FPHL Ice Chips - Game Recaps
FPHL Federal Prospects Hockey League

FPHL Ice Chips - Game Recaps

Published on March 27, 2026 under Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) News Release


TOPEKA SCARECROWS vs INDIANA SENTINELS

at Ralph Engelstad Arena

Topeka Takes Down Sentinels in Game One of Thief River Falls Series

By Andy Poetzinger

Thief River Falls, MN - The Sentinels met up again with the Topeka Scarecrows for the fourth time in the last seven games, but this time representing the FPHL in a neutral site game in Thief River Falls, Minnesota. The game was played at the Ralph Englestad Area, which will end up being the home for the Minnesota Northern Lights starting next season.

It was a great environment for hockey, and the excitement started right away as the Scarecrows opened the scoring a minute and thirty seconds into the game with Scott Coash finding Steven Klick all alone at the Sentinels blue line. Klinck had time to make a few moves to deke out Cooper Olson to give Topeka an early 1-0 lead. This continues a trend for Indiana where they have now given up a goal in the first five minutes of a game in five of their last eight contests.

Indiana would punch back and dominate a majority of the play for the remainder of the first period and would cash in on a powerplay goal from Corey Cunningham, his third in an Indiana sweater. Bo Zinchenko with great vision found Cunningham all alone in front of the net in between four different Scarecrow penalty killers and stuffed it underneath Sammy Bernard to tie the game at one. Jay Buchholz would pick up his first FPHL point on the goal with the secondary assist. The first would close with Indiana outshooting Topeka 12-6.

The second period was much more lackadaisical of a period for the Sentinels as they struggled to get the puck out of their own end on the first attempt which led to long shifts inside their ow zone. Finally, Topeka would cash in on a failed Sentinels clearing attempt which left Klinck and Coash all alone in front of the net to make it 2-1 Scarecrows, and that is where the period would end.

Scott Coash would score another early goal for Topeka, this time a minute and twelve second into the period as he let go of a cross body shot that beat Olson on the glove side to give Topeka a 3-1 lead. Indiana continued pushing and generating plenty of chances but could not beat Sammy Bernard, who finished the night with thirty-four saves on the night.

Coash's 4 Point Night Leads Scarecrows to Victory, 4-1

By Jon Kliment

Thief River Falls, MN - The Scarecrows came into an FPHL Neutral Site series with their fellow first year rival the Indiana Sentinels with playoff hopes still lingering and seeking to get hot at the right time of the year. Topeka needed 10 points coming into today's matchup and had eyes on securing a win against Indiana in the Northern Minnesota town.

It didn't take long for the scoring to get started as Topeka's Scott Coash launched a stretch pass to Steven Klinck who went forehand-backhand on Cooper Olson burying the first goal in Minnesota in FPHL history at 1:31 of the first period. After a failed power play attempt on a Jacob Gagnon hold, Indiana wouldn't let a second attempt go as Avery Smith received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and on a scramble in front Corey Cunningham beat Sammy Bernard to tie the game up at 15:30 of the first, 1-1.

Just before the halfway point of the middle frame the Scarecrows found the scoring touch again as this time Klinck and Coash put on a passing clinic as Coash found Klinck who fed Coash and then deposited the puck behind Olson for the 2-1 lead in the second period.

Coash wasn't done as just 1:16 into the third he fired an odd angle shot from the top of the circle that ate up Olson for the 3-1 lead. Then with 28 seconds to go in the game Scott fired home the empty net goal from just inside the blue line for the hat trick and a 4-1 victory.

Bernard stopped 33 of 34 in the win his 17th of the season.

Topeka returns to action tomorrow night for their final road game of the season as they play the Sentinels from Thief River Falls at 7pm. Follow along on Youtube and Sporfie.

DANBURY HAT TRICKS at BINGHAMTON BLACK BEARS

Goaltending Battle

By Brooks Hill

Binghamton, NY - The Binghamton Black Bears defeated the Danbury Hat Tricks 1-0 in a goaltending battle on Friday night. Dominik Tmej stopped all 18 shots he faced, and Nick Swain scored the only goal of the night.

