FPHL Ice Chips - Game Recaps
FPHL Federal Prospects Hockey League

FPHL Ice Chips - Game Recaps

Published on March 28, 2026 under Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) News Release


TOPEKA SCARECROWS vs INDIANA SENTINELS

at Ralph Engelstad Arena

Indiana Completes Comeback, Beats Topeka 3-2 in a Shootout

By Andy Poetzinger

Thief River Falls, MN - The hockey fans in Thief River Falls were treated to a whale of a hockey game tonight as the Sentinels and the Scarecrows wrapped up their weekend in Minnesota.

It was a bit of a chess match in the first period with both teams not allowing much room through the neutral zone to get moving. Topeka would break the ice with 2:24 left to play in the period with Avery Smith's eight goal of the season to give the Scarecrows a 1-0 lead through the first period. Shots were only six to five in favor of the Sentinels in the period.

Play got extremely choppy in the second period as the penalty minutes skyrocketed quickly. There were nine total penalties in the period, eight of them were taken in the final 12:41 of the period. Neither team was able to convert on any penalties, mostly because the situations changed in the blink of an eye. In one moment, the Sentinels had a five on three... The next moment, it was a four on three for the Scarecrows. Neither team was able to get a stronghold on the game, and the period ended the same as the first period at 1-0 Scarecrows.

The penalties continued to pile up in the third period as another twelve penalties were taken. The Scarecrows would double their lead on a two-on-one break that Steven Klinck was able to bury past Chris Curr for his 33rd goal of the season. Indiana would not go down quietly.

Moments before the game, Ethan Esposito had received the news on the passing of his grandfather. He decided to play the game still. He had a couple of high-quality chances throughout the game and ended up converting on a perfect pass by Jay Buchholz and he chipped it past the blocker of Topeka goaltender Matt Lenz. Some moments are much bigger than hockey.

With 3:41 left to play in the period, the Sentinels, on a power-play, tied the game up on a long shot from the blue-line by Bo Zinchenko that slid through Lenz's legs thanks to screens from both Nolan Dawson and Richie Colarusso in front of the net.

Overtime did not stop the parade to the penalty box as both teams had penalty kills in the extra period. The Sentinels were trapped in their zone for a full two minutes and did a remarkable job blocking shots and not allowing any chances to the middle of the ice. Kristers Bormanis, Blake Peavey, Ivan Ponivanov and Chris Curr bought the Sentinels extra time thanks to their efforts.

Sixty-five minutes was not enough, so we went to a shootout to finish the game. Coash and Esposito were denied in the first round; Klick was stopped by Curr in the second round which brought up Jay Buchholz in his second ever FPHL game. Cool as a cucumber, he weaved his way to the net and roofed a shot blocker side for his first ever FPHL goal.

All the Sents would need is a save from Curr as Corey Checco was tapped by Topeka. Checco missed the net, and the Sentinels would take the fifteen-hour ride home happy.

The Sentinels have five games left in their inaugural season. Next stop is in Athens to take on the Rock Lobsters. The puck drops at 7:05 ET, and the Body Armor Pre-Game Show starts at 6:30 pm with Andy Poetzinger. Catch all the action on the Sentinels Hockey Network!

Penalties Dictate Game, Sentinels Win In Shootout 3-2

By Jon Kliment

Thief River Falls, MN - As the FPHL closed out its weekend in Thief River Falls, MN the Scarecrows came in looking to make it a sweep of a weekend. After a four point night from Scott Coash on Friday both sides felt the pressure to perform in the second half of the weekend series.

Topeka took an initial penalty for not having cleared the ice in time for warmups and began the game killing a penalty. The Scarecrows found the defense needed to stifle the power play and continued to battle in a back and forth affair that eventually saw Topeka take the lead as Trevor Lord broke in on a two on one and fed Avery Smith who put a backhanded shot past Chris Curr for the 1-0 lead at 17:39 of the first period.

