FPHL Ice Chips - Game Recaps
FPHL Federal Prospects Hockey League

FPHL Ice Chips - Game Recaps

Published on January 10, 2026 under Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) News Release


TOPEKA SCARECROWS at BILOXI BREAKERS

Sharma Makes Career High 55 Saves in Loss to Topeka

by Devin Dobek

Biloxi, MS - After a historic night last night, the Breakers were ready to wipe the slate clean and search for their first weekend sweep on Saturday Night in Biloxi. Despite a new career high and franchise record 55 saves from Rahul Sharma, Sammy Bernard stole the show with a 44 save shutout en route to a 5-0 road win.

Period 1 Topeka came out flying and looking like a completely different team from the previous night. The shot totals quickly became lopsided in the visitors favor, with Breaker netminder Rahul Sharma being given a heavy workload early on. Around the 14 minute mark Fabian Lehner was booked for a hold, and went to work for the first time a man up. A minute into the peeper, TJ Sneath redirected home a Connor Lind shot from the point to put Topeka ahead at 1-0. The Scarecrows continued to poor on the pressure, finally being rewarded again inside the final minute. At 19:17, Scott Coash flipped home a rebound off a great initial pad save by Sharma to make it 2-0. Topeka dominated in shots 32-8 in period 1, the most against Biloxi in a frame all year.

The Breakers hit the ice for period 2 with an emphasis on creating scoring opportunities and getting pucks on net. Topeka picked up right where they left off just 3:40 into the second, with Elijah Wilson sniping a snapshot over the blocker side of Rahul Sharma for his 14th of the year to make it 3-0. The Breakers were able to fire 19 second period shots at Sammy Bernard but the Topeka netminder continued to tally saves to an already impressive showing. Topeka countered with 16 of their own, but had the only one that mattered on the sheet to extend the lead to 3. Through 40 minutes, Topeka led in shots by a margin of 48-27, and were 20 minutes away from earning a weekend split.

Topeka struck quickly to begin period 3 with TJ Sneath fluttering a puck over the mask of a diving Rahul Sharma for his 2nd of the night to make it 4-0 Topeka. The Breakers had plenty of shots in the back half of the game, but Sammy Bernard was quietly having a career night of his own down the other end. Fast-forwarding to the back half of the frame, at 13:33 Hugo Koch scored on the powerplay just his 4th of the season to make it 5-0. When all was said and done, Rahul Sharma set a new personal and franchise record with 55 saves on 60 shots against. On the other end, Sammy Bernard stopped all 44 shots he faced for his first shutout of the season, also the first in Scarecrow's franchise history.

Biloxi falls to 6-21-1 as they officially clock their midway point of the '25-26 FPHL season. They are set to host the Monroe Moccasins for the final two times this Thursday and Friday at 7:00 inside the Coliseum. Topeka improves to 17-9-0, and will return home to host a Friday, Saturday, Sunday series with the Baton Rouge Zydeco at the Stormont Vail Events Center.

Bernard Shut Door Behind 5 Goal Effort, Topeka Wins 5-0

by Jon Kliment

Biloxi, MS -The Scarecrows looked for a quick bounceback after a difficult loss to Biloxi on Friday night. Topeka came into the weekend having dealt a blow to Biloxi with a sweep the weekend before and with the Port Huron Prowlers being off this weekend Topeka had games in hand and looked to climb up the standings board.

Topeka came out firing on Saturday night and after an early holding minor gave the Scarecrows a power play and TJ Sneath took his usual position in front of the net as Connor Lind took a ripper from the point and Sneath's tip gave Topeka the 1-0 lead 7:00 into the game. With seconds to go the Scarecrows took advantage of an icing call and after a wrister from the point drew a rebound right to Scott Coash who put it behind Rahul Sharma for the 2-0 lead, his 200th FPHL point with just 43 seconds to go.

Early in the second period in the midst of a line change Cory Checco dropped a pass just inside the blue line to Elijah Wilson, fresh off the bench, who put it up and over Sharma for his 150th FPHL point. Though the shots continued to add up the score remained the same through the second period.

The Scarecrows continued to pour it on as 1:50 into the final frame Sneath took a pass in the slot from Avery Smith and flipped it over and outstretched Sharma for the 4-0 lead. On their second power play of the night Topeka added a final dagger as Hugo Koch tipped home an Elijah Wilson shot to give Topeka the 5-0 edge at 13:33 of the final period.

Sammy Bernard went a perfect 44 for 44 in the Scarecrows first shutout in team history and his 8th win of the season.