In front of another sold out crowd, the Black Bears looked to inch closer to securing the #1 overall seed for the playoffs. Danbury was fighting for their postseason lives scratching and clawing for the final spot in the Empire Division. Both teams traded power play opportunities in the first but came up empty handed. Shots were just 12-4 Binghamton, but nothing to show on the scoreboard.

Physicality ramped up in the second frame. The teams trade hits, tied up after the whistles, even a fight. However, still nobody was able to gain traction in the period. For the first time this season, Binghamton went to the third period with the score being 0-0.

Finally, Nick Swain scored the opening (and only) goal of the night. With 7:37 remaining, Binghamton finally had the lead. Kyle Stephan and Dan Wieber were credited with assists, and the trio would be the only players to finish with points. Dominik Tmej took center stage stopping all 18 shots he faced, earning him his 7th shutout of the season, tying an FPHL record. Binghamton wins 1-0 on Friday as they get set for the rematch on Saturday.

PEE DEE ICECATS at BLUE RIDGE BOBCATS

GALLAGHER'S GWG PUTS BOBCATS IN PLAYOFFS

By Brett Wiseman

Wytheville, VA - In the 8th of 9 meetings this season before the two regional rivals, the Blue Ridge Bobcats finally prevailed over he Pee Dee IceCats and in the process clinched a berth in the 2026 Commissioner's Cup Playoffs with a thrilling 5-3 triumph before a crowd of nearly 2,000 at Hitachi Energy Arena on Friday night.

The scoring started rather inauspiciously, when Elijah Wilson drew a hooking penalty on Bobcats captain and birthday boy Danny Martin. After discussion, Wilson was awarded a penalty shot and scored on Anthony Shrum at the 4:05 mark of the first to put Pee Dee ahead 1-0. Filip Hlavac tied the score seven minutes later at the 11:20 mark of the opening frame, backhanding a shot home out of a wild net mouth scramble for his 6th power play goal of the season.

Vadim Frolov then scored on a deflection with his stick just underneath the crossbar, that was eventually upheld after further discussion and a video review at 14:59 of the first to give Pee Dee a 2-1 lead after one.

Alexander Legkov scored Pee Dee's third and final goal of the contest at the 3:20 mark of the middle frame, before Blue Ridge found and floored the gas pedal.

2 goals in a span of 1:55 tied the score in a hurry. Justin Daly sniped a wrist shot from the high slot past parker Rutherford, popping the bottle under the bar behind him at the 14:23 mark of the middle frame to bring the Bobcats within a goal. At 15:23, Nick Stuckless hopped on a loose puck out of a net mouth scramble and snapped it past a late-reacting Rutherford to tie the game and send the contest to the final 20 knotted at 3.

Both teams traded multiple chances throughout the third, as Shrum and Rutherford dueled down the stretch to keep things tied. Another scramble in front of Rutherford saw the puck pop to Carson Gallagher, who ripped home his second game winning goal of the season with just 2:49 left in regulation and sent the crowd into a frenzy. The 4-3 lead would eventually become 5-3 after Nikita Kozyrev daggered home an empty net tally at the 18:31 mark.

The victory clinches a berth in the 2026 Commissioner's Cup Playoffs for Blue Ridge, the second in just the franchise's third season of existence.

Both teams meet for the 9th and final time this season tomorrow night at Hitachi Energy Arena for Bike Night presented by Black Bear Harley-Davidson.

SHORTHANDED ICECATS DROP 5-3 GAME TO BOBCATS

By Tom Callahan

Wytheville, VA - The Pee Dee IceCats started strong but could not hold on in a 5-3 loss to the Blue Ridge Bobcats on Friday night at Hitachi Energy Arena.

