FPHL Ice Chips - Game Recaps
FPHL Federal Prospects Hockey League

FPHL Ice Chips - Game Recaps

Published on January 30, 2026 under Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) News Release


TWIN CITY THUNDERBIRDS at BINGHAMTON BLACK BEARS

Black Bears Comeback Falls Short in OT

By Brooks Hill

Binghamton, NY - The Binghamton Black Bears fell short in overtime on Friday night against the Twin City Thunderbirds. Binghamton scored twice in the final five minutes to force overtime, but couldn't find the extra point.

The T-birds opened up the scoring in the first period in a game that became a game of runs. Josh Labelle scored at 10:09 putting the visitors up 1-0. Binghamton answered back on the power play with Mac Jansen scoring his 22nd goal of the season. After one period, the two sides were square at 1-1.

Binghamton shot out of a cannon to start the second. Jansen barreled headfirst into the crease and knocked in his second of the night, shifting the lead in favor of the Black Bears 2-1. This time, Twin City answered back on the power play. Zac White scored a 5-on-3 goal, tying the game at 2-2 but two minutes later, the Thunderbirds found the go-ahead goal in Roman Kraemer at 13:54. The away side led 3-2 after 40 minutes of play.

No body was able to score in the first 10 minutes of the third period. It turned out to be an exciting finish as the teams combined for three goals in the final eight minutes. Jan Salak scored another power play goal for Twin City, giving them a two-goal lead for the first time on

Friday. Things looked bleak for Binghamton, but the top line delivered in crunch time. CJ Stubbs scored with 4:32 remaining to cut the lead to one. With just under a minute left and after calling timeout, the Black Bears pulled the goalie and scored 6-on-5. Ivan Bondarenko tied the

game at 4-4 with 54 seconds left and overtime would follow.

The Black Bears had chances in the extra period but found themselves on the wrong end of the power play. After a great chance shorthanded, Labelle was able to record his second goal of the evening, ending the game in overtime.

Binghamton snaps their 22-month streak of not losing back-to-back games, as they fall in overtime 5-4 on Friday night.

Thunderbirds Win Overtime Decision over Black Bears 5-4

By Kendall Grayson

Binghamton, NY - The Twin City Thunderbirds won an overtime decision by a final score of 5-4 over the Binghamton Black Bears Friday night at Visions Veterans Memorial Arena. Josh Labelle scored two goals, including the overtime game winner for the Thunderbirds. Zach White, Roman Kraemer, and Jan Salak also scored during the matchup for Twin City. Boris Babik made 47 saves, including 5 during the overtime, to record the victory in goal for the Thunderbirds. Twin City returns to action tomorrow night in another road contest against Binghamton. The puck drops at 7:00pm ET.

Josh Labelle scored his fifth goal of the season at 10:09 of Friday's opening period to give the Thunderbirds a 1-0 lead in the battle. Zach White recorded an assist on the scoring play. The assist for White was his fortieth point of the season. Mac Jansen tied the game with a powerplay goal for the Black Bears with under four minutes left to play in the 1st period. CJ Stubbs and Austin D'Orazio each collected an assist on the scoring play. The Black Bears outshot the Thunderbirds by a 12-10 margin during the 1st period, and the 2nd period began in a 1-1 tie.

Mac Jansen scored his second goal of the night for Binghamton forty-four seconds into Friday's 2nd period to give the Black Bears a 2-1 lead in the matchup. The scoring play was assisted by CJ Stubbs and Ivan Bondarenko. Zach White scored a five-on-three powerplay goal at 11:59 of the 2nd period to tie the game at 2-2. Gus Ford and Josh Labelle each collected an assist on the scoring play. Roman Kraemer netted an even-strength goal at 13:54 of the middle period to give Twin City a 3-2 lead. Zach White and Josh Labelle each recorded an assist on Kraemer's scoring play. Each team posted 14 shots on goal during Friday's 2nd period, and the Thunderbirds carried a one-goal advantage into the 3rd period.

