FPHL Ice Chips - Game Recaps
FPHL Federal Prospects Hockey League

FPHL Ice Chips - Game Recaps

Published on January 2, 2026 under Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) News Release


ATHENS ROCK LOBSTERS at BATON ROUGE ZYDECO

Late Third-Period Push Lifts Rock Lobsters Past Zydeco, 4-3

by Bryan Flores

Baton Rouge, LA - The Baton Rouge Zydeco battled back twice and carried a one-goal lead into the third period, but a late surge from the Athens Rock Lobsters resulted in a 4-3 road loss Friday night at the Raising Cane's River Center.

After surrendering the opening goal midway through the first period, the Zydeco responded when Ross Bartlett found the back of the net at 10:57, evening the score at 1-1 heading into the first intermission.

Baton Rouge took control in the second period with goals from Dmitry Kuznetsov and Jake Cox, including a shorthanded marker from Cox at 15:55 that gave the Zydeco a 3-2 advantage. Athens answered earlier in the frame to keep the contest tight, setting up a tense final 20 minutes.

The Rock Lobsters tied the game at 10:26 of the third period on a power-play goal before capitalizing again at 13:31 to take their first lead since the opening period. Despite a late push and sustained offensive-zone pressure, Baton Rouge was unable to find the equalizer.

The Zydeco outshot Athens 31-32 overall and won the first two periods on the scoreboard, but the visitors capitalized on key opportunities down the stretch. Athens forward Dominic Dumas recorded two goals, while Carter Shinkaruk and Garrett Milan combined for six points in the victory.

Baton Rouge will look to bounce back as the homestand continues, carrying forward a strong two-way effort and disciplined special teams play showcased throughout the night.

Crustaceans Come From Behind in Baton Rouge

by Matteen Zibanejadrad

Baton Rouge, LA -The Athens Rock Lobsters defeated the Baton Rouge Zydeco 4-3 Friday night at the Raising Cane's River Center.

Athens got off to a good start, with Eric Neiley converting on a fortuitous bounce to open the scoring at 6:24 in.

Ross Bartlett answered back later on in the first, putting the finishing touches on a two-on-one break for Baton Rouge.

Another two-on-one developed for the Zydeco in the second period, but Dmitry Kuznetsov opted for the shot instead of the pass and found the twine past William Lavallieré.

The Rock Lobsters formulated a quick response, as Dominic Dumas tipped in a Carter Shinkaruk shot to tie it up a minute later. That pair would be important for Athens later in the night.

Baton Rouge broke away again, this time on the shorthand; Jake Cox took a 3-2 lead through a five-hole finish.

Carter Shinkaruk's signature shot, the slapper, knotted the scoreline back up at 3-3 on a five-on-three man advantage.

The Crustacean comeback was complete with Dumas' second of the game, finding the back of the net off of Garrett Milan's third assist of the night.

Lavallieré recorded his 12th win of the season, stopping 28 of 31 shots.

The Rock Lobsters (16-4-5-0, 58 pts) close out the road series against the Zydeco on Saturday night at 8:05 p.m. EST.

BINGHAMTON BLACK BEARS at WATERTOWN WOLVES

Black Bears Streak Comes to a Close

by Brooks Hill

Watertown, NY - The Binghamton Black Bears fell on the road to the Watertown Wolves 4-3 on Friday night. Watertown scored three goals in the third period to overcome the two-goal deficit.

Gavin Yates started the scoring at 6:43 into the first period. CJ Stubbs was able to extend his 18-game point streak with the secondary assist on the opening goal. Late in the period Zac Sirota scored on the power play with 37 seconds left to make it 2-0.

Watertown's Chase DiBari scored halfway into the second period, cutting the lead in half, but more importunately, sparking the offense for the Wolves. Once again Sirota was able to cash-in on power play at 13:33. Bondarenko extended his point-streak as well with the primary assist on what would be the final goal on the night for Binghamton. After two periods, things looked good as Binghamton was up 3-1.