The IceCats, playing down a man due to injuries, built a 3-1 lead on goals by Elijah Wilson, Vadim Frolov and Alex Legkov. Wilson's goal at 4:05 of the first period was the first-ever penalty shot awarded in IceCats history. Legkov's goal was his 38th of the season, tying him for the league lead in goals.

From there, it was all Bobcats as they scored four unanswered goals to take the win. Justin Daly, Filip Hlavac and Nikita Kozyrev all recorded a goal and an assist in the win.

Parker Rutherford stopped 38 shots in taking the loss for Pee Dee.

Despite the loss, the IceCats' magic number decreased to eight points to secure a playoff berth as Twin City lost to Athens as well.

The two teams are back at it tomorrow night at 7:30 pm, with the Powers Properties Pregame Show kicking off 15 minutes prior to puck drop on YouTube and on 100.5 FM in Florence with Tom Callahan.

ATHENS ROCK LOBSTERS at TWIN CITY THUNDERBIRDS

Thunderbirds Drop Home Decision to Rock Lobsters

By Kendall Grayson

Winston-Salem, NC - The Twin City Thunderbirds dropped a home decision to the Athens Rock Lobsters by a final score of 6-2 Friday night at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Arena. Nate Keeley and Zach White scored Twin City's goals in the loss. The Thunderbirds will return to action tomorrow night in a rematch against the Rock Lobsters on home ice. Puck drop for the battle is scheduled for 6:05pm ET.

Eric Neiley scored on the first shot of Friday night's game to give the Rock Lobsters a 1-0 lead in the matchup. The goal was netted twelve seconds into the game, and was assisted by Filip Virgili and Joe Mack. Gus Ford scored a goal at 2:32 of the opening period to give the Rock Lobsters a two-goal lead in the showdown. Ford's goal was assisted by Garrett Milan. Nate Keeley netted his eleventh goal of the year with less than four minutes to play in Friday's 1st period to cut the lead to 2-1. Keeley's scoring play was assisted by Jan Salak. Twin City outshot Athens by a 20-15 margin during the opening period, but trailed by one goal entering the 2nd period.

Each team failed to produce a scoring play during Friday's 2nd period, and the 3rd period began with Twin City trailing by a 2-1 score. The Thunderbirds outshot the Rock Lobsters by a 12-11 margin during the 2nd period.

Zach White netted a game-tying goal at 3:41 of Friday's final period. White's goal was assisted by Roman Kraemer and Kayson Gallant. Gus Ford answered with his second goal of the night eleven seconds later to give Athens a 3-2 lead in the contest. Jesse Lowell and Garrett Milan each collected an assist on the scoring play. Luke Croucher scored a powerplay goal at 8:48 of the 3rd period to give Athens a two-goal lead in the matchup. Croucher's goal was assisted by Carter Shinkaruk and Joe Mack. Gus Ford netted his third goal of the contest with less than five minutes to play in the 3rd period to give the Rock Lobsters a 5-2 lead in the battle. Garrett Milan and Eric Neiley provided assists on the scoring play. The final goal of Friday's matchup was netted at 18:57 of the 3rd period by Filip Virgili. John Kaljian and Devyn Mayea each recorded an assist on the goal. Twin City outshot Athens 14-7 in the 3rd period, and 46-33 overall, but fell by a final score of 6-2. The Thunderbirds dropped to 23-27-1 on the 2025-2026 season in the loss.

Boris Babik recorded the loss in goal for Twin City in a 27-save-on-33-shot effort. Carter McPhail won the game in net for Athens after making 44 saves on 46 shots.

Ford's Hat Trick Burns Former Flock in 6-2 Athens Win

By Matteen Zibanejadrad

Winston-Salem, NC - The Athens Rock Lobsters defeated the Twin City Thunderbirds 6-2 Friday night at the Winston Salem Fairgrounds Arena.

It took just 12 seconds to find the opener in the contest, as Eric Neiley scored his fourth goal in three games after beautiful passing play from linemates Filip Virgili and Joe Mack.

Gus Ford scored yet another against his former squad with a flip past the glove of Boris Babik two minutes later to give the visitors a two-goal lead.