Topeka returns home to battle the Baton Rouge Zydeco next Friday January 16th at 7:05pm. Get your tickets on Ticketmaster or at the Cable Dahmer Box Office.

BINGHAMTON BLACK BEARS at TWIN CITY THUNDERBIRDS

Thunderbirds Drop Home Game to Black Bears

By Kendall Grayson

Winston-Salem, NC -The Twin City Thunderbirds dropped a home game Saturday night to the Binghamton Black Bears by a final score of 4-1. Zach White netted Twin City's only goal of the matchup during the 2nd period.

Tyson Kirkby scored twice during Saturday's opening period to give Binghamton a 2-0 lead in the matchup. Kirkby's first goal of the night was netted on the powerplay at 5:58 of the 1st period. Gavin Yates and Austin D'Orazio each recorded an assist on the scoring play. Kirkby scored a powerplay goal at 10:03 of the 1st period. Ivan Bondarenko and CJ Stubbs assisted on the goal. Twin City was outshot by a 27-4 margin during the opening period, and trailed by two goals entering the 2nd period.

Zach White scored his sixteenth goal of the season at 7:12 of Saturday's 2nd period to bring the game to a 2-1 score. Connor Craig and Josh Labelle each recorded an assist on the scoring play. Gavin Yates netted an even-strength goal for the Black Bears at 12:44 of the 2nd period to give Binghamton a two-goal lead in the matchup. Twin City outshot Binghamton 15-13 during the middle period, but trailed by a 3-1 margin entering Saturday's final period.

Nicholas Swain scored the only goal of Saturday's 3rd period to give Binghamton a 4-1 victory. Kyle Stephan and Zac Sirota each recorded an assist on the scoring play. Twin City was outshot 15-3 in the 3rd period, and 55-22 overall during the matchup. The Thunderbirds dropped to 11-15-1 overall in the 2025-2026 season in the loss.

Boris Babik made 51 saves on 55 shots and recorded the loss in goal for Twin City. Dominik Tmej collected the win in net for Binghamton in a 21-save-on-22-shot effort.

The Thunderbirds will host the Blue Ridge Bobcats in the organization's next home game on Saturday, January 24th at 6:05pm ET.

Black Bears Take All Six Point In North Carolina

By Cole Parenti

Winston-Salem, NC -The Binghamton Black Bears and Twin City Thunderbirds clashed for the second time in as many nights, and the end result was the same. The Black Bears once again came out on top, completing a weekend sweep of the Thunderbirds.

The opening period was the Tyson Kirkby show, as Binghamton's captain scored twice to give the Black Bears an early advantage. Binghamton carried a two-goal lead into the intermission, leading after 20 minutes for the second straight night.

The second period mirrored the previous evening, with both teams finding the back of the net. Zach White cut into the Binghamton lead, but Gavin Yates quickly restored the two-goal cushion by burying a beautiful feed from Kyle Stephan. The Black Bears headed into the final frame with a 3-1 lead.

The third period featured back-and-forth play as both teams searched for the next goal. The score finally changed when Nick Swain buried a rebound in front, extending Binghamton's lead. The game would hold the rest of the way, as the Black Bears secured a 4-1 victory.

Dominik Tmej delivered a second straight show-stopping performance, stopping 21 of the 22 shots he faced. At the other end, Babik was strong once again, making 42 saves on 46 shots in the loss. The Black Bears return to Binghamton on Friday night, where they will welcome the Watertown Wolves.

PEE DEE ICECATS at ATHENS ROCK LOBSTER

NASCAR Night Draws Record Attendance, Lobsters Hold On

By Matteen Zibanejadrad

Athens, GA - The Athens Rock Lobsters held on against the Pee Dee IceCats 6-5 in front of a record crowd of 5,913 on the first-ever NASCAR Night at Akins Ford Arena.

After Trevor Lord took the game's first lead for the IceCats at the 3:45 mark of the first period, Brandon Picard scored his first home goal of the campaign to equalize on a great feed from Devyn Mayea.

The night after the team went 0-for-8 on the power play against Pee Dee, Jesse Lowell scored the first of four man-advantage notches on a backdoor put-in from an Eric Neiley pass.

Dominic Dumas scored a pair of power play goals himself in the second period to stay red hot over the past two weeks. Before last weekend, the Boise, Idaho native had six goals in 84 career games. He now has seven in his last four.

1:09 into the final frame, Alexander Legkov scratched one back to make it 4-2 on a burst and finish at William Lavalliere's net.

A bit of a déjà vu moment minutes later, as Lowell scored a picture-perfect recreation of his first goal to restore the three-goal advantage.

