FPHL Ice Chips - Game Recaps
FPHL Federal Prospects Hockey League

FPHL Ice Chips - Game Recaps

Published on March 7, 2026 under Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) News Release


BLUE RIDGE BOBCATS at DANBURY HAT TRICKS

HAT TRICKS LOSE HEARTBREAKER VS BOBCATS 4-2, SPLIT WEEKEND SERIES

By Patrick Grudberg

Danbury, CT - The Danbury Hat Tricks fell 4-2 vs the Blue Ridge Bobcats on home ice, splitting the weekend series and ending the season series tied at three wins apiece.

The Bobcats started out red-hot, with Daniel Martin scoring four minutes into the game off a high slot wrister. The visitors continued their dominance throughout the first, outshooting Danbury 18-6 and taking a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.

In the second, the Hat Tricks found their second powerplay goal of the weekend as Kaiden Kanderka beat Anthony Shrum blocker side from the left circle. The period featured numerous frenzied end-to-end rushes, with the Danbury testing Anthony Shrum with numerous A-grade chances. It remained at 1-1 entering the second intermission.

Six minutes into the third, Carson Gallagher scored a powerplay goal to give the Bobcats the lead. With five minutes to go, and with the Hat Tricks on the powerplay, Nicholas Stuckless intercepted a pass at the blue line and scored a breakaway shorthanded goal to make it 3-1 at 15:03.

Thirty seconds later, Austan Bellefeuille drew Danbury within one goal on the 5-on-3. Kaiden Kanderka was whistled for tripping with only 2:33 left, and despite a shorthanded 2-on-1 chance for Eli Rivers and some late shots with the net empty, the Hat Tricks fell short. Gallagher added an empty netter with nine seconds left, as the Bobcats won 4-2 and re-established their 11 point lead over Danbury for the final playoff spot.

The Hat Tricks are back in action on the road Friday night vs the Watertown Wolves. Puck drop is set for 7:30pm.

MONROE MOCCASINS at COLUMBUS RIVER DRAGONS

RIVER DRAGONS SLITHER BY MOCASSINS, 4-3

By Liam Gotimer

Columbus, GA - The Columbus River Dragons defeated the Monroe Moccasins 4-3 in overtime on Saturday night at the Columbus Civic Center.

Trevor Babin got the start in goal for the River Dragons, while Tyler Masternak received the nod once again for the visiting Moccasins.

Monroe opened the scoring at 14:32 of the first period when Hagen Moe found the back of the net. Carlos Fornaris and Sam Turner were credited with the assists.

Columbus answered just 30 seconds later. Tyler Barrow ripped a shot from the left circle to even the score, with Cody Wickline and Kirk Underwood recording the assists.

Before the period ended, Barrow struck again, burying a breakaway chance. Wickline picked up his second assist of the night, while Alex Storjohann added another helper in his return to the lineup.

The River Dragons extended their lead less than two minutes into the second period. Cody Wickline capitalized on a loose puck in the blue paint to give Columbus a two goal advantage.

Monroe battled back with goals from Hagen Moe and Tucker Scantlebury, tying the game at three heading into the third period.

The final frame solved nothing, sending the two teams to overtime for the first time this season.

In the extra session, Kyle Moore delivered the game winner, jamming the puck past a sprawled Tyler Masternak. Alex Storjohann earned his third assist of the night on the play, while Tyler Barrow finished with a four point performance.

Babin stopped 21 shots to earn the win for Columbus. Masternak took the loss for Monroe.

The River Dragons return to action Friday night for the first of three straight games against the Pee Dee IceCats. Fans can watch live on the team's YouTube channel, with coverage beginning 30 minutes before puck drop.

INDIANA SENTINELS at PORT HURON PROWLERS

Prowlers Complete Sweep of Indiana

By Will Wiegelman

Port Huron, MI - The Port Huron Prowlers completed the weekend sweep of the Indiana Sentinels with a feisty 5-2 win in front of a packed McMorran Place. Port Huron took four of the five games between these teams over the last two weekends.

Goaltender Matthias Smith was making his pro debut for Indiana and the Prowlers got to him early. Bobby Price slid a rebound to Alex Johnson for a five-on-three power play goal under five minutes in. A few minutes later, Brett Lockhart sent a perfect shot-pass to Jamie Bucell who tipped it home to double the advantage. Price swooped in and tucked home another rebound in the period's final minute. That was it for Smith who finished with eight saves on 11 shots.