The second and third periods were filled with calls. 21 calls between the two squads to be exact. Despite this Topeka found a way to punch another goal past Curr at 5:36 of the third period as Steven Klinck found the back of the net on a Scott Coash feed. At 10:22 of the period Ethan Esposito took advantage of a power play opportunity to beat Matt Lenz and bring Indiana back within one, 2-1. 5:58 later on another power play chance Bohdan Zinchenko tipped home a Cole Oulette shot for the tying goal.

Indiana gained the extra point on a Jay Bucholz shootout winner.

Lenz stopped 23 of 25 in the loss.

Topeka returns home after a month away for Scout Night April 3rd at 7:05pm.

BINGHAMTON BLACK BEARS at DANBURY HAT TRICKS

HAT TRICKS OUTLAST BLACK BEARS IN 6-4 THRILLER

By Patrick Grudberg

Danbury, CT - The Danbury Hat Tricks outlasted the Binghamton Black Bears in a high-scoring battle, winning 6-4 to split the weekend series. Danbury picked up their second win over Binghamton this season, their first at the Danbury Ice Arena.

After missing the last three games, Chance Adrian got things started early with an unassisted goal at 1:11 in the first period. Ivan Bondarenko scored shortly after at 6:15 to tie things up, netting his 18th goal of the season. On the powerplay, Konstantin Chernyuk scored a wrister from the point to give Danbury a 2-1 lead after the first period.

Binghamton responded with two goals in the second period from Zac Sirota and C.J. Stubbs, taking their first and only lead of the night. But with 2:33 left in the period, Eli Rivers' deflected shot beat Dysen Skinner to tie it at three apiece. Minutes later, Chance Adrian scored his second of the night off a Rivers assist (1 goal, 2 assists) to retake the lead for Danbury.

Halfway through the third, Austin D'Orazio scored from the point seconds after a powerplay had expired at 8:56, knotting it up at 4-4. 39 seconds later, Grady Friedman angled in from the right wing and beat Skinner, scoring his 4th goal in his five games. Kaiden Kanderka added an empty netter at 19:03, sealing a statement win over the league leaders.

Ayden Pierce was spectacular in his first career start, making 45 saves and earning the 1st star. The win was also enough to keep Danbury's playoff hopes alive heading into the penultimate weekend of the regular season.

The Hat Tricks will be back in action Friday, April 3rd vs the Watertown Wolves. Puck drop is set for 7:30 PM at Watertown Arena.

PEE DEE ICECATS at BLUE RIDGE BOBCATS

Hussey Blanks IceCats, Blue Ridge Snags Franchise Record Seventh Straight Win

By Brett Wiseman

Wytheville, VA - Greg Hussey stopped all 34 Pee Dee IceCats shots he faced, backstopping the Blue Ridge Bobcats to a 4-0 win, their franchise record seventh consecutive victory and a weekend sweep before a crowd of 2,123 at Hitachi Energy Arena on Saturday night.

For the second straight night, Filip Hlavac opened Blue Ridge's scoring account on the evening, sending a shot from the weak side half wall off the skate of Dzianis Zaichyk and through the five hole of Breandan Colgan to put the Bobcats on top 1-0 at the 10:35 mark of the opening frame, a lead they would carry into the intermission.

The lone goal of the middle frame came from Steven Alvo, who one-timed home a blast from the center point for his first goal as a Bobcat to double the Blue Ridge advantage just under two minutes into the 2nd period.

Mike Mercurio provided some insurance at the 12:36 mark of the third, putting a shot top shelf past the right shoulder of Colgan off a great setup from Carson Gallagher to make it a 3-0 game. Nick Stuckless found the back of the net for the 5th straight game, potting an exclamation point empty netter while shorthanded at the 18:25 mark of the final frame to cap off the 4-0 win.

Hussey made a series of key stops down the stretch of the final two periods, stonewalling Pee Dee as they turned up the pressure late in the contest. His 34 save shutout earned him first star honors on the evening. Stuckless earned third star for extending his goal sreak, and a three-point (1G, 2A) night for Filip Hlavac netted him second star.

