.

The Rock Lobsters responded with three goals in nearly seven minutes, completely turning the game around and taking a 5-4 lead.

At 7:25, Chiwetin Blacksmith tied the game for Columbus, swinging momentum back to the River Dragons.

After a scoreless overtime, Athens won in the shootout following a goal from Filip Virgilli.

Babin finished the night with 38 saves on 43 shots through regulation and overtime, while Lavalliere stopped 41 of 46 shots, including all River Dragons attempts in the shootout.

BILOXI BREAKERS at MONROE MOCCASINS

MOCCASINS EXTEND WIN STREAK TO 10 TO CLOSE 2025

by Joseph Furtado

Monroe, LA - The Monroe Moccasins capped off 2025 by extending their winning streak to 10 games with a 5-3 victory over the Biloxi Breakers on New Year's Eve at the Monroe Civic Center.

Monroe continued its dominance of Biloxi this season, improving to a perfect 10-0 against the Breakers, while outshooting Biloxi 51-36.

The Moccasins jumped on the Breakers early, opening the scoring just 36 seconds into the game on the power play as Kyler Matthews found the back of the net. Frank Schumacher doubled the lead at 8:08 of the first period, but Biloxi responded late with a power-play goal from Darius Davidson to cut the deficit to 2-1 after one.

Biloxi carried momentum into the second period, tying the game at 5:34 before taking a 3-2 lead on a goal from Xavier Charbonneau late in the period. Monroe answered quickly, as Schumacher scored his second of the night at 19:17 to even the score heading into the third.

Austin Albrecht gave the Moccasins the lead at 3:35 with his 50th point of the season. Andrew Bellant sealed the win with an empty-net goal at 18:41.With the win, Monroe improves to 17-4-2-1-0, extending the second longest active winning streak in the FPHL. The Breakers fall to 4-17-1-1-0, as both teams will meet for the final time in Biloxi in January.

Breakers Fall Short in NYE Thriller

by Devin Dobek

Monroe, LA - Meeting for the 10th time, and final in the Monroe Civic Center, the Breakers and Moccasins were ready to put on a show in front of nearly 5200 screaming fans on New Years Eve. In a back and forth affair, Monroe's 2 goal third period proved to be the difference in a 5-3 victory.

A pregame warmup violation would immediately put the Breakers shorthanded heading into period 1, which is never an ideal way to begin a game against the top team in the division. Sure enough, Monroe cashed in with Kyler Matthews firing a shot from the far point to beat Borodkin under the glove and make it 1-0 just 36 seconds in. In front of a near sellout crowd, the place was rocking, and the Moccasins used it as fuel. They connected again at 8:08 with who else but Captain Schumacher crashing the net to shovel home a marker to make it 2-0. Trailing by a pair, Biloxi dug deep and began to create some pressure down on Nolan Egbert's end. Dressing in his 100th FPHL game, Egbert had to make some difficult saves in the back half to keep the lead intact. Drawing a late powerplay, the Breakers went to work looking to chip away at the deficit. At 17:54, Darius Davidson fired a bullet through the legs of Egbert to cut the deficit in half at 2-1. The shots through 20 minutes were 19-11 in favor of Monroe.

Heading into the second frame, Biloxi was looking to build on their momentum in the closing moments of period 1. The pressure stayed plentiful, with shots from all angles and a noticeable amount of zone presence. At the 5:34 mark, the effort paid off when Brandon Lucchesi redirected a Brendan Spinale shot home to pot the equalizer. Within minutes, Tucker Scantlebury took it upon himself to get the building going, and challenged AJ Schlepp to a fight off the faceoff. The two #17s put on a show with a good exchange, ending with the officials separating them. Into the back half we went, and Biloxi really began to generate opportunities. Nolan Egbert made some uncomfortable looking saves on the 16 shots he faced in the frame, but the relentless pursuit by the Breakers to break the deadlock seemed inevitable. Finally at 18:12, an incredible individual effort by Darius Davidson up the wall led to yet another five-hole snipe to put the Breakers ahead at 3-2. The fun for the visitors would only last 65 seconds, as Frank Schumacher one-timed home his 2nd of the night to lock things up at 3. Through 40 minutes the shots were tied at 27, with 3 valuable points boiling down to 20 more minutes inside the Civic Center.

Period 3 Monroe began to find their game again, with a little bit of luck as well. Tyler Masternak entered in goal for Nolan Egbert to begin the frame. At 3:35, a tumbling puck jumped by the Breakers' defense and was backhanded home by Austin Albrecht for his 20th of the season to make it 4-3. The Breakers continued to battle, but Monroe's long possessions and puck control made it tough to generate some tempo in the other direction. Around the final 5 minutes, the Breakers had a couple odd-man rush sequences go awry, and their chance to tie the contest with it. At 18:41 Andrew Bellant backhanded home the dagger to make it 5-3, locking up the 10th consecutive victory for the top seeded Snakes. Monroe outshot Biloxi 51-36 in full time.