The Sentinels got on the board with a goal from Kristers Bormanis and then the rough stuff started. Brendan Bauer boarded Alex Johnson and that led to a scrum with penalties on both sides, including Indiana assistant coach Cam Yarwood being tossed.

A few minutes later, Ben Brockway boarded Corey Cunningham and, in the ensuing scrum, Reggie Millette and Bryan Parsons received game misconducts. The Sentinels got a four-on-three power play for two minutes that turned into a five-on-three for the ensuing three.

"How much heart this team has, it's great to see," Johnson said. "We all stand up for each other. It's the fifth game in a row against them so there's bad blood there but, no matter what happens, we all stand up for each other."

Indiana made good on the man advantage early in the third as Nolan Dawson tapped home a rebound.

Port Huron responded at the end of a man advantage later in the frame. Tim Organ clapped home a one-timer to make it 4-2. Lukas Lacny finished the job into the empty net.

Price, Bucell and Johnson each added an assist to their goals. Matt Graham finished with two assists. Reid Cooper got his second win of the weekend after making 26 saves.

Chris Curr stopped 16 of 17 shots in relief.

The Prowlers are back on the road next weekend as they visit the Binghamton Black Bears on March 13 and the Watertown Wolves on March 14 and 15. All three games will be streamed live on the PHP Network YouTube channel.

BINGHAMTON BLACK BEARS at WATERTOWN WOLVES

Bears Steamroll Wolves for 15th Win vs Watertown this Season

By Connor LaLone

Watertown, NY -The Watertown Wolves and the Binghamton Black Bears met for the 16th time on Saturday night, and Bingo put a lot of ground between them and their familiar foes in a hurry. Friday night's winner, Scott Ramaekers notched a power play goal on assists from Gavin Yates and Daniel Stone at 4:17 of the first. Yates added Binghamton's shortly after at 4:48 from Zac Sirota and Tyson Kirkby. Dan Wieber let a blue-line blast go that Gonzalez was unable to snare and with just 5:10 gone, Binghamton had put as many past the Watertown netminder as they managed in 60 minutes the night prior. CJ Stubbs picked up his third goal of the weekend 3 minutes later at 8:22, with Wieber and Bondarenko tallying helpers on the Bears fourth goal. Following a hearty but clean collision between Trevor Neumann and Austin D'Orazio along the near wall, Bears captain Tyson Kirkby dropped the glove with the Wolves' veteran forward to a rousing applause from the sizable home crowd. The tilt seemed to energize Watertown a bit, but they were unable to muster any serious challenge to the net of Marshall McKallip, making his Binghamton debut.

Binghamton started the second just like they did the first, by punishing a fairly lax Wolves defense for their weak coverage in front of the net. Austin D'Orazio scored at 1:01 from Jansen and Bondarenko, and the Bears continued to pull away. Goals at 10:49 (Lathlin's first of the year from Schwindt and Sargis) and at 13:10 (Kirkby from Lathlin and Sirota) sandwiched the Wolves' lone goal of the frame from Mishkin.Ricardo Gonzalez was relieved by Grant Linville following the Bears' 6th goal. The Bears added an 8th at 17:32, as Nicholas Swain was credited after the puck was steered past Linville by his own player, Hunter Hall. Sargis and D'Orazio notched assists.

Just 43 seconds into period number 3, Watertown would add their second of the evening, Darion Benchich walked in on McKallip after some confusion between the Binghamton bench and D'Orazio, who was instructed to return the bench and not join the play. CJ Stubbs would score his fourth of the weekend at 4:14, as Jansen and Lathlin assisted. Binghamton made it 10 for good measure at 8:21, when Yates added his second on assists by Daniel Stone and Tyson Kirkby.

Lathlin would earn the first star nod after scoring his first of the season and adding 3 assists. Sargis had three points for the second star nod and Kirkby was selected as third star with 3 points as well. Watertown will look to bounce back against someone other than Binghamton next week, as Danbury is in town for a Friday night contest and Port Huron comes to town Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon.

