FPHL Ice Chips - Game Recaps

Published on April 11, 2026 under Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) News Release

ATHENS ROCK LOBSTERS at MONROE MOCCASINS

ROCK LOBSTERS RALLY LATE, EDGE MOCCASINS 5-4 IN OVERTIME IN REGULAR-SEASON FINALE

By Joseph Furtado

Monroe, LA - The Monroe Moccasins closed out their 56 game regular season with a 5-4 overtime loss to the Athens Rock Lobsters on Saturday night at the Monroe Civic Center.

With the loss, Monroe fell to 35-10-8-3-0 on the season, finishing with 119 points, while Athens improved to 35-11-1-5-4 with 124 points. The Moccasins were swept in the final weekend series and finished 2-7-4 against the Rock Lobsters this season, including a 18-6-3-1-0 record at home.

Monroe will now turn its attention to the Commissioner's Cup Playoffs, where they will face the Columbus River Dragons in the opening round with home-ice advantage.

Athens opened the scoring at 6:33 of the first period on a goal from Dustin Perillat, but Monroe answered on the power play at 10:14 as Frank Schumacher tied the game finishing off a rebound in front.

The Moccasins took control in the second period. Hagan Moe gave Monroe its first lead at 6:15 before Jamie Dorsey extended it on the power play at 7:49, finishing a setup from Carlos Fornaris and goaltender Nolan Egbert to make it 3-1.

Athens began its push early in the third period as Josh Koepplinger scored at 1:09 in his first game with the Rock Lobsters after signing earlier in the week. Monroe responded at 4:22 when Kyler Matthews restored the two-goal lead to make it 4-2. The Rock Lobsters rallied late in regulation. Perillat scored his second of the night at 14:00 before Carter Shinkaruk tied the game at 16:58, forcing overtime.

In the extra session, Gus Ford scored the game-winner at 1:04, his 14th goal with Athens since being acquired in a trade from the Twin City Thunderbirds. Fornaris recorded two assists for Monroe, while the Moccasins and Rock Lobsters finished nearly even in shots, with Athens holding a slight 42-41 edge.

Athens earned the weekend sweep despite missing several key players, including Garrett Milan, Eric Neilly, Malik Johnson, Filip Virgili, Daniil Glukarev and Gleb Bandurkin.

Monroe finished the regular season with eight OT/SO losses, the most in the FPHL. They also played in 14 one-goal games, going 2-1-8-3-0 in those contests. The Moccasins will now prepare for the postseason, set to host the River Dragons next week in the opening round of the Commissioner's Cup Playoffs.

Regulation Not Enough to End Regular Season; Lobsters Slay Snakes in OT

By Matteen Zibanejadrad

Monroe, LA - The Athens Rock Lobsters ended the regular season Saturday night in the Monroe Civic Center with a 5-4 overtime win against the Monroe Moccasins.

Extending his point streak to eight games, Dustin Perillat started the scoring for the second-straight night on a one timer past Nolan Egbert 6:33 into the contest.

Thirty-two year old Frank Schumacher, having the best offensive season of his 12-year pro career, equalized at 10:14 on a rebound with a man advantage.

Michael Hagen Moe finished off a tic-tac-toe move in the second period from Monroe to take the Snakes' first lead of the weekend at 2-1. Jamie Dorsey scored on a resulting power play for delay of game, after Athens challenged Moe's goal for the net being off its moorings.

Athens scratched one back in the early stages of the third period through Josh Koepplinger. An early signing in franchise history but never lacing up the skates for the Lobsters last year, the Michigan native made it a 3-2 game.

Scoring a bardown beauty, Kyler Matthews restored a multi-goal lead three minutes later.

The Cardiac Crustaceans refused to give in, scoring two goals in three minutes with Perillat's second of the night and a Carter Shinkaruk one-timer from a knee. to tie the game up with three minutes left.