The Wolves were able to strike first in the final period. Hunter Hall scored at 3:40 into the frame, and three minutes later Egor Filippov scored on power play. Tied at 3-3 the teams would trade chances, but neither side was able to convert until the final five minutes of play. Yefim Mishkin knocked in rebound to give Watertown their first lead of the night.

Binghamton had a power play late but just could not find the tying goal. Watertown defeats Binghamton for the first time this season, 4-3.

COLUMBUS RIVER DRAGONS at MONROE MOCCASINS

MOCCASINS OPEN 2026 WITH STATEMENT WIN, EXTEND STREAK TO 11

by Joseph Furtado

Monroe, LA - The Monroe Moccasins opened the 2026 calendar year with a statement victory, defeating the Columbus River Dragons 8-5 on Friday night at the Monroe Civic Center in a highly anticipated matchup between two of the FPHL's top teams.

The game marked the first meeting between the clubs and the first game of 2026 for both teams, with Monroe entering the night number one in the continental and Columbus at number three. The win extended the Moccasins winning streak to 11 games, now the longest active streak in the FPHL.

The opening period featured end-to-end action and seven combined goals. Columbus struck first on a power-play goal at 5:04, but Monroe answered just eight seconds later as Dean Balsamo scored his first goal with the Moccasins to even the score. Jared Christy followed to give the Moccasins the lead before Columbus responded 25 seconds later to tie it at 2-2 at 6:31.

Monroe regained the lead midway through the period on a goal from Tucker Scantlebury; then extended their lead on the power play 4-2, when Balsamo recorded his second of the night. Columbus closed the gap late in the frame with another power-play goal, but the Moccasins carried a 4-3 lead into the first intermission.

The second period tightened defensively with Monroe breaking through late. Yianni Liarakos finished off a breakaway, beating Roy glove side at 17:49 to make it 5-3 heading into the third.

Columbus cut the deficit to one early in the third period, but Monroe responded decisively. Casey Gerstein restored the two-goal cushion at 6:41, followed by a goal from Rasmus Asp just 30 seconds later. Balsamo would complete his first hat trick at 8:58, pushing the lead to 8-4 to seal the game.

Columbus added a late goal from Benjamin Pizzimenti, but Monroe closed out the win in its first game of the new year. With the victory, Monroe improved to 18-4-2-1-0 on the season and remained dominant on home ice at 11-2-0-0-0. Columbus dropped to 12-8-2-2-1.

The Moccasins continued their surge atop of the continental divisional standings, opening 2026 the same way they closed 2025 with another win.

RIVER DRAGONS BEATEN DOWN BY THE MOCCASINS, 8-5

by Liam Gotimer

Monroe, LA - The Columbus River Dragons fell to the Monroe Moccasins on Friday night, losing 8-5 at the Monroe Civic Center.

Tyler Roy tended the crease for Columbus, while Tyler Masternak started the game for the Moccasins.

An offensive outburst, sparked by seven goals encapsulated the first period. For Columbus, Tyler Barrow, Joel Texmo, and Ryan Hunter lit the lamp in the opening frame, while Monroe received goals from Dean Balsamo, Jared Christie, Tucker Scantlebury, and Dean Balsamo again.

In the second, the only goal belonged to former River Dragon Yianni Liarakos, who beat Tyler Roy on a breakaway.

Come the final period, Ryan Galvin brought the River Dragons within one, knocking in a puck on the doorstep.

Three goals from the Moccasins put the game to bed, as Yianni Liarakos, Casey Gerstein, and Rasmus Asp found the net.

In the late stages of the contest, Benjamin Pizzimenti went top shelf, adding another goal to his impressive rookie FPHL season.

Tyler Roy finished the night with 22 saves on 30 shots, while Tyler Masternak denied 30 of 35 shots.

Columbus will be back in action tomorrow night, taking on Monroe once again. Coverage of both games begin at 7:35 p.m. on YouTube!

The River Dragons return home on Friday, January 9, for a back-to-back set with the Blue Ridge Bobcats.