Yates Tallies 100th goal as a BB

By Brooks Hill

Watertown, NY - The Binghamton Black Bears defeated the Watertown Wolves 10-2 on Saturday. Gavin Yates recorded his 100th goal as a Black Bear in the first period and Cheechoo Lathlin got his 1st in the second.

On Saturday night, it was Binghamton who came out of the gates red hot. The Black Bears scored four goals in the opening 8:30. Scott Ramaekers started the scoring at 4:17 just 10 seconds into a Black Bears power play. Gavin Yates scored the second goal, clinching another milestone. Yates becomes the fourth player in franchise history to score 100 goals with the Black Bears! Dan Wieber and CJ Stubbs added goals to finish the frame, and the Black Bears were up 4-0 after one.

61 seconds into the second period, the Black Bears picked up right where they left off. Austin D'Orazio scored making it 5-0, then Cheechoo Lathlin was able to find the back of the net for the first time in his career. The Wolves were able to break the shutout bid getting on the board in the middle period, but that was all the offense the home team could find. The Captain, Tyson Kirkby, and the veteran, Gehrett Sargis both scored, drawing the second period to a close. Binghamton was blasting Watertown, leading 8-1 after two periods.

The Wolves added another goal to start the third, but that was all she wrote for Watertown on Saturday night. Stubbs recorded his fourth goal of the weekend, and Yates tallied his 101st with the Black Bears, sending Binghamton to double digits for the third time this season. Rookie Goaltender, Marshall McKallip made 27 saves in his professional debut as the Black Bears win 10-2 on Saturday night.

ATHENS ROCK LOBSTERS at PEE DEE ICECATS

ICECATS POINT STREAK STOPPED AT SIX GAMES

By Tom Callahan

Florence, SC -The Pee Dee IceCats point streak was stopped at six games by the Athens Rock Lobsters in a 4-3 loss on Saturday night at Florence Center.

Trailing 1-0 heading into the second period, the IceCats took the lead after goals from Vadim Frolov and Dominiks Marcinkevics to make it 2-1.

But the lead was short-lived, as Garrett Milan tied the game just 26 seconds later on a goal that was initially waived off, but upheld upon review. Luke Croucher then put the Rock Lobsters ahead to stay at 14:29 on a shot from the high slot that beat IceCats starter Breandan Colgan (25 saves, L).

After Joe Mack's second goal of the night stretched the lead to 4-2 at 9:53, Dominic Della Civita got the IceCats back within a goal on a shot from the right point for his fourth of the season at 14:23.

Despite pulling Colgan for the extra attacker late in the game, Pee Dee could not find the tying goal and fell 4-3.

The IceCats will now take on the Rock Lobsters Wednesday night in a reschedule of the previously snowed out game back in January. The Powers Properties Pregame Show kicks off at 6:50 pm ET on the IceCats Broadcast Network.

Sayles Earns Victory in Athens Debut Against Former Team

By Matteen Zibanejadrad

Florence, SC -The Athens Rock Lobsters defeated the Pee Dee IceCats 4-3 Saturday night at the Florence Center in their final game in Pee Dee this season.

A night removed from scoring the final Athens goal on Friday, Joe Mack started the scoring at the 14:50 mark of the first period after burying a takeaway in the Pee Dee zone.

The IceCats came storming out of the tunnel in the second period however, taking a 2-1 lead on tallies from Vadim Frolov and Dominiks Marcinkevics.

Garrett Milan stormed the crease and knotted the scoreline up at 2-2, but it was initially called off for goaltender interference. After a challenge from head coach Garrett Rutledge, a video review reversed the decision on the ice.

Four minutes later, Luke Croucher wristed the visitors back into the lead with a notch just seconds after an Athens power play ended.

Halfway through the third period, Mack scored his second of the game on a one-timer off of an Eli Lieffers drop-pass feed.

Domenic Della Civita breathed life into the game with a bulge of the net at the 14:23 mark, but the oxygen in the high-temperature Florence Center was snuffed out by Matt Sayles. In his first start as a Rock Lobster against his former team, the Milton, Ga. native stopped 37 of 40 shots.

The Rock Lobsters (27-8-7-0, 95 pts) return home to Akins Ford Arena on Wednesday, March 11 for the final meeting against the Pee Dee IceCats this season.