The Bobcats hit the road to Biloxi next weekend for a two game set with the Breakers from the Mississippi Coast Coliseum. Both games are slated for 8:05 ET (7:05 CT) puck drops, with pregame coverage of both contests beginning at 7:50 ET (6:50 CT) on the Blue Ridge Hockey Network.

PEE DEE BLANKED BY BOBCATS

By Tom Callahan

Wytheville, VA - The Blue Ridge Bobcats shut out the Pee Dee IceCats 4-0 on Saturday night to complete the weekend series sweep.

Despite the losses on the weekend, Pee Dee's magic number to clinch a playoff spot was reduced from 11 points to seven as the Twin City Thunderbirds managed only two of a possible six points on the weekend.

Greg Hussey made 34 saves for his first shutout of the year while Filip Hlavac led the offense with a goal and an assist.

Jake Cox made his IceCats debut in the game, and rookie Ivan Kulagin made his professional debut in the game.

Up next for Pee Dee is a critical home-and-home series against the Carolina Thunderbirds, including the final home game of the season on April 4. The game is Star Wars Night, benefitting ALS of South Carolina. It is also Fan Appreciation Night presented by SouthCo.

ATHENS ROCK LOBSTERS at TWIN CITY THUNDERBIRDS

Thunderbirds Win OT Thriller over Rock Lobsters

By Kendall Grayson

Winston-Salem, NC - The Twin City Thunderbirds won an overtime thriller over the Athens Rock Lobsters Saturday night at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Arena by the final score of 4-3. Kayson Gallant netted the overtime game-winning goal with less than three minutes remaining in the overtime to seal the victory for the Thunderbirds. Roman Kraemer netted two goals during regulation time, and Jon Buttitta also added a goal for the Twin City offense. Boris Babik backstopped the team in net, and the Thunderbirds posted two points in the standings with the victory.

Roman Kraemer gave Twin City the lead with less than seven minutes to play during Saturday's opening period. Kraemer's goal was his first of the game, and was assisted by Kayson Gallant and Zach White. The Thunderbirds outshot the Rock Lobsters by a 19-15 margin during the opening period, and carried a 1-0 lead into the 2nd period.

Eric Neiley netted a powerplay goal for Athens at 7:37 of the 2nd period to bring the game to a 1-1 tie. Neiley's goal was assisted by Gus Ford and Carter Shinkaruk. Roman Kraemer gave Twin City another lead in the matchup with his second goal of the game at 13:09 of the middle period. Kraemer's second goal of the matchup was scored on the powerplay, and was assisted by Connor Craig and Kayson Gallant. Twin City outshot Athens by a 12-8 margin during the 3rd period, and the Thunderbirds entered Saturday's 3rd period with a 2-1 lead in the battle.

Jon Buttitta gave Twin City a two-goal lead in the matchup ninety-six seconds into the 3rd period. Buttitta's goal was assisted by Dominic Dumas and Jan Salak. Athens responded with back-to-back scoring plays to tie the game at 3-3 and to force an overtime finish to the matchup. Jesse Lowell scored an even-strength goal at 9:16 of the period to cut into Twin City's lead. Devyn Mayea and Carter Shinkaruk each collected an assist on the scoring play. The final goal of regulation time was netted by Carter Shinkaruk with less than six minutes to play. The goal was assisted by Filip Virgili and Gus Ford. Athens outshot Twin City by a 15-14 margin during the 3rd period.

Kayson Gallant scored a breakaway goal at 2:02 of the overtime to give the Thunderbirds a thrilling 4-3 win in the matchup. Gallant's game-winning goal was assisted by James Farmer and Jacob Schnapp. Each team posted 3 shots on net during the overtime, and Twin City outshot Athens by a 48-31 margin overall during the battle. Twin City improved to 24-27-1 on the 2025-2026 regular season in the victory.