Jan Salak scored a powerplay goal at 12:43 of the 3rd period to give Twin City a two-goal lead in the contest. Gus Ford and Connor Craig each recorded an assist on the scoring play. CJ Stubbs scored a goal at 15:28 of the 3rd period to bring Binghamton within one goal of Twin City's lead. Stubbs' goal was assisted by Austin D'Orazio and Ivan Bondarenko. The Black Bears elected to lift goaltender Wyatt Friedlander for an extra attacker with less than two minutes to play in the 3rd period. Ivan Bondarenko netted a game-tying goal with less than one minute to play to force an overtime finish to the contest. Austin D'Orazio and Mac Jansen each collected an assist on the scoring play. Binghamton outshot Twin City by a 20-15 margin during the 3rd period.

Gavin Yates was called for a high-sticking infraction just over three minutes into the overtime to give the Thunderbirds a four-on-three powerplay. Josh Labelle scored the game-winning goal on the powerplay for Twin City with just over one minute left to play in the overtime period. Labelle's goal was his second of the game, and was scored unassisted. The Thunderbirds were outshot 5-2 in the overtime, and 51-41 overall in Friday night's battle. Twin City improved to 14-17-1 on the 2025-2026 season with the victory.

Boris Babik made 47 saves on 51 shots to post the win in goal for the Thunderbirds. Wyatt Friedlander recorded the overtime loss in net for the Black Bears in a 36-save-on-41-shot performance.

PEE DEE ICECATS at ATHENS ROCK LOBSTER

IceCats Deal Lobsters First Home Loss of the Season

By Matteen Zibanejadred

Athens, GA - The Athens Rock Lobsters were defeated in Akins Ford Arena for the first time this season, falling 4-2 to the Pee Dee IceCats on Friday evening.

The physical play that's taken place between the two squads this season continued into Friday's game, and that was highlighted by a heavyweight bout between Kyle Pow and Divyne Apollon in the first period.

After a 0-0 first period, the scoring started with three-straight power play goals between the two teams in the second frame. Patriks Marcinkevics netted through traffic with 3:06 gone before Carter Shinkaruk rifled a laser in at the 10:53 mark. Dzianis Zaichyk backhanded the third man-advantage goal of the period through the five hole of Carter McPhail as the 1-1 scoreline lasted just two minutes.

Converting on a nifty feed from Kayson Gallant, Filip Virgili sniffed out the top shelf on the short side to knot affairs back up at 2-2, but a late-period rush from Pee Dee was finished off by leading IceCat scorer Alexander Legkov.

The Rock Lobsters racked up the shots with 25 in the third, but couldn't find a way past a red hot Parker Rutherford who logged 50 saves on the night.

Pee Dee have been known to let up late goals on the year, but stood tall and secured the three points with a Patriks Marcinkevics empty netter in the final minute.

The Rock Lobsters (22-6-5-0, 76 pts) return to Akins Ford Arena tomorrow night to seek revenge against the IceCats with puck drop scheduled at 7:05 p.m.

PORT HURON PROWLERS at WATERTOWN WOLVES

Prowlers Edge Wolves, 3-2

By Jeff Barrett

Watertown, NY - For only the second time this season, and the first time in the Watertown Municipal Arena, the Wolves squared off with the Port Huron Prowlers. The Wolves and Prowlers met in the second week of the season, and they split the weekend in Port Huron. The Prowlers have since ascended to the second spot in the Empire Division, and have one their last two outings. Watertown is coming off a tough home and home series last weekend against the Danbury Hat Tricks.

Watertown's Trevor Neumann got the scoring started at the 8:58 mark of the first, lifting home a rebound past Reid Copper putting the Wolves up 1-0. Assists on the goal belonged to Darion Benchich and Chase DiBari.

The Prowlers Bobby Price got loose in front of the Watertown goal and made a nice move to backhand the puck past Breandan Colgan, knotting the game at 1-1 at the 10:23 mark.

Port Huron outshot Watertown 16-7 in the period and the period ended with the 1-1 tie.

At the 18:51 mark of the second, there would be a mad scramble in front of the Watertown net with the goal getting dislodged, the puck hit the pipe on the way through the blue ice, but Port Huron was awarded a good goal. Vincent Dekumbis got credited with the goal, and the Prowlers ended up with a 2-1 lead. The Prowlers continued to outshoot Watertown, this time 11-7 for the period.

Just:21 seconds into the third, Watertown would tie the game once again on a power play goal by Yefim Mishkin, assisted by Steven Klinck and Darion Benchich.