The game went to overtime and the Rock Lobsters continued its elite form in extra hockey, after Gus Ford took a piece of a Shinkaruk shot that knuckled over Nolan Egbert.

The Athens Rock Lobsters look to the postseason after finishing off the regular season with a 35-11-9-1 record and 125 points. They begin their Commissioner's Cup run with a Friday, April 17 game against the Pee Dee IceCats at Akins Ford Arena. Puck drops at 7:05 p.m.

PEE DEE ICECATS at COLUMBUS RIVER DRAGONS

RIVER DRAGONS LOSE FINAL HOME GAME OF THE SEASON, 2-1 TO ICECATS

By Liam Gotimer

Columbus, GA - The Columbus River Dragons fell to the Pee Dee IceCats by a final score of 2-1 in overtime on Saturday night at the Columbus Civic Center.

Trevor Babin got the start in net for Columbus, while Breandan Colgan was between the pipes for Pee Dee. Both goaltenders were sharp early, keeping the game scoreless through the first period. Columbus held a slight 12-9 advantage in shots on goal during the opening frame.

The scoring began at 13:21 of the second period when Kirk Underwood found the back of the net at even strength. The goal, assisted by Ryan Hunter, gave the River Dragons a 1-0 lead after a tightly contested stretch of play.

Pee Dee responded later in the period on the power play. Drew Welsch scored the equalizer with help from Benjamin Pizzimenti, tying the game 1-1 and setting up an intense finish.

The score remained even through the remainder of regulation, forcing overtime. In the extra period, Domenic Della Cavita netted the game-winning goal to secure a 2-1 victory for the IceCats.

Colgan earned the win in goal for Pee Dee, while Babin was credited with the loss for Columbus despite a strong performance.

DANBURY HAT TRICKS at BINGHAMTON BLACK BEARS

Black Bears Take Final Game Of The Season On Fan Appreciation Night

By Cole Parenti

Binghamton, NY - The Black Bears and Hat Tricks met for the final time this season as play came to a close at Visions Veterans Memorial Arena. With the playoff picture already decided, the game held personal meaning for the players on the ice. Seven different awards were handed out by the Black Bears, and one player reached a milestone.

The Hat Tricks struck first, as Eli Rivers quickly beat the Black Bears' defense to give Danbury a 1-0 lead. The Black Bears responded with two goals in 30 seconds to take their first lead of the night. The first came from Ivan Bondarenko, who redirected a C.J. Stubbs shot past Danbury. Bondarenko's goal tied the single-season point record at 98, as the Russian forward etched his name further into the Black Bears' history books. Nick Swain then quickly gave the Black Bears the lead, and from there, there was no looking back.

The second period was filled with penalties, but neither side could capitalize with the man advantage. The game remained 2-1 heading into the third period.

The third period was again a tight defensive stalemate, as both sides had their chances, but only Dan Stone's empty-net goal found the back of the net. The Black Bears took the game by a final score of 3-1.

Dominik Tmej was superb, stopping 34 of the 35 shots he faced. Ayden Pierce also had a strong game, making 33 of the 35 saves he faced. The Black Bears closed out the regular season with the win and reached 143 points. They return to action Wednesday as they travel to Topeka for a matchup with the Scarecrows in the first round of the Commissioner's Cup Playoffs.

WATERTOWN WOLVES at PORT HURON PROWLERS

Prowlers Close Out Regular Season with Win

By Will Wiegelman

Port Huron, MI - The Port Huron Prowlers wrapped up the 2025-26 regular season with a 3-1 win over the Watertown Wolves at McMorran Place. Port Huron finished the season with 37 wins and 107 points, the second most in franchise history for both stats.

Less than three minutes in, Matt Graham tapped a pass back to Arttu Heikkilä who beat Ricardo Gonzalez from the low slot.

Midway through the second, the Prowlers' power play got to work. Bryan Parsons slid a pass to Bobby Price who ripped a shot that leaked through Gonzalez and over the line. Late in the frame, Heikkilä finished a tic-tac-toe passing play with Graham and Alex Johnson to make it 3-0.