Boris Babik turned away 28 shots during the matchup, including all 3 during the overtime session to record the victory in goal for Twin City. William Lavalliere recorded the overtime loss in net for the Rock Lobsters in a 44-save-on-48-shot effort. Kayson Gallant was named the 1st Star of the Game, with teammates Roman Kraemer and Boris Babik earning 2nd and 3rd Star honors, respectively.

Saturday's game was Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Night, and was played in front of 2,606 fans at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Arena.

Twin City will return home to host the Pee Dee IceCats in a showdown at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Arena on Friday night.

Lobsters Fall Against Twin City in First Overtime Loss of Campaign

By Matteen Zibanejadrad

Winston-Salem, NC - The Athens Rock Lobsters fell in overtime for the first time this season in a 4-3 game against the Twin City Thunderbirds Saturday night at the Fairgrounds Arena.

Athens fell behind first after Roman Kraemer snapped home a one-timer off of a lateral pass from Kayson Gallant 13:47 through the contest.

After being out-shot 19-4 in the first period, a 5-on-3 power play goal from Eric Neiley tied the game up at 1-1 in the second. The fifth goal in four games since Neiley's return from the SPHL came at the 7:37 mark of the middle frame.

The Thunderbirds would have a 5-on-3 of their own to strike back on, and strike back they did. Kraemer netted his second of the game with seven minutes left in the second period.

Jon Buttitta extended the lead to 3-1 just 1:36 into the third period, but the Cardiac Crustaceans began to show life. Goals from Jesse Lowell and Carter Shinkaruk pulled Athens level at 3-3 with six minutes to go.

The game needed overtime to find a decider, and an unfortunate snap of a stick sent Kayson Gallant on a breakaway on the three-on-three. Gallant burned his former team to ensure the Rock Lobsters wouldn't sweep the season series and Twin City became the first team to defeat Athens in overtime this season.

The Rock Lobsters (33-9-7-1, 114 pts) return to Akins Ford Arena tomorrow afternoon for Pucks and Paws at 4:05 p.m.

WATERTOWN WOLVES at PORT HURON PROWLERS

Huber Helps Prowlers to Low-Scoring Win

By Will Wiegelman

Port Huron, MI - They scored 10 fewer goals than the night before, but the Port Huron Prowlers still came out with a win over the Watertown Wolves, 2-1 at McMorran Place. Port Huron reached 100 points in the standings for the first time since 2017-18 and clinched home ice advantage in the first round of the Commissioner's Cup Playoffs.

All of the Prowlers' offense came in the first period. Grayson Dietrich wired home his fifth goal of the weekend from the slot 1:34 in. Later in the period, Bobby Price also got his fifth of the season with a wrist shot off a pass from Blake Anderson, who was playing in his 100th FPHL game.

Watertown pulled within one early in the second when Trevor Neumann took a pass in the high slot and sent it home. Netminders Bailey Huber and Marshall McKallip stopped everything else that came their way.

Huber finished with 23 stops and has won 11 of his 12 starts for Port Huron.

"Huber played an excellent game," Paulin said. "He was called upon a lot, especially in that third period, and made some incredible saves for us."

McKallip made 35 saves for the Wolves.

The Prowlers head east for their final regular season road trip next weekend as they visit the Binghamton Black Bears on April 3 and Danbury Hat Tricks on April 4. Both games will be broadcast live on the PHP Network YouTube channel.

MONROE MOCCASINS at COLUMBUS RIVER DRAGONS

RIVER DRAGONS SURVIVE MONROE COMEBACK, WIN 5-4 IN OVERTIME

By Liam Gotimer

Columbus, GA - The Columbus River Dragons edged the Monroe Moccasins in dramatic fashion on Saturday night, securing a 5-4 overtime victory at the Columbus Civic Center.

Trevor Babin got the start between the pipes for Columbus, while Chris Branch was given the nod for the visiting Moccasins.

Columbus opened the scoring early, as FPHL leading goal scorer Tyler Barrow found the back of the net. Scott Docherty and Alex Storjohann picked up the assists on Barrow's tally, giving the River Dragons an early advantage.