TWIN CITY THUNDERBIRDS at BATON ROUGE ZYDECO

Thunderbirds Edge Zydeco in Back-and-Forth Battle

By Bryan Flores

Baton Rouge, LA - The Baton Rouge Zydeco battled back late but ultimately fell 4-3 to the Twin City Thunderbirds on Saturday night at the Raising Cane's River Center, dropping the second game of the weekend series.

Twin City opened the scoring in the first period on a power-play goal from Roman Kraemer before adding another man-advantage marker later in the frame from Jon Buttitta to take an early 2-0 lead.

Baton Rouge responded early in the second period when Scott Shorrock finished a play set up by Bailey Morrissette and Jake Cox, cutting the deficit to 2-1.

The Thunderbirds extended their lead in the third period with goals from Connor Craig and Nate Keeley, pushing the advantage to 4-1 before the Zydeco mounted a late push.

Kim Miettinen brought Baton Rouge closer with a goal midway through the third period, assisted by Bailey Morrissette, before Scott Shorrock struck on the power play later in the frame with helpers from Jake Cox and Nick Ketola to make it a one-goal game. Despite several late chances with the goaltender pulled, the Zydeco were unable to find the equalizer.

Bailey Stephens made the start in goal for Baton Rouge, turning aside 38 of 42 shots while facing heavy pressure throughout the night as Twin City outshot the Zydeco 42-26.

The Zydeco will close out the weekend series against the Thunderbirds Sunday afternoon at 3:05 PM at the Raising Cane's River Center.

Thunderbirds Win Road Battle over Zydeco

By Kendall Grayson

Baton Rouge, LA - The Twin City Thunderbirds won a road battle against the Baton Rouge Zydeco by a final score of 4-3 Saturday night at the Raising Cane's River Center. Roman Kraemer, Jon Buttitta, Connor Craig, and Nate Keeley each netted goals for Twin City in the victory. Boris Babik won the game in net for the Thunderbirds, earning his 50th career victory in the FPHL. The final game of this weekend's three-game series between the Thunderbirds and the Zydeco will begin tomorrow at 4:05pm ET.

Consecutive powerplay goals gave Twin City a 2-0 advantage during the 1st period. Roman Kraemer scored his nineteenth goal of the year at 8:06 of the opening period to give the Thunderbirds a one-goal lead in the matchup. Zach White and Josh Labelle each collected an assist on the scoring play. Jon Buttitta netted his ninth goal of the season at 17:13 of the 1st period. Buttitta's goal was scored on the powerplay, and was assisted by Chris Mott and Kayson Gallant. Jake Cox scored an even-strength goal with less than two minutes to play in Saturday's opening period to put the Zydeco on the scoreboard. Cox's goal was assisted by Scott Shorrock and Bailey Morrissette. Twin City outshot Baton Rouge by a 13-5 margin during the 1st period, and the Thunderbirds carried a 2-1 lead into Saturday's 2nd period.

Each team was held off of the scoreboard during Saturday's middle period. Twin City outshot Baton Rouge by a 20-10 margin during the period, and the Thunderbirds entered the 3rd period with a one-goal advantage. Connor Craig netted a goal at 4:36 of the 3rd period to give Twin City a 3-1 lead in the battle. Craig's goal was assisted by Chris Mott and Josh Labelle. Nate Keeley scored a goal less than one minute later to give Twin City a 4-1 advantage in the matchup. Keeley's goal was assisted by Roman Kraemer and Jon Buttitta. Blake Keller netted an even-strength goal at 9:45 of the final period to give Baton Rouge a second goal of the night. Kim Miettinen and Bailey Morrissette each collected assists on the scoring play. The final goal of the matchup was netted on the powerplay by the Zydeco's Scott Shorrock. Jake Cox and Nick Ketola notched an assist on the goal. Twin City fought off an extra-attacker effort in the final minutes from Baton Rouge to secure the 4-3 victory. The Thunderbirds were outshot by an 11-9 margin during the 3rd period. Twin City outshot Baton Rouge by an overall margin of 42-26 during Saturday night's showdown.

Boris Babik made 23 saves on 26 shots in net for the Thunderbirds during the battle. Bailey Stephens dropped the game in goal for the Zydeco in a 38-save-on-42-shot effort.

The Thunderbirds return home on Friday, March 13th for NASCAR Night against the Athens Rock Lobsters.

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Federal Prospects Hockey League Stories from March 7, 2026


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