Trevor Neumann added the last goal of the Wolves' season in the third.

Heikkilä led the way with two goals and Graham dished out two assists. Dysen Skinner only had to make 10 saves to get the win in his first start for Port Huron.

Gonzalez stopped 46 shots in the loss. Watertown won one of its final 20 games this season and dropped its last 13.

The Prowlers will meet the Blue Ridge Bobcats in the first round of the Commissioner's Cup Playoffs. Game 1 on April 15 will be in Wytheville, Virginia and Games 2 and 3 will be in Port Huron.

TWIN CITY THUNDERBIRDS at BLUE RIDGE BOBCATS

Five Unanswered Goals Push 'Birds to 5-3 Win Over 'Cats in Regular Season Finale

By Brett Wiseman

Wytheville, VA - Despite jumping out to an early 3-0 lead, the Blue Ridge Bobcats surrendered five straight goals to the Twin City Thunderbirds and fell in the regular season finale and split the season series with their rivals at an even six wins a piece. The contest was player before a new Hitachi Energy Arena crowd of 3,033 fans on Fan Appreciation Night.

Mike Mercurio opened the scoring just 61 seconds in, sniping a wrist shot home from the high slot past Chad Purdy to put Blue Ridge on the board first. Jordan Rosenbaum and Nikita Kozyrev combined for a pair of goals in 36 seconds to push the lead to 3-0 and chase Purdy after just 5 shots and 6:05 of play.

Boris Babik entered in relief and steadied the ship for Twin City, spearheading the start of the comeback. Roman Kraemer scored the only goal of a tight checking middle frame, top shelfing a backhander past Anthony Shrum at the 17:30 mark of the second.

The Thunderbirds evened things at 3 on a quick strike sequence of their own, as Kayson Gallant and Jan Salak teamed up for a pair of tallies in just 22 seconds. Kraemer's second of the game, this time on the power play, served as the game winning goal at 16:53. Jack Johansen sealed the deal with an empty netter with just over 40 seconds remaining.

The Bobcats season continues Wednesday night as they host Game 1 of Round 1 of the Commissioner's Cup Quarterfinals against the Port Huron Prowlers at 7:30 PM.

Thunderbirds Complete Season with Thrilling Win over Bobcats

By Kendall Grayson

Wytheville, VA - The Twin City Thunderbirds completed the 2025-2026 season with a thrilling come-from-behind 5-3 victory Saturday night against the Blue Ridge Bobcats at Hitachi Energy Arena. Twin City netted five unanswered goals, and ended the Bobcats' ten-game winning streak in the win. The Thunderbirds finished the season in 5th place in the FPHL's Continental Division standings, and posted an overall record of 26-29-1.

Michael Mercurio opened the scoring for the Bobcats just over one minute into Saturday's battle. Mercurio's goal was netted even-strength, and was assisted by Nikita Kozyrev. Jordan Rosenbaum scored another goal for Blue Ridge at 5:39 of the opening period. Rosenbaum's goal gave the Bobcats a two-goal lead in the matchup, and was assisted by Danny Martin. The final scoring play of Saturday's opening period was netted by Nikita Kozyrev just over six minutes into the matchup. The goal was scored even-strength, and was assisted by Demid Podrezov and Michael Mercurio. Following the Bobcats' third scoring play of the opening period, Boris Babik replaced Chad Purdy in goal for the Thunderbirds. Purdy made two saves on five shots in just over six minutes of playing time during Saturday's season finale. Twin City was outshot by a 12-7 margin during the 1st period, and trailed by three goals entering the 2nd period.

Roman Kraemer netted the lone goal of Saturday's middle period to put Twin City on the scoreboard. Kraemer's goal was assisted by Nate Keeley, and was scored with less than three minutes to play in the period. The Thunderbirds were outshot by a 13-12 margin during the 2nd period, and entered the 3rd period trailing by two goals.