Scoring his fifth in five games, Nate Keeley scratched one back late in the period to make it 2-1. Of the Albertan's 11 goals this season, 10 have come since Feb. 20.

A scoreless second period set up a crucial third and it was the Thunderbirds who struck first. Zach White out in front tied it up at 2-2 with 3:30 gone in the final frame.

Just 11 seconds later, Ford got the tip on a Jesse Lowell shot that trickled five hole to restore the Athens advantage.

Luke Croucher logged the first power-play goal of the night with a snapped shot from the left circle at the 8:48 mark.

For the first time ever, a Ford hat trick in the Fairgrounds didn't prompt hats to fall on the ice. The former Twin City, current Athens phenom now sits on 199 FPHL goals on his career.

Athens made it 6-2 on the man advantage, with Filip Virgili deflecting in a shot from the right side of the blue line off the stick of Devyn Mayea.

Carter McPhail was electric in the crease for Athens all night, stopping 43 of 45 shots to earn his 22nd win of the season.

The Rock Lobsters (33-9-7-0, 113 pts) return to the Annex tomorrow night at 6:05 p.m. to finish off the season series against the Twin City Thunderbirds.

WATERTOWN WOLVES at PORT HURON PROWLERS

Prowlers Set Franchise Records in Beatdown of Watertown

By Will Wiegelman

Port Huron, MI - The Port Huron Prowlers tied and set franchise records in a 12-1 beatdown of the Watertown Wolves on March 27 at McMorran Place. The goal total tied the most in team history and the 11-goal margin of victory is a Prowlers record.

Making his pro debut, Grayson Dietrich got Port Huron off and running just before the midway point of the first period and he added his second less than five minutes later. Brett Lockhart and Bobby Price added one apiece and it was 4-0 after the first.

Dietrich completed the hat trick less than seven minutes into the second. Just over a minute later, Reggie Millette converted on a breakaway and just over a minute after that, Price got his second. Vincent Dekumbis added the eighth two minutes after that.

There was no let-up in the third. Price got his hat trick 6:07 into the final frame. Then, Dietrich and Price each picked up their fourth goals less than a minute apart, both tied a Prowlers single-game franchise record. Dustin Henning put the Wolves on the board late but less than a minute later, Lockhart clapped home the 12th for Port Huron.

Price led the way with five points after adding an assist to his goals. Dietrich, Lockhart and Millette all had four points. Dekumbis picked up three and five more Prowlers had two. Bailey Huber wasn't too busy but he made 12 stops.

"I had no idea in my wildest dreams it could've gone like this," Dietrich said.

Ricardo Gonzalez started and gave up six goals on 31 shots in 27:54. Marshall McKallip made 19 saves in relief.

The Prowlers and Wolves will reset the scoreboard and go again on Saturday, March 28 at 6:05 P.M.

MONROE MOCCASINS at COLUMBUS RIVER DRAGONS

River Dragons Fall 6-5 in Overtime Thriller to Moccasins

By Liam Gotimer

Columbus, GA - The Columbus River Dragons fell to the Monroe Moccasins by a final score of 6-5 in overtime on Friday night at the Columbus Civic Center.

Trevor Babin got the start in goal for Columbus, while Tyler Masternak received the nod for the visitors.

Columbus opened the scoring early, as Ryan Hunter fired a powerful shot into the net, assisted by Brad Fortin and Tyler Barrow.

At 11:12, the River Dragons extended their lead to two when Alex Storjohann netted his 100th goal with Columbus, with assists from Cody Wickline and Ryan Hunter.

Andrew Bellant cut the deficit in half at 16:39 of the first period, assisted by Kadin Ilott and Brad Somers.

Brad Fortin scored his first professional goal at 18:57, assisted by Ryan Hunter and Kyle Moore.

Each team scored once in the second period, with the goals coming 1:15 apart. Tyler Barrow and Andrew Bellant found the back of the net for their respective clubs.