The IceCats continued on their prolific run on the shorthand, with a man-down goal from Patriks Marcinkevics before Daniil Glukharyov lasered one in to put the deficit at three again.

With significant power play time late on in the game, the Ice Cats rolled the dice and scored a pair of goals after emptying the net. Marcinkevics logged his second of the game with 4:37 left but the high-sticking major against Neiley came too late in the game for the visitors. Houston Wilson would scored with 12 seconds left, but the IceCats could not complete the comeback.

The Rock Lobsters (19-4-5-0, 67 pts) return to Akins Ford Arena tomorrow afternoon at 4:05 p.m. against the Columbus River Dragons.

WILD THIRD PERIOD RALLY FALLS SHORT IN 6-5 LOSS AT ATHENS

By Tom Callahan

Athens, GA -Despite a four-goal third period, the Pee Dee IceCats ran out of time in a 6-5 loss to the Athens Rock Lobsters on Saturday night.

Trailing 4-1 entering the third, Alexandr Legkov scored his first goal in an IceCats uniform just 1:09 into the third to launch a wild final 20 minutes. Legkov cut in from the right wing and tucked the puck through the five hole of William Lavalliere to get Pee Dee within two goals.

Athens responded at 4:30 with a power play goal to make it 5-2, but 59 second later Patriks Marcinkevics scored his first of two consecutive goals, this one a shothanded breakaway marker to once again make it a two-goal game at 5-3.

After Athens made it 6-3 just over halfway through the third period, Marcinkevics struck again, this time with a six-on-four power play goal with 4:37 left in regulation to close the gap to two goals once again.

Late in the third period, Marcinkevics would take a stick in the face from Eric Neiley, resulting in a five-minute major for high sticking and another IceCats power play. Pee Dee would convert at 19:48, this time off the stick of Houston Wilson for his first goal and fourth point of the night.

Unfortunately for the IceCats, they simply ran out of time despite the major power play advantage, falling by a 6-5 final.

Notes:

Legkov's goal was his first in an IceCats uniform.

Wilson finished the weekend with three goals and four assists in two games.

Marcinkevic's shorthanded goal was Pee Dee's league-leading 10th shorthanded marker of the season.

The four goals in the third period was the most by Pee Dee in the final frame this season.

Xavier Abdella made his IceCats debut.

Pee Dee returns home to host Athens Friday and Saturday night for Military Appreciation Weekend at 7:15 pm. Saturday's game is Military Appreciation Night, featuring specialty jerseys to be auctioned off on DASH to benefit Warrior Hockey, a non-profit organization devoted to helping veterans play ice hockey.

WATERTOWN WOLVES at DANBURY HAT TRICKS

Hat Tricks Fall 8-5, Split Weekend Series with Watertown

By Tyler Platz

Danbury, CT - The Danbury Hat Tricks dropped the second game of the weekend series, losing 8-5 to the Watertown Wolves after allowing six straight goals in the second period.

Much like Friday's game, the Wolves opened the scoring in the first period. The Hat Tricks failed to clear the defensive zone, and Watertown forward Egor Filippov snuck a wrist shot past Danbury goaltender Ricardo Gonzalez to put the Wolves up 1-0 at 12:24.

The Hat Tricks responded with consistent offensive zone pressure through much of the opening period, testing Wolves goaltender Breandan Colgan. Danbury solved Colgan at 4:54, when forward Eli Rivers scored his second goal as a Hat Trick in as many games off a rebound in front to even the score at 1-1.

At 17:26 in the second period, Danbury defenseman Greg Susinski put a shot on net from the point that was batted down by Colgan. Rivers, once again positioned in front, found the puck on his stick for his second goal of the night to give the Hat Tricks the 2-1 lead.

Ten seconds later, Danbury forward Noah Robinson scored for the first time since Dec. 13, recording his ninth goal of the season on a quick rush to make it 3-1. The Hat Tricks then surrendered six consecutive goals.

On a Watertown power play, Wolves defenseman Konstantin Chernyuk's point shot slid past Gonzalez low, making it 3-2 at 14:50. Then, Watertown forward Quinn Chevers beat Gonzalez in tight for consecutive goals at 12:35 and 11:30, respectively, putting the Wolves up 4-3.

After a failed clearing attempt by Hat Tricks defenseman Jackson Legro, Watertown forward Steven Klinck tallied his second goal of the game and fifth of the weekend at 9:54, making it 5-3.

Three minutes later, at 6:53, Wolves forward Hunter Hall was positioned in front, and the puck bounced off his skate and into the net. After a review, the goal was confirmed, giving Watertown a 6-3 lead.