TOPEKA SCARECROWS at BILOXI BREAKERS

Breakers Drop Early Lead, Fall 5-3

by Devin Dobek

Biloxi, MS - Settling in for a 6 game homestand, the Breakers looked to kick off 2026 with a win in an inter-division clash with the Topeka Scarecrows. Despite a 2-0 lead at the first intermission, 5 unanswered Topeka goals helped the visitors leapfrog Biloxi en route to a 5-3 victory.

The Breakers came out flying in period 1 with some early pressure. Off a turnover in the Scarecrow end, Aldi Nurlan fed a pass to Darius Davidson that was shoveled home to put the Breakers up 1-0 just 2:04 in. Topeka does not like to play from behind, and it only took a minute for player assistant coach Justin Schmit to step up and answer the bell with Breakers enforcer AJ Schlepp. After a spirited bout at center ice, Schlepp tackled Schmit down to the logo and was greeted with a loud ovation as he headed to the box. As the midway point in the frame approached, Topeka turned up the pressure, flipping the shot totals in their favor but still not cracking Anton Borodkin. The Breakers needed to regain the tempo, and sometimes a little luck will do the trick. At 17:17, Lucas Piekarczyk fired a shot from above the circle that deflected off Bryzgalov's glove and in to double the lead at 2-0. The Scarecrows outshot the Breakers 14-11 through the opening 20.

Topeka needed some answers in period 2 trailing by a pair, and it didn't take long to find them. Just 1:43 in, a tenacious effort by Elijah Wilson through a stick tie up was slid home through Borodkin's five-hole to cut the deficit in half. A few minutes later, a delayed icing was confirmed by the Breakers winning a race, but as the whistle was blown Elijah Wilson tapped the puck into the net, sparking some controversy. With the whistle blown, there was nothing to review, and Biloxi had indeed won the race so the equalizer would be postponed. Topeka would find their revenge late at 18:09, when Boston Bird made a power-move to the goal and stuffed home the equalizer. Originally the play was reviewed with the call on the ice being no goal, but video assistance confirmed the late mark to tie the game at 2. Through 40 minutes we were all locked up, with Topeka leading in shots 36-22.

Both teams were locked in on the all important 5th mark of the contest as they fired out for period 3 action. Topeka had the momentum after a solid middle chapter, and began to control the possession. At 7:06, a frantic play in front spit out a puck to Trevor Grasby who soared through the air to bury it for his first with his new club to make it 3-2 Topeka. Only 1:17 later, Boston Bird tipped a Jacob Gagnon centering pass home to double the lead at 4-2. Knowing someone needed to step up, around the midway point Brendan Spinale challenged Avery Smith to some fisticuffs after a play boiled over. Spinale came out on top with a right-handed cannon to send Smith to the ice and put some energy back into the building. Unfortunately, the tides couldn't turn quick enough for Biloxi. At 14:16, Connor Lind scored on a relentless route to the goal to make it 5-2 and virtually put the game out of reach. The silver lining came at 17:47 when Brandon Lucchesi threw a puck on net from below the end line that deflected in to make it 5-3. Topeka outshot Biloxi 51-33 in full time, and the game also did not feature a single minor penalty or man-advantage opportunity.

Biloxi falls to 5-19-1, as Topeka improves to 15-8-0. The two teams will battle again tomorrow night at 7:00 inside the Coast Coliseum.

Scarecrows Avoid Break-ing Down, Win 5-3

by Jon Kliment

Biloxi, MS -Topeka continued a five game road trip down south in Biloxi with their first game at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum. All four previous games took place in Topeka and resulted in a 2-2 series tie.Coming into 2026 both squads looked to climb in the standings.

Breakers fans didn't have to wait long as Darius Davidson got the crowd revved up after an Aldyar Nurlan pickoff and put it behind Daniil Bryzgalov just 2:04 into the game for a 1-0 lead. Late in the first Lucas Piekarczyk took a pass from Xavier Charbonneau and fired it off Bryzgalov's glove and saw a bounce into the net for the 2-0 lead 17:17 into the period.