At the 17:09 mark of the third period, the Prowlers Bryan Parson sent the puck from the neutral zone and it took an odd bounce and went past Colgan, putting the Prowlers up 3-2 and on to the victory.

The Prowlers and Wolves will battle again Saturday night in game two of the weekend. Doors open at 6:00 with the puck drop slated for 7:30. If you can't get to the arena, you can always find the live action on rumble.com, the exclusive home of Watertown Wolves hockey.

Bloop Goal Sends Prowlers Past Wolves

By Will Wiegelman

Watertown, NY - On the strength of a Bryan Parsons goal from the neutral zone, the Port Huron Prowlers took down the Watertown Wolves 3-2. The goal came with 2:51 to go in regulation.

The Wolves got things started in the first on a rebound goal by Trevor Neumann, but Port Huron answered with a Bobby Price tally less than two minutes later.

In the final minutes of the second, Vincent Dekumbis knocked home a rebound out of a net-mouth scramble to give the Prowlers the lead heading into the third. Less than a minute into the final frame, Yefim Mishkin tapped home a back-door opportunity.

Coming out of a TV timeout, Matt Graham won a face off in front of the Watertown bench. Parsons tossed the puck in and it bounced in front of Breandan Colgan and over his shoulder for the game-winner.

Parsons added an assist to his goal while Bailey Huber made 22 saves.

Colgan stopped 32 shots in the loss.

The Prowlers and Wolves rematch on January 31 with a 7:30 PM puck drop.

BATON ROUGE ZYDECO at MONROE MOCCASINS

MOCCASINS EXTEND STREAK TO 18 WITH 4-0 SHUTOUT WIN OVER ZYDECO

By Joseph Furtado

Monroe, LA- The Monroe Moccasins showed no signs of slowing down Friday night, extending their winning streak to 18 games with a 4-0 shutout of the Baton Rouge Zydeco at the Monroe Civic Center.

The win marked Monroe's 10th straight win over Baton Rouge this season and improved the Moccasins to 10-1 against the Zydeco in the 2025-26 campaign. Monroe moved to 25-4-2-2-0 on the year, while Baton Rouge fell to 6-20-6-0-0 with the loss.

Monroe struck first midway through the first period when Hagan Moe opened the scoring at 6:52 beating Conner Green over the left shoulder to make it 1-0. The goal proved to be all the Moccasins offense would need on a night they controlled play from start to finish.

The lead grew in the second period as Gerstein made it 2-0 at 9:24, converting a great setup from Jared Christy. Moe added his second of the night at 14:13, giving Monroe a 3-0 lead heading into the third period.

Carlos Fornaris put the game away at 7:45 of the third period, finishing a pass from Frank Schumacher and Austin Albrecht to cap the scoring.

Tyler Masternak turned in a shutout performance in net, stopping all 14 shots he faced. Monroe held Baton Rouge to just one shot in the first period and outshot the Zydeco 36-14 for the game.

Moe finished with two goals, while Gerstein recorded a goal and an assist. Monroe continued to set the pace atop the Continental Division as one of the league's hottest teams. The Moccasins and Zydeco will meet again next week in another one-game set as the season series continues.

DANBURY HAT TRICKS at BLUE RIDGE BOBCATS

Bobcats Hold Off Hat Tricks 5-4 For Big Divisional Win

By Brett Wiseman

Wytheville, VA - The Blue Ridge Bobcats used a string of five consecutive goals in the first period an a half to survive a third period charge from the visiting Danbury Hat Tricks for a 5-4 win and pick up three big points in the Empire Division race at Hitachi Energy Arena on Friday night.

Danbury found their legs right off the hop, as Maxim Maziarchuk took advantage of a funky hop off the stanchion behind the net from Kadyn Fennell and sniped a shot home far side on Anthony Shrum just 55 seconds into the contest. Jordon Kromm doubled Danbury's lead with a backdoor tap in at the 8:06 mark of the first to put the Hat Tricks up 2-0.

Blue Ridge captain Danny Martin put the "power" in power forward, driving the net and muscling the puck between the pads of Kyle Penton just 1:34 after Kromm's goal to cut the Hat Tricks lead in half at 2-1. Then it was de javu all over again, as for the second straight Friday indefensible passing from Mike Mercurio and Nikita Kozyrev found Nick Stuckless for a backdoor one-timer into the back of the net on the man advantage and tie the game at 2 at the 15:13 mark of the opening frame.