Gonzalez was pulled after the Wolves' fifth straight goal and replaced by Kyle Penton, but the Wolves weren't done offensively. On a rush, Klinck tapped in a pass from forward Darion Benchich for his second hat trick of the weekend to make it 7-3.

Despite Watertown's six straight goals, Danbury did some cleanup at the end of the middle frame, scoring twice to close within two goals of the Wolves. Rivers matched Klinck's hat trick with one of his own, scoring at 1:46 to make it 7-4.

With less than a minute in the period, Hat Tricks forward Anton Rubtsov scored his fifth goal of the weekend, sending Danbury into the second intermission trailing 7-5.

Watertown extended the lead early in the third period. With 17:19 remaining, Chernyuk, uncovered at the point, beat Penton with a wrist shot for his second power-play goal of the night to give the Wolves an 8-5 lead that held as the final.

Next up, the Hat Tricks face the Prowlers in Port Huron on Friday at 7:05 p.m.

BATON ROUGE ZYDECO at MONROE MOCCASINS

MOCCASINS ROLL TO 14 STRAIGHT IN 9-1 WIN OVER ZYDECO

By Joseph Furtado

Monroe, LA -The Monroe Moccasins broke the game open with a dominant third period Saturday night, scoring seven times in the final frame to pull away for a 9-1 win over the Baton Rouge Zydeco at the Monroe Civic Center.

The win extended Monroe's winning streak to 14 games and improved the Moccasins to 13-2-0-1-0 at home this season. Monroe also continued its control of the in-state rivalry, winning its eighth straight game against Baton Rouge and moving to 8-1-0 in the season series.

After a scoreless opening period, Monroe struck twice in the 2nd period to take control. Austin Albrecht opened the scoring at 11:06, and Tucker Scantlebury added another at 15:49 off a feed from Casey Gerstein to give the Moccasins a 2-0 lead heading into the intermission.

The game turned decisively in the 3rd period.

Scantlebury scored just 1:19 into the period to spark a seven-goal outburst, the difference in the contest. Carlos Fornaris followed less than two minutes later. Monroe continued to pour it on with power play goals from Jared Christy and Kyler Matthews before Landon Johnson made it 7-0 at 7:14.

Fornaris added a milestone moment later in the period, scoring on a penalty shot; the first awarded in franchise history as Monroe's 3rd period surge continued. The Moccasins have now scored 59 goals in the 3rd period this season. Baton Rouge broke through late on the power play on a goal from former Moccasin Aaro Tuovinen, but Matthews answered in the final minute with his second goal of the night to cap the scoring.

Gerstein finished with three assists, while Fornaris and Matthews each scored twice. Tyler Masternak stopped 34 shots in net for Monroe. With the win, the Moccasins continued to set the pace atop the Continental Division.

BLUE RIDGE BOBCATS at COLUMBUS RIVER DRAGONS

DRAGONS COMEBACK FALLS SHORT AS THEY LOST 5-4 IN REGULATION

By Liam Gotimer

Columbus, GA - The Columbus River Dragons fell to the Blue Ridge Bobcats on Saturday night by a final score of 5-4 at the Columbus Civic Center in Columbus, Georgia.

Tyler Roy got the start in net for Columbus, while Anthony Shrum received the nod once again for Blue Ridge.

The Bobcats struck three times in the opening frame, with Nikita Kozryev and Dustin Jesseau, who scored twice, lighting the lamp.

The first period also featured three fights. Alexander Jmaeff, Ryan Galvin, and Kyle Moore dropped the gloves for the River Dragons, while Denis Radchenko (twice) and Robin Eriksson answered for Blue Ridge.

Blue Ridge added two more goals within the opening 6:03 of the second period to open up a 5-0 advantage. Captain Daniel Martin and Filip Hlavac scored for the visiting side.

Following the fifth Bobcats goal, Tyler Roy was pulled in favor of Trevor Babin. The River Dragons responded with two goals in a 14-second span, as Tyler Barrow and Alex Storjohann found the back of the net.

In the third period, despite outshooting the opposition 20-7, the River Dragons came up just short. Ryan Galvin pulled Columbus within one with 75 seconds remaining, but the Bobcats held on for the regulation win.

Tyler Roy made eight saves on 13 shots before being pulled, while Trevor Babin stopped all 16 shots he faced in relief. Anthony Shrum earned the win in net for Blue Ridge.

Columbus will be back in action tomorrow afternoon when the club battles the Athens Rock Lobsters at Akins Ford Arena. Coverage begins at 3:35 p.m. on the River Dragons YouTube channel.

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Federal Prospects Hockey League Stories from January 10, 2026


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