The Thunderbirds' final period of the 2025-2026 season included four consecutive goals to shock the Bobcats. Kayson Gallant scored an even-strength goal just over three minutes into the 3rd period for Twin City. Gallant's goal was assisted by Jack Johansen and Roman Kraemer. Jan Salak scored twenty-two seconds later to bring the game to a 3-3 tie. Salak's goal was assisted by Jon Buttitta. Roman Kraemer netted his second goal of the night, and team-leading 29th goal of the season with less than four minutes to play to give the Thunderbirds a one-goal advantage in the rivalry matchup. Kraemer's goal was scored on the powerplay, and was assisted by Kayson Gallant. The final goal of Twin City's season was scored into an empty net by Jack Johansen. Johansen's goal was netted with forty-seconds to play, and was assisted by Chris Mott. The goal sealed a 5-3 road victory for Twin City. The Thunderbirds and the Bobcats each recorded thirteen shots on net during the final period, and the Bobcats held a 38-32 shots on goal advantage during the game.

Boris Babik recorded the win in goal for Twin City in a 33-save-on-33-shot effort. Babik ended the season as the league's saves leader, with 1,532 on the year. His final record in net for the Thunderbirds during the 2025-2026 season was 21-24-1. Anthony Shrum dropped the game in net for Blue Ridge in a 27-save-on-31-shot effort.

Roman Kraemer was named the 1st Star of Saturday night's game, with teammate Kayson Gallant collecting 3rd Star honors. Blue Ridge's Nikita Kozyrev was selected as the 2nd Star of the game.

INDIANA SENTINELS at TOPEKA SCARECROWS

Topeka Ends Season on a High Note With a Lenz Shutout, 2-0

By Jon Kliment

Topeka, KS - As the season wraps up on 2025-26 the Scarecrows and Sentinels do battle for the 14th time this year. With Topeka securing the season series with their 8th win last night both sides are looking for something positive to end their inaugural season.

Though both sides had chances neither side could find the back of the net through two periods. It took until 4:47 into the third for Topeka to cash in as Trevor Lord found his favorite connection, Trevor Grasby, open in the slot and Grasby beat John Werber on the one timer for the 1-0 lead. 7:15 later Scott Coash jumped up and on a pass from Jacob Gagnon went streaking down the boards. After cutting through the circle Coash picked a corner and cashed in for the 2-0 win.

Lenz stopped 23 of 23 for the shutout in his first Scarecrows win of the season and the first goalie to have a shutout in history other than Sammy Bernard.

Topeka opens up the playoffs Wednesday night at 7:05pm against the Binghamton Black Bears.

Sents Inaugural Season Comes To A Close in 2-0 Loss

By Andy Poetzinger

Topeka, KS - Last night, the Sentinels fell to the Scarecrows by a score of 5-2 which broke their streak of solid, full 60-minute efforts that they had been putting forth over the past four games or so. They were looking to get back on the right track and finish their inaugural season with a victory.

In the first period, neither team was able to get full control of the game. We saw a lot of dump and chase hockey and not much sustained offensive zone time for either team. The period would end in a scoreless tie. Shots were eleven to seven in favor of Topeka.

It was more of the same in the second period, until the Sentinels were awarded a power-play halfway through the period. On the Hawes Insurance power-play, the Sentinels generated multiple scoring opportunities and generated a lot of momentum, even found a way to beat Lenz through the five-hole, but could not beat the post. Just as it was in the first period, the second period ended scoreless with shots totaling 20 to 15 in favor of Topeka.

Topeka opened the scoring in the third period after a turnover behind the Sentinels net found the stick of Trevor Lord whose centering feed found Trevor Grasby alone in the slot and he beat Werber glove side for a 1-0 lead. The Scarecrows put a cherry on top with a goal off the rush from Scott Coash, getting his 33rd of the year to make it 2-0.