Monroe made it a one-goal game at 16:25 of the third period, as Andrew Bellant completed the hat trick with an unassisted marker.

Ryan Hunter responded for the River Dragons, scoring from the high slot. The goal was assisted by Brad Fortin and Kyle Moore.

Andrew Bellant and Kyler Matthews each scored late in regulation to force overtime, where the Moccasins secured the 6-5 victory. The game-winning goal was scored by forward Carlos Fornaris.

Babin made 35 saves in the loss for Columbus, while Masternak earned the win for Monroe.

Don't miss tomorrow's game, as the club turns back the clock with the puck dropping at 7:05 p.m.

BATON ROUGE ZYDECO at BILOXI BREAKERS

Koch Hat Trick Fuels Seawolves (Breakers) to 7-4 Victory

By Devin Dobek

Biloxi, MS - The Breakers wound back the clock to honor and play as the Mississippi Seawolves and continue their I-10 rivalry with the Baton Rouge Zydeco on Friday night. In a gutsy barnburner, a combined 13 points from the top line of Hugo Koch (3G 3A) Chiwetin Blacksmith (2G 2A) and Ross Bartlett (1G 2A) gave Mississippi the breathing room they needed en route to a resounding 7-4 victory on home ice.

Period 1 was loaded with offense for two teams who have struggled all season to find the twine. After an early Zachary Pamaylaon slash, Baton Rouge went a man up. The league's least efficient powerplay went to work with Narek Aleksanyan potting the game's first goal from in tight on a low angle at 5:17 to make it 1-0. Needing an answer, the Seawolves were able to create all kinds of pressure on Zydeco netminder Bailey Stephens. At 7:03, a surprise shot from the near circle by Ross Bartlett deflected off of Stephens and in to tie the contest at 1. Less than 3 minutes later, Chiwetin Blacksmith won a battle on the forecheck and found a slashing Hugo Koch in front to float one past Stephens and go ahead at 2-1. 4 minutes after that into the backhalf, Matthew Horan pounced on a loose puck and sprung ahead all alone on a breakaway. Finishing with a snap shot to the glove side, Horan's first with his new group extended the lead to 3-1. Through 20 minutes, the Seawolves led 3-1, despite being outshot 16-13 due to 3 minor penalties they killed off.

Period 2 was similar to the 1st, with plenty of parallels. At 3:37, Hugo Koch extended the lead to 4-1 with 2nd of the night. 4 minutes later, Koch completed the Hat Trick with his 9th of the year off a great forecheck play by Chiwetin Blacksmith once again. Ed Coffey was subbed in for Bailey Stephens after the 5th mark. Leading 5-1, Mississippi was hungry for more. At 12:56, Blacksmith unleashed a howitzer off a 3-on-1 break to secure the largest lead of the evening for the home squad at 6-1. Into the closing moments, at 15:40 Matt Stoia was ejected from the contest for a spear that opened up a 5 minute man advantage for the visitors. At 17:53, Curtis Hansen pounded a puck home from the far side to gain one back at 6-2. Similar to the first period, the Seawolves outscored Baton Rouge 3-1 in the frame, with the shots identical to the first as well at 16-13 and 32-26 Zydeco for the game.

20 more minutes to even the season series in the 8th of 12 meetings between the Seawolves and the Zydeco. Out of a lengthy delay, Chiwetin Blacksmith ignited the offense once again with a wrist shot that crawled over the goal line to make it 7-2. At 8:53, Baton Rouge would get one back courtesy of Narek Aleksanyan with his 2nd of the night off a shorthanded breakaway. The final punch in this battle for I-10 was thrown by Juuso Tihonen, potting his first professional goal on the man advantage to cement the scoring at a more respectable 7-4. The Zydeco outshot the Seawolves 47-34 in full time.

The Seawolves and Zydeco will close out their weekend set tomorrow night at 7:00 inside the Coast Coliseum.

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Federal Prospects Hockey League Stories from March 27, 2026


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