FPHL Ice Chips - Game Recaps
Published on April 16, 2026 under Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) News Release
Game Recaps for the Federal Prospects Hockey League for Wednesday, April 15, 2026.
View photos, box scores and much more at federalhockey.com
BINGHAMTON BLACK BEARS at TOPEKA SCARECROWS
Topeka Mounts Late Comeback, but Can't Find Equalizer Fall 4-3
By Jon Kliment
Topeka, KS - Topeka came into their inaugural season with their coach saying that the team he was building for was a team to beat Binghamton. The back-to-back champions came in thinking about a three peat. In professional sports such an achievement is near impossible but the Black Bears with back to back 143 point seasons seem poised to give it a run. As these two squads meet up for the playoffs it will be the test Coach Nichols was looking for.
The early game had a lot of back and forth but a roughing penalty to Steven Klinck gave the Black Bears the opening they needed as CJ Stubbs found a wide open Mac Jansen for the 1-0 lead 9:18 into the game. 3:48 later Nicholas Swain came down the far boards and picked his spot to beat Sammy Bernard for the 2-0 lead in the first period.
Late in the second period Binghamton struck again as at 14:57, once again on the power play, the Black Bears came in on the rush and CJ Stubbs went top shelf to beat Bernard for the 3-0 lead.
On yet another power play, this time a 5 on 3, Stubbs found the back of the net a second time at 4:51 of the third to make it 4-0 Binghamton. Topeka refused to give up however and while on a penalty kill Steven Klinck picked off a pass and ripped a shot on Dominik Tmej that deflected away Klinck chased it down and put home the rebound to shrink the lead to 4-1 at 5:33 of the third period. Klinck found another one after receiving a feed from Cameron Clark and beat Tmej again to shrink the lead to 4-2 9:50 later. Topeka's Jacob Gagnon brought the Scarecrows back to within a goal with 36 seconds left to go on a shot from the far boards with the goalie pulled that found a path behind Tmej, but 4-3 was as close as Topeka could get.
Bernard stopped 31 of 35 in the loss.
Topeka travels to Binghamton for game 2 Friday night for game two of the series at 7pm ET. Follow along on Youtube or on Sporfie.
Power Play Propels Bears In Game One
By Cole Parenti
Topeka, KS -The Black Bears and Scarecrows faced off in the first game of the Commissioners Cup Quarterfinals. This marked the first time the two teams had met all season.
The Black Bears controlled play early, as Mac Jansen scored a power-play goal to put the team up 1-0. Nick Swain doubled the lead when he sniped a puck from the top of the circle. The Black Bears would take this 2-0 lead to the locker room after 20 minutes of play.
The second period followed a similar pattern, as only the Black Bears could find the back of the net. C.J. Stubbs connected on a power play to push Binghamton's lead to 3-0. The period would end at this score, leaving Topeka still searching for its first goal.
C.J. Stubbs opened the third period with his second power-play goal of the contest. Topeka began to turn things around after that, as Steven Klinck recorded back-to-back goals, the first of which was shorthanded. Topeka added one more in the final minutes, with Jacob Gagnon making it 4-3. That would be as close as it got, as Binghamton took the game and a 1-0 lead in the series.
Both Dominik Tmej and Sammy Bernard were strong in net. Tmej turned away 19 of 22 shots he faced, while Bernard had a solid night as well, stopping 31 of 35 shots. The Black Bears grabbed the lead in the series and pus the Scarecrows to the brink of elimination. The series now shifts to Binghamton on Friday, where the Black Bears will look to advance to the second round for the fourth time in as many years.
PORT HURON PROWLERS at BLUE RIDGE BOBCATS
STUCKLESS SINKS OVERTIME WINNER, BOBCATS WIN 4-3 TO TAKE 1-0 SERIES LEAD
By Brett Wiseman
Wytheville, VA - The Blue Ridge Bobcats prevailed over the Port Huron Prowlers in Game 1 of Round 1 of the 2026 Commissioner's Cup Playoffs, thanks to a game winning goal from Nick Stuckless at 12:58 of the first overtime.
Nikita Kozyrev opened the scoring within the first minute, sniping a shot past Reid Cooper from the high slot just 55 seconds into the contest to put Blue Ridge ahead 1-0, a lead they would hold for the remainder of the opening period.