The Breakers fall to 5-18-1, and will return to Biloxi to kick off a 6 game homestand beginning this Friday at 7:00 with the Topeka Scarecrows. The Moccasins improve to 19-4-2, and will regroup before an important 2 game set with the River Dragons in Monroe beginning this Friday at 7:05.

DANBURY HAT TRICKS at PEE DEE ICECATS

ICECATS END 2025 WITH BIG WIN OVER DANBURY

By Tom Callahan

Florence, SC - Five Pee Dee IceCats players had multi-point nights and Roberto Gonzalez made 21 saves in a 4-1 win over the Danbury Hat Tricks to wrap the 2025 calendar year at Florence Center.

After a scoreless first period, Pee Dee opened with a pair of goals just 1:06 apart to grab a 2-0 lead halfway through the game. Trevor Lord scored his team-leading 16th of the year at 9:00 followed by Dennis Zaichyk's first of two on the evening at 10:06.

Danbury would notch its only goal of the game late in the second period on a Jonny Ruiz slapshot that Gonzalez got a piece of but still carried on into the net to make it 2-1 after 20 minutes of play.

In the third, Konstantin Chernyuk's second of the season at 2:56 put the IceCats ahead by a pair, a lead that would last until Zaichyk cashed in his second of the night with 50 seconds left in regulation to wrap the scoring for Pee Dee.

Notes:

The five multi-point efforts was the most in a game for the IceCats this season.

The game was Zaichyk's first multi-goal game of the season, and his first game-winning goal.

This week's three-game series between Danbury and Pee Dee is the only time the two teams meet in the regular season.

Trevor Lord now leads the IceCats in goals with 16, breaking the tie with Patriks Marcinkevics.

The same two teams are back in action at Florence Center Friday and Saturday night at 7:15 pm.

BLUE RIDGE BOBCATS at TWIN CITY THUNDERBIRDS

Thunderbirds Ring In New Year with 7-3 Win over Rival Bobcats

By Kendall Grayson

Winston-Salem, NC - The Twin City Thunderbirds rang in the New Year with a four-goal win over the Blue Ridge Bobcats Wednesday night at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Arena. Twin City's offensive explosion was highlighted by a hat trick scored by Zach White. Gus Ford, Nate Keeley, Corey Cunningham, and Jan Salak also scored for Twin City during the victory. Following the battle on the ice between the Thunderbirds and the Bobcats, hundreds of fans participated in a postgame skate with Thunderbirds players, and counted down the final seconds of 2025 as a giant hockey puck was lowered from center ice. Twin City will return to action following the New Years Day holiday with back-to-back home games against Blue Ridge on Friday, January 2nd, and Saturday, January 3rd. Friday's game is Teacher Appreciation Night, and will begin at 7:35pm ET. Saturday's contest is the Thunderbirds' annual Teddy Bear Toss Night. Saturday's game will begin at 6:05pm ET.

Gus Ford gave Twin City a 1-0 lead less than five minutes into Wednesday's opening period. The goal was Ford's team-leading sixteenth of the season, and was assisted by Jan Salak and Troy Harwell. Nate Keeley scored his first goal of the season at 8:25 of the 1st period to give the Thunderbirds a two-goal lead in the matchup. Keeley's goal was netted even-strength, and was assisted by Cade Hanley and Troy Harwell. Corey Cunningham scored at 9:14 of the 1st period to give Twin City a 3-0 lead. Cunningham's scoring play was his first as a Thunderbird, in his debut game with the organization. Zach White and Roman Kramer each collected an assist on the scoring play. Filip Hlavac netted Blue Ridge's first goal of the contest at 12:03 of the opening period. The goal was scored on the powerplay, and was assisted by Brandon Reller and Carson Gallagher. Jan Salak scored minutes later to give Twin City a 4-1 lead in the battle. Salak's goal was scored at 15:13 of the 1st period, and was assisted by Jacob Schnapp and Nate Keeley. The final goal of Wednesday's high-scoring opening period was netted by Zach White. White's goal was his first of the game, and was assisted by Corey Cunningham. Twin City outshot Blue Ridge by an 18-8 margin during the 1st period, and the Thunderbirds carried a four-goal lead into the middle period.

Justin Daly netted a goal at 3:59 of the 2nd period to bring the Bobcats within three goals of the Thunderbirds' lead. Damon Furuseth and Brandon Reller each collected an assist on the scoring play. Nicholas Stuckless scored a shorthanded goal for Blue Ridge at 10:39 of the 2nd period. The goal was the Bobcats' final scoring play of the night, and was assisted by Justin Daly and Filip Hlavac. Twin City was outshot 12-10 during the 2nd period, but entered the final period with a two-goal lead.