Riding the momentum, Brad Fortin, fresh off a four-point performance on home ice the night before, extended the lead with a perfectly placed shot from the far circle, putting Columbus up by two.

The River Dragons took control in the second period, chasing Branch from the net after striking twice on the power play. Kyle Moore netted the first, assisted by Barrow and Ryan Hunter.

Moments later, Hunter added one of his own with help from Kirk Underwood and Barrow, marking his league-leading 17th power-play goal of the season and pushing the lead to 4-0.

But Monroe refused to go quietly.

The Moccasins mounted an impressive comeback, rattling off four unanswered goals to erase the deficit and force overtime for the second consecutive game.

Hagen Moe led the charge with two goals, while Jared Christy and Austin Pick also found the scoresheet, earning Monroe a hard-fought point in the Continental Division standings.

In overtime, Columbus capitalized on a crucial power-play opportunity midway through the extra frame. Kirk Underwood, just one game removed from becoming the franchise's all-time leader in games played, delivered the game-winner, sealing a thrilling victory on home ice.

The River Dragons will be back it next Friday at 8:05PM EST on the road in Monroe, Louisiana. Coverage of the contest begins 30-minutes prior to puck drop.

BATON ROUGE ZYDECO at BILOXI BREAKERS

Ketola Wins It in Mississippi Melee

By Devin Dobek

Biloxi, MS - After snapping a 6 game slide last night, the Seawolves returned to action searching for their first sweep since December on Saturday against the Baton Rouge Zydeco. Despite an early 2-0 lead, Nick Ketola's overtime winner completed the comeback for the Zydeco to leave the Wolves Den stunned to conclude Retro Weekend.

The first period began with a good old fashioned Mississippi Melee. 2 seconds off the drop, everyone in a Seawolves uniform grabbed a Zydeco shirt and began a line brawl to christen the final meeting in the I-10 rivalry here at the Coast Coliseum. After everything was sorted out, we returned to hockey. Whistles seemed to stop no one in a period that featured 60 total penalty minutes and 5 powerplays between the two teams. The offense started across the midway point, with rookie Declan House burying a wrister from in between the circles at 11:12 off a Carter Thornton feed. The goal marks the Keene State products first professional tally. Inside the final 3 minutes, a Bailey Morrissette trip opened up a key late period powerplay for Mississippi. At 18:15, Zachary Pamaylaon finished a beautiful passing play with a bullet over the shoulder of Ed Coffey for his first of the year to double the lead at 2-0. Hugo Koch earned the primary assist, marking his 150th pro point. Through an entertaining 20 minutes, the Seawolves took a 2-0 lead to the room, outshooting the Zydeco 18-10.

Period 2 began with a punch of offense from the visiting Zydeco. At 1:21, Bailey Morrissette fired home his 8th of the season off a Tyler Larwood feed to cut the deficit in half at 2-1. There were a combined 7 minor penalties throughout the middle frame, with neither team able to come up with the all-important 4th goal of the contest. Through 40, the Seawolves led the Zydeco 2-1, outshooting them 30-24.

Down a goal and searching for an answer, the Zydeco headed back to the powerplay after Trey Fischer was assessed an early tripping minor. At 3:37, Scott Shorrock roofed home a rebound off a Curtis Hansen shot to tie the game at 2. The contest would feature no more goals in regulation time, but plenty of shoving matches. And so to overtime we went, with the shots 38-25 in favor of Mississippi.

In overtime, the Zydeco did a great job of puck possession. Their patience paid off at 1:37 with Nick Ketola backhanding home his own rebound to lift the Zydeco to a 3-2 come from behind overtime win.

The Zydeco snap their 6 game slide, improving to 13-32-6. They will head to Topeka for a 2-game set with the Scarecrows next weekend. The Breakers fall in overtime for just the second time this season, declining to 8-41-2. They will stay put for their final home weekend this upcoming Friday and Saturday as they host the Blue Ridge Bobcats.

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Federal Prospects Hockey League Stories from March 28, 2026


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