Denver Craig converted on a great forecheck effort started by Robin Eriksson and Carson Gallagher, stickhandling Cooper into submission and putting the puck home behind him on the doorstep to double the Bobcats advantage at the 5:20 mark of the middle frame. Port Huron responded on the man advantage at the 11:54 mark of the second, when Grayson Dietrich one-timed a shot that was redirected off the shinpad of Reggie Millette and in behind Anthony Shrum.
With just 41 seconds left in the middle frame, Vincent Dekumbis took advantage of a Blue Ridge defensive zone turnover and snapped a shot through the five-hole on Shrum to even the score at two after 2 periods of play.
While on a major penalty power play after Ben Brockway was given a 5 minute major and game misconduct for boarding Craig, Demid Podrezov sniped home a wrist shot from the near side just inside the faceoff circle to put the Bobcats in front 3-2 at the 6:36 mark of the third. Tim Organ tied things once more for Port Huron at the 11:04 mark of the final frame of regulation, and both teams remained tied into sudden death 5-on-5 overtime.
Nick Stuckless found a loose puck out of a netmouth scramble and backhanded it off the leg of a defender and into the back of the net for the game winner to earn his squad a 4-3 win and a 1-0 lead in the best-of-3 series.
The series now shifts to Port Huron for Game 2, set for Friday night at 7:05 PM EST. Pregame coverage begins at 6:50 EST on the Blue Ridge Hockey Network. If a Game 3 is necessary, it would be played Saturday night at the same time.
Stuckless Wins Game 1 For Bobcats
By Will Wiegelman
Wytheville, VA - Nick Stuckless was the overtime hero in Game 1 of the Commissioner's Cup Quarterfinals as the Blue Ridge Bobcats downed the Port Huron Prowlers 4-3. Stuckless stuffed the winner home at the side of the net 12:59 into the extra session.
To even get to overtime, Port Huron had to battle back from multiple deficits. Nikita Kozyrev got the scoring starting with a rip 57 seconds into the game. Then in the second, Denver Craig took advantage of a turnover and made it 2-0.
"I thought they started quicker than us," said Prowlers associate head coach Chris Paulin. "I thought [goaltender Reid Cooper] kept us in the game early. They started like they were playing at home in a playoff game. They were excited and hungry. I think we sat back a little bit and didn't execute there."
Past the midway point of the frame, Grayson Dietrich unloaded a power-play one timer that hit Reggie Millette in front and caromed in. Then, in the middle period's final minute, Ryan Alexander centered the puck and it found Vincent Dekumbis who fired it home five-hole on Anthony Shrum.
Controversy arose in the third period of a 2-2 game. Ben Brockway rode Craig into the end wall and Craig went down and was on the ice for multiple minutes. Brockway was ejected and Craig briefly went to the Blue Ridge locker room before returning to participate in the five-minute man advantage.
"I'll have to take a look at it again," Paulin said of the Brockway penalty. "I know Brock, he was going to hit-and-pin there. I know the guy that went into the boards didn't miss a shift, but he did lay on the ice. It doesn't seem like he's hurt because he continued to play the rest of the game."
During the power play, Demid Podrezov put the Bobcats ahead seconds after being robbed by Cooper. Between the save and the goal, Justin Daly appeared to elbow Tim Organ away from the puck which opened up the lane for Podrezov to attack.
"The referees have a tough job out there," Paulin said. "I think they wanted that one back when Timmy gets clipped with an elbow off the puck. He was shaken up but he battled, he was a warrior and we had to limit his minutes down the stretch. It happens quickly out there. The linesman saw it, he said it was a hit to the head. He talked to the referees and they said they had nothing on the ice."
Port Huron tied it back up when Millette sent a seeing-eye shot from the blue line during a delayed penalty to send the game to overtime. Stuckless sent the Blue Ridge fans home happy in the first playoff overtime in Bobcats franchise history.
Millette led Port Huron with two goals while Cooper kept his team in the game with a 45-save performance.
Podrezov added an assist to his goal and Shrum made 32 stops in his first career playoff start.
The Prowlers have their backs against the wall as they return home for Game 2 on Friday, April 17 at 7:05 P.M. Tickets are available at phprowlers.com/playoffs.
What will the Prowlers look like with their backs against the wall? "We're going to find out," Paulin said.
Federal Prospects Hockey League Stories from April 16, 2026
- FPHL Ice Chips - Game Recaps - FPHL
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