Zach White netted his second goal of the game at 4:26 of the 3rd period to give Twin City a 6-3 lead in the contest. White's goal was scored on the powerplay, and was assisted by Roman Kraemer and Gus Ford. The final goal of the 2025 calendar year for Twin City was scored by Zach White into an empty net. The scoring play was White's third game, giving him a hat trick. Roman Kraemer collected an assist on the goal. Twin City outshot Blue Ridge 12-8 in the 3rd period, and 40-28 overall in the contest.

The Thunderbirds improved to 10-12-1 overall on the 2025-2026 season in Wednesday night's 7-3 victory over the Bobcats. Twin City tied the season series with Blue Ridge in the win.

Boris Babik backstopped the Thunderbirds to victory in a 25-save-on-28-shot performance in goal. Hunter Virostek dropped the game in net for the Bobcats after making 31 saves on 37 shots during the game. Anthony Shrum played just over three minutes during Wednesday night's game after the Thunderbirds' fifth goal during the opening period. Shrum made 2 saves on 2 shots during his time in goal.

Twin City will return to action following the New Years Day holiday with back-to-back home games against Blue Ridge on Friday, January 2nd, and Saturday, January 3rd. Friday's game is Teacher Appreciation Night, and will begin at 7:35pm ET. Saturday's contest is the Thunderbirds' annual Teddy Bear Toss Night. Saturday's game will begin at 6:05pm ET.

PORT HURON PROWLERS at INDIANA SENTINELS

Sentinels Square Off with the Port Huron Prowlers in NYE Battle

by Sentinels staff

Columbus, IN -The final day of the calendar year saw the Indiana Sentinels square off with the Port Huron Prowlers in their last meeting of 2025.

Indiana grabbed the early momentum thanks to Ashton Collazo, who opened the scoring with a shorthanded goal after tapping in his own rebound. The Prowlers answered late in the second period, capitalizing on a defensive breakdown to tie the game at 1-1.

Special teams continued to play a major role in the third. Port Huron took the lead when Heikkila battled home a loose puck in front following a deflected one-timer. The Sentinels responded once again while down a man, as Jonas Leas made a highlight-reel move in tight to knot the game with Indiana's second shorthanded goal of the night.

Overtime was brief, as Port Huron converted on a 5-on-3 advantage to seal the win. The Sentinels now turn their attention to a two-game road set in Port Huron this weekend.

Graham Scores Winner in Prowlers First OT of Season

by Will Wiegelman

Columbus, IN - The Port Huron Prowlers closed out 2025 with a win in their first overtime game of the season as they took down the Indiana Sentinels 3-2. Matt Graham scored the winner on a five-on-three power play 43 seconds into the extra session.

"It was a crazy play," Graham said. "I told [Lukas] Lacny in warmups that the boards on the back wall are pretty lively. We won a battle in the corner, went up top. Came across to Bobby [Price]. Bobby comes downhill, takes a shot, I think it went off the back wall, and the goalie couldn't reset in time. It popped back in front and I was able to find time and space to throw it behind him."

Indiana scored first shorthanded in the opening period. Ashton Collazo stole the puck in his own end and went in one-on-one. His first shot from the left wing was stopped but he put home his own rebound.

That lead held until late in the second. Vincent Dekumbis caused a turnover high in the offensive zone and Bobby Price grabbed the puck. He sent Nick Favaro down the boards and the defenseman found Blake Anderson for a one-timer low in the right-wing circle to tie it.

The Prowlers got another man advantage to open the second and Arttu Hekkilä cleaned up a rebound in the blue paint to make it 2-1. During another Port Huron power play, the Sentinels tied the score. Jonas Leas took a turnover and drove the net to tuck home his team's second shorty of the night.

"Timing was not good," said Prowlers associate head coach Chris Paulin. "Timing and some puck handling were not very good. We're going to address it, tomorrow, we'll be able to cut the video and make sure the timing is much better."

After unsportsmanlike conduct penalties at the end of regulation, the Prowlers started the extra session with a five-on-three. A shot from up top bounced off the back boards and Graham tapped it home before John Werber could seal the post.

"Practices have been limited with our schedule recently, but we did work on five-on-three quite a bit yesterday," Paulin said. "I thought those guys made a heck of a play. We got a good look, but didn't score on it. There was a little bit of chaos, we were able to get a puck and when 51 gets the puck around the net, usually, good things happen."

Price and Favaro finished with a pair of assists apiece while Reid Cooper got the win after making 37 saves.

Werber stopped 38 shots in the loss.

The Prowlers and Sentinels have a two-game set at McMorran Place scheduled for January 2 and 3.

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Federal Prospects Hockey League Stories from December 31, 2025


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