Things remained tied until the 5:32 mark of the middle frame, when Brandon Reller blasted a one-tee home from the high slot, also on the power play, aided by a beautiful zone entry and drop pass set up by Damon Furuseth. With just over five minutes left in the 2nd, Stuckless struck again on the man advantage, potting home a rebound in front of the net off of his own deflected shot to double the Bobcats lead at 4-2. 1:58 later, Kozyrev took advantage of time and space, speeding up the near wing and into the zone by a Danbury defender and sniping a shot far side past Penton for the fifth consecutive Bobcats marker and gave them a 5-2 lead heading to the third period.

The Hat Tricks comeback attempt in the third was furious but ultimately unfruitful, as despite outshooting the Bobcats 20-10 in the final frame and goals from Kromm and Gerano Fronduto, Blue Ridge held serve and held on for the 5-4 win.

Shrum backstopped the Bobcats to the win with 35 saves on 39 shots, and Penton did everything he could for the Hat Tricks in between the pipes stopping 44 of 49 shots. The line of Mercurio, Kozyrev and Stuckless combined to pick up third, second and first star honors on the evening respectively.

Both teams rematch again for their 4th of 6 meetings this season tomorrow night at Hitachi Energy Arena. Puck drop is set for 7:30 pm,

Danbury Falls 5-4 to Blue Ridge in Crucial Game 1 of Fourth-seed Showdown

By Tyler Platz

Wytheville, VA - The Danbury Hat Tricks jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the opening period but could not hold off the Blue Ridge Bobcats, falling 5-4 in Game 1 of this weekend's fourth-seed showdown. With the loss, the Hat Tricks now sit six points behind Blue Ridge and outside the playoff picture.

After a strong first shift by the Bobcats, Hat Tricks forward Maxim Maziarchuk opened the scoring 55 seconds into the game to put Danbury up 1-0. Maziarchuk now has three goals in five games with the Hat Tricks.

As a result of a great forecheck by Danbury's Kaiden Kandereka, forward Jordon Kromm scored for the second consecutive game against his former team to increase the Hat Tricks' lead to 2-0 at 11:54.

Despite the 2-0 Danbury advantage, the Bobcats dominated the shot chart throughout the opening period, converting on a pair in the final 10 minutes. At 10:21, Blue Ridge captain Daniel Martin muscled the puck past Hat Tricks goaltender Kyle Penton to cut Danbury's lead to 2-1.

Bobcats forward Nicholas Stuckless tied the game at 2-2 on a tic-tac-toe power-play passing sequence at 4:46.

In the second period, Blue Ridge forward Brandon Reller added to his team-leading 33 points, scoring on a one-timer on the power play at 14:28 to give the Bobcats a 3-2 lead.

Danbury's league-worst power play continued to struggle in the middle frame, failing to convert after a tripping call on Reller. By contrast, Blue Ridge, which already had two power-play goals, struck again two minutes later when Stuckless scored his second of the night to make it 4-2 Bobcats.

At 3:06, Blue Ridge forward Nikita Kozyrev put a wrist shot over Penton's shoulder to extend the Bobcats' lead to 5-2.

In the third period, the Hat Tricks got back on the board when forward Genaro Fronduto scored on a rebound off an Austin Pickford point shot to make it 5-3 at 16:09. Danbury's climb back continued at 12:31, when Kromm found a loose puck in front of Blue Ridge goaltender Anthony Shrum and scored to make it a one goal game at 5-4.

Despite late efforts by Danbury, which pulled Penton for an extra attacker in the final minute and nearly cut the shot deficit to 10, the 5-4 score held.

The Hat Tricks will look to pull within three points of the Bobcats, who hold the final playoff spot, when the teams meet Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in Game 2 of the weekend series.

BILOXI BREAKERS at COLUMBUS RIVER DRAGONS

RIVER DRAGONS TAKE DOWN BILOXI, 7-3

By Liam Gotimer

Columbus, GA -The Columbus River Dragons defeated the Biloxi Breakers by a final score of 7-3 on Friday night at the Columbus Civic Center in Columbus, Georgia.