After the intermission Topeka came out firing on a different cylinder as Elijah Wilson took an Alex Norwinski pass and put a shot on net that bounced back to him and he put it underneath Anton Borodkin to pull Topeka back within one at 1:43 into the second period. As time ticked down in the middle frame Boston Bird took a pass from Jacob Gagnon wheeled out from behind the net and slid it underneath Borodkin. Initially the puck was ruled frozen, but Robbie Nichols challenged the call and after a short video review it was determined the puck crossed the line and tied the game at 2-2.

It took 7:06 into the final period, but Trevor Grasby took a pass from Hugo Koch to give Topeka their first lead of the night, 3-2. 1:17 later Boston Bird was able to find a lane to the net for the second of his game as Jacob Gagnon hit him with a pass in the slot. Connor Lind added one more to the tally after racing in from the side boards, 14:16 of period 3 at 5-2. With just 2:13 left in the game Brandon Lucchesi found the back of the net to bring Biloxi back to 5-3.

Bryzgalov stopped 30 of 33 in the win, his 9th of the season.

Topeka returns to action tomorrow night in Biloxi at 7pm. Follow along on Youtube and Sporfie.

DANBURY HAT TRICKS at PEE DEE ICECATS

ICECATS MAKE IT THREE IN A ROW AT HOME

By Tom Callahan

Florence, SC - The Pee Dee IceCats knocked off the Danbury Hat Tricks 3-2 on Friday night for the team's third straight win at home.

Trailing 1-0 in the first period, Pee Dee responded with a pair of goals from Charlie Bedard and a power play marker from Trevor Lord to take a 2-1 lead at intermission.

Vadim Frolov extended the lead to 3-1 just 1:16 into the third period, a goal that would turn out to be the eventual game winner and his first in a Pee Dee uniform.

Anton Rubtsov would score a third period goal at 8:12, leading the Hat Tricks to pull the goaltender late. Despite the man advantage, Danbury was unable to tie the game and Pee Dee hung on for the win.

Ricardo Gonzalez won his second consecutive start, making 18 saves for the win.

The final game of the three-game series is tomorrow night at 7:15 pm at Florence Center. It's Pet Appreciation Night, and fans are invited to bring their dogs to the game! Plus the team will wear special jerseys in warmups to be auctioned off on the DASH app.

HAT TRICKS HOLD ON IN FLORENCE, FALL JUST SHORT 3-2

By Meghan Baker

Florence, SC - Hat Tricks fell just short with a 3-2 loss against the PeeDee Ice Cats. With this loss, Danbury sits at 8-15-3-1.

Danbury opened scoring early after Josh Newberg netted his third goal of the season off a rebound from the left with help from Josh Tomasi and Genaro Fronduto at 5:00.

The Ice Cats countered just over seven minutes later with a center slot shot from defenseman Charlie Bedard to tie it up at 12:03. A wristshot from PeeDee's Trevor Lord made it 2-1 to close out the opening frame.

Vadim Frolov netted one from the back door at 1:16 to open the second period. The Hat Tricks saw their first power play opportunity of the night after Noah Robinson drew a holding penalty on Nicholas Magill-Diaz at 8:52.

Newberg made his way to the box on a hooking call at 18:05, sending the Ice Cats into their second power play. Goalkeeper Kyle Penton fended off nine shots in the middle frame to keep it 3-1.

Hat Tricks gained momentum in the third with an even-strength goal from Anton Rubtsov from the far side off of rookie Alexander Legkov's stick at 8:12 to make it a one-goal game.

Danbury's penalty kill held on through a two-man disadvantage after a bench minor for too many men on the ice and an elbowing call just 34 seconds apart.

After a strong final frame, the Hat Tricks fell 3-2 to the Ice Cats, bringing their loss streak to eight.

Hat Tricks close out their South Carolina road trip tomorrow, Saturday, January 3rd. Puck drop is set for 7:15 P.M.

BLUE RIDGE BOBCATS at TWIN CITY THUNDERBIRDS

Thunderbirds Defeat Bobcats 4-2

By Kendall Grayson

Winston-Salem, NC -The Twin City Thunderbirds defeated the Blue Ridge Bobcats by a final score of 4-2 Friday night at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Arena. Gus Ford (2), Jon Buttitta, and Jiri Pestuka scored goals for Twin City during the victory. Boris Babik backstopped the team to victory in a 37-save-on-39-shot performance in goal for the Thunderbirds.