Before the game would come to a close, Ivan Ponivanov was involved in a huge collision as he was racing for an icing. Avery Smith leveled him into the boards, and Ponivanov would leave the gave favoring his right shoulder.

The Sentinels inaugural season is now over! We thank all of our fans for following along on the Sentinels Hockey Network all season long. We cannot wait to see you again next year!

BILOXI BREAKERS at BATON ROUGE ZYDECO

3rd Period Burst Helps Zydeco Sweep Breakers

By Devin Dobek

Baton Rouge, LA -The final game of the regular season is always bittersweet. One thing that was for certain is the Breakers and the Zydeco were ready to conclude their 2026 I-10 rivalry with some fireworks, big moments, and a whole lot of bad blood. In a back and forth physical battle, 3 Zydeco goals in a span of 4:08 to begin the 3rd period helped Baton Rouge close out 2026 with a rivalry win by a final of 5-2.

Period 1 started a little somber. The teams combined for just 5 shots on goal through the opening 8 minutes, including a 4 minute Baton Rouge powerplay. In goal was a rematch of Thursday's affair, with Garrett Johnson staring down at Bailey Stephens. At 9:21 Stephens cracked first. A slashing Al Rotiroti weaved over to the far circle and beat Stephens short side with a wrist shot to give Biloxi their first lead of the weekend. The lead would only last 3:29, as the Zydeco responded across the midway point with Curtis Hansen shelving a goal from just outside the blue paint to make it 1-1. 80 seconds later, Baton Rouge's Garrett Johnson had time and space at the top of the near circle and fired a wrist shot through the five-hole of Biloxi's Garrett Johnson to make it 2-1 Zydeco. Baton Rouge carried their 1 goal margin to the room outshooting Biloxi 13-11.

Period 2 is when the Breakers turned it on. The game's intensity also picked up with both teams finishing their checks and having to be separated by the linesmen after whistles. At 6:59, Vaughn Clouston, a veteran returning to the FPHL for the first time in 3 years, fired a wrister from the high slot to tie the game at 2. Bailey Stephens certainly had his hands full the rest of the middle frame, but stood tall to stop 18/19 Breaker shots. At the other end Garrett Johnson went a perfect 11/11. Just before the horn sounded, Biloxi was assessed a slash. But instead of a Zydeco powerplay to begin the 3rd, Tyler Larwood was booked for unsportsmanlike conduct. With the score tied at 2 in the final regular season affair and pride on the line, period 3 was set to be cinematic. Biloxi led in shots 30-24 through 40 minutes.

With the stage set, Baton Rouge came out hot with something to prove. 72 seconds in, Heath Ford redirected a Garrett Johnson shot into the twine for just his 2nd of the year to make it 3-2 Zydeco. 14 seconds after that, Curtis Hansen shoveled home his own rebound on a fast break and in the blink of an eye it was 4-2. Less than 4 minutes later, Austin Weber lit the lamp to close out a run of 3 Zydeco goals in a span of 4:08, and cement the scoring at 5-2. The rest of the way there were plenty of scraps, but no more offense. The Zydeco closed out 2026 with a 5-2 victory over the Breakers, outshooting them 44-39.

The Breakers conclude their inaugural season with a record of 8-43-2, 7th in the Continental Division. The Zydeco finished on a 4 game winning streak, cementing their record at 17-33-6, good for 6th in the Continental.

Federal Prospects Hockey League Stories from April 11, 2026

• FPHL Ice Chips - Game Recaps - FPHL
• Thunderbirds Complete Season with Thrilling Win over Bobcats - Twin City Thunderbirds
• Black Bears Take Final Game Of The Season On Fan Appreciation Night - Binghamton Black Bears
• Game Preview: Thunderbirds Set for Final Game of Season - Twin City Thunderbirds
• River Dragons Announce First Round Playoff Dates - Columbus River Dragons

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