Tyler Roy was back between the pipes for the River Dragons, while Rahul Sharma got the start in net for Biloxi.

The Breakers struck first, as Kyle Heitzner found the back of the net, assisted by Ross Barlett and Lucas Piekarczyk.

Columbus got on the board late in the first period, first with a power-play goal from Alex Storjohann, followed by an even-strength marker from Skate Skalde. For Skalde, the goal was his first as a River Dragon.

In the middle frame, the Breakers reclaimed the lead, scoring two unanswered goals, first from Trey Fischer, then again from Kyle Heitzner.

In response, the River Dragons lit the lamp three times in under two minutes, with goals from Josh Colten, Yaroslav Yevdokimov, and Jestin Somero.

In the third period, while up 5-3, the River Dragons added goals from both Jestin Somero and Alexander Jmaeff.

Tyler Roy made 30 saves in the victory for Columbus, while Rahul Sharma took the loss for the Breakers, stopping 15 shots.

Columbus will be back in action tomorrow, taking on Biloxi once again, this time at 7:05 p.m.

Yevdokimov, Dragons, Take Down Breakers

By Devin Dobek

Columbus, GA - Columbus and Biloxi were set to go for the first time since November 26th in their 5th meeting of the season, but with some major changes for both sides. Most notably was Yaroslav Yevdokimov (1 Goal, 3 Assists, 2nd Star), the former Breaker captain, suiting up for his first game as a River Dragon against his former team. Closing out the back-half of the game with 5 unanswered goals, Columbus picked up their 20th victory of the season by a final of 7-3.

With fireworks on tap, period 1 did not disappoint. Biloxi dominated early on in the opening frame, generating a volume of shots and a handful of odd man rushes. Brendan Spinale and Skate Skalde squared off in a good tilt to get the crowd going at 4:04, ending with Spinale on top. With the momentum, at 4:25, a strong forecheck from Lucas Piekarczyk made way for a Ross Bartlett backhander that was speared home by Kyle Heitzner to open the scoring at 1-0. Biloxi continued their dominance of possession and zone time all the way down until the final 2 minutes. At 18:13 on the powerplay, Alex Storjohann potted a cross-crease feed from Kyle Moore to tie the game at 1. Just 55 seconds later, Skate Skalde redirected home his first of the season to leapfrog the Dragons ahead at 2-1. The shots were 13-10 Breakers through 20 minutes.

Period 2 was an exchange of runs for both sides. Biloxi once again came out hot, with Trey Fischer swatting a puck out of mid-air into the twine to tie the contest at 2. 44 seconds later, Lucas Piekarczyk once again made a great forecheck play to set up Kyle Heitzner for a backhander that he patiently slid home to make it 3-2 Biloxi. Columbus' frustrations began to mount, and they found themselves shorthanded with a 5 on 3 moments later. Killing it off, with some massive saves by Trevor Roy, the momentum was back on their side. Into the back half of the period, at 11:39 Columbus began a run of 3 unanswered goals in 79 seconds. First it was Josh Colten with a one-time blast on the powerplay to tie the game. 12 seconds after the next faceoff, Yaro Yevdokimov sprung ahead on a breakaway, opened the five-hole of Sharma and scored the go-ahead goal to make it 4-3. And then, 67 seconds later Jestin Somero sniped his 1st of the season over the shoulder of Sharma to make it 5-3. The rest of the way was a back and forth battle, with neither goaltender budging. Biloxi led in shots 27-20, while Columbus took their 5-3 advantage to the dressing room.

Period 3 is when the wheels began to fall off the wagon for Biloxi. Anton Borodkin was substituted in at goal after Sharma surrendered 5 tucks on 20 shots, marking his first appearance in 4 weeks from an injury. Taking 10 penalty minutes in the final frame will never do you any good in hopes for a comeback, and tonight was no exception for the visitors. Columbus controlled the tempo and added a couple more tallies. At 7:57, Jestin Somero buried his 2nd of the night to boost the lead to 3. And then finally, at 12:41 on the powerplay, Alex Jmaeff grabbed his 3rd of the season to cement the scoring at 7-3. Former Breaker captain Yaro Yevdokimov would go on to be the games' second star in his Dragons debut, with a goal and 3 assists. Biloxi outshot Columbus 33-31 in the losing effort.