Jon Buttitta scored his fourth goal of the season just over three minutes into Friday's opening period to give Twin City a one-goal advantage in the matchup. Cade Hanley and Jiri Pestuka each recorded an assist on the scoring play. Carson Gallagher tied the game with an even-strength goal at 7:58 of the 1st period. Danny Martin and Dustin Jesseau each collected an assist on the goal. Twin City outshot Blue Ridge 12-9 during the opening period, and the 2nd period began in a 1-1 tie.

Gus Ford scored his team-leading seventeenth goal of the season at 11:06 of the middle period to give Twin City a 2-1 lead. Ford's goal was assisted by Zach White. Jiri Pestuka scored at 13:30 of the 2nd period to give the Thunderbirds a two-goal advantage in the matchup. Gus Ford and Boris Babik each notched an assist on the scoring play. Blue Ridge outshot Twin City by a 19-12 margin during the 2nd period, and Twin City led 3-1 entering the 3rd period.

Nikita Kozyrev scored on a five-on-three powerplay goal forty seconds into the 3rd period to bring Blue Ridge within one goal of Twin City's lead. The final goal of the matchup was scored into an empty net by Gus Ford at 18:39 of the 3rd period. The Thunderbirds outshot the Bobcats 13-11 during the 3rd period, and were outshot by an overall margin of 39-37. Twin City improved to 11-12-1 on the 2025-2026 regular season with the win.

Boris Babik collected his eighth win of the season in net for Twin City. Hunter Virostek made 33 saves on 36 shots, and recorded the loss in goal for Blue Ridge.

Twin City hosts Blue Ridge again tomorrow night for the organization's annual Teddy Bear Toss night. Puck drop for tomorrow's rivalry matchup at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Arena is scheduled for 6:05pm ET.

INDIANA SENTINELS at PORT HURON PROWLERS

Prowlers Prevail in Second-Straight OT Game

by Will Wiegelman

Port Huron, MI - The Port Huron Prowlers and Indiana Sentinels went to overtime for the second game in a row and Port Huron came out on top again. Nick Favaro was the OT hero this time around as the Prowlers came from behind to get the extra point.

"I thought the crowd was electric tonight," said Prowlers associate head coach Chris Paulin. "Our fans showed up and we built off of that big time, especially in that first period. We didn't get any goals to show for it, but I thought we were skating really well and a lot of that had to do with the crowd."

The scoring started in the second period with Jonas Leas' power play goal in tight to the net. Bryan Parsons responded 1:45 later as he slid home his own rebound off a rush chance.

Dalton Anderson got the next two for Indiana. First, he picked off a pass in the Port Huron end and snapped home his first goal as a Sentinel. In the final minutes of the period, Denver Craig found him for a back-door-tap-in as his team took a 3-1 lead into the third. The Prowlers were 0-10-0 this season when trailing after 40 minutes.

"In the second period, we made a few mistakes," Paulin said. "This is a very opportunistic team and they capitalized on them. I thought the guys and lines that made those mistakes responded well in the third."

Less than three minutes into the third, they cut into the deficit after a Parsons shot was deflected home by Connor Bizal. Then, on a power play, Bobby Price poked home the tying tally.

Port Huron survived a penalty kill in the final two minutes of regulation and got on the attack. Blake Anderson's shot was stopped by Chris Curr but a juicy rebound in the slot gave Favaro an opening to be the hero.

"It felt great," Favaro said. "I thought we were playing well the whole game so it was about time. We didn't get shaken up when we went down. Great game from the guys."

Anderson and Jamie Bucell finished with a pair of assists apiece while Price and Parsons each added a helper to their goals. Bailey Huber made 18 saves in net.

Craig finished with two helpers for Indiana while Curr made 46 stops in the loss.

The Prowlers and Sentinels finish their week with one more game at McMorran on January 3 at 7:05 P.M.

Check out the Federal Prospects Hockey League Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Federal Prospects Hockey League Stories from January 2, 2026


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central