Biloxi falls to 6-25-1, as Columbus improves to 20-11-3. The two teams will battle once again tomorrow night with puck drop at 6:05 CST inside the Columbus Civic Center.

INDIANA SENTINELS at TOPEKA SCARECROWS

Sentinels Stand Pat, Win 4-2

By Jon Kliment

Topeka, KS -Topeka and Indiana reignited their rivalry between the first year organizations after not having played since an overtime game on November 1st. Topeka took all 4 of the early season matchups, but Indiana has changed up their roster a considerable amount and have found ways to win against other divisional opponents. Both squads came in needing points on the weekend as Indiana tries to climb out of the divisional basement and the Scarecrows look to get over Port Huron's grip on second place in the division.

After a lot of back and forth between the Scarecrows and Sentinels through much of the first period it was a bobbled puck with 1:19 to go that bounced around and found Richard Colarussso's stick and was fired past Sammy Bernard for the 1-0 lead.

Topeka wasn't sitting back however as just one minute into the second period Doug Blaisdell stepped up in the neutral zone and pushed the puck forward forcing a two on one rush and found Aldiyar Nurlan across the zone who was able to slap the puck past Chris Curr to tie the game up at a goal a piece. Indiana continued to find ways to attack as Noah Hippolyte-Smith took advantage of a worn out Scarecrows defense and put a puck through traffic past Bernard for the 2-1 lead 11:16 into the second period.

Despite some early pushes by Topeka it was once again Indiana that found the back of the net first in the third. Jhuwon Davis found his first of the season 12:36 into the period to give themselves a 2 goal lead.. Topeka pulled the goaltender and had a late power play but couldn't cash in until just 16 seconds remained in the game on a Trevor Grasby point shot that found its way through traffic to bring the Scarecrows back within a goal. Keeping the goaltender pulled gave Indiana one final chance with the open net and Vladislav Pavlov cashed in to close out the game 4-2 with two seconds to go.

Bernard stopped 15 of 18 in the loss.

Topeka returns to Stormont Vail Events Center tomorrow night at 7:05pm to battle the Sentinels again.

Sentinels Snap Losing Skid Against Scarecrows

By Andy Poetzinger

Topeka, KS - For the first time since December 26th, the Indiana Sentinels are finally back in the win column. It was a well-earned victory, their first against the Topeka Scarecrows.

It was a scoreless first period until Richie Colarusso put on the moves and danced his way on goal and fired a shot over the blocker hand of Sammy Bernard giving Colarusso his second goal of the season, and his second in as many games.

Topeka would answer one minute into the second period after Sentinels' turnover in the neutral zone led to a two-on-one break where Doug Blaisdell found Aldiyar Nurlan open for a one timer that beat Sentinels goaltender Chris Curr over the glove to tie the game.

Indiana had a response ready in the form of Noah Hippolyte-Smith as the Sentinels held pressure in the offensive zone and with the help of an Ethan Esposito screen, Hippolyte-Smith snapped a shot from the far circle past Bernard for a 2-1 lead that would hold through 40 minutes.

In the third period, the Sentinels would capitalize on a beautiful three-way passing play between Dalton Anderson, Ashton Collazo and Jhuwon Davis that led to Davis picking up his very first goal of the season with 12:36 left to play in the period.

The Indiana defensive zone would stand strong for the most part throughout the remainder of the third period. Most of the Topeka opportunities came from the outside and there were not many second opportunities.

Things would get interesting as a Trevor Grasby shot from the blue line hit Hippolyte-Smith on the way to the net and fooled Chris Curr to cut the lead down to 3-2. That would not last long as Vladislav Pavlov would seal the victory with an empty net tally to give Indiana the much-needed victory.

Chris Curr picks up his second win of the season, making 30 saves on 32 shots. The Sentinels didn't have any powerplay opportunities but killed off their only penalty late in the third period.

Both teams will face off again tomorrow night at 8:05 pm ET. Coverage will start at 7:50pm ET with Andy Poetzinger on the Indiana Sentinels Pre-Game Show, presented by Body Armor. Catch all the action on the Sentinels YouTube page.




Federal Prospects Hockey League Stories from January 30, 2026


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