FPHL Ice Chips - Game Recaps

Published on April 18, 2026 under Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) News Release

BLUE RIDGE BOBCATS at PORT HURON PROWLERS

Prowlers Win Game 3, Advance to Semifinals

By Will Wiegelman

Port Huron, MI - The Port Huron Prowlers scored two goals 1:38 apart in the third period to break a 1-1 tie en route to a 4-2 win over the Blue Ridge Bobcats in the series-deciding Game 3 of the Commissioner's Cup Quarterfinals. Port Huron will take on the Binghamton Black Bears in the semifinals.

"The boys played extremely hard," said Prowlers associate head coach Chris Paulin. "The game was as expected, ups and downs. I thought Blue Ridge won a lot of shifts, so did we. It was will at the end of the day; the boys willing it over the finish line."

Blue Ridge got on the board less than five minutes in. Demid Podrezov swept the puck toward the front of the net from below the goal line. It banked off of Reid Cooper's leg and slid in to open the scoring.

The 1-0 lead held into the middle frame. In the midst of a long offensive zone shift, Reggie Millette found Lukas Lacny for a back-door tap-in to tie the score heading into the third.

The score was deadlocked for over 22 minutes of action. Just under nine minutes into the third, Ryan Alexander caused a turnover and fed Bobby Price who stuffed it in at the post. 1:38 later, Alexander forced his way to the front of the net and put in his first pro goal on the third attempt to make it 3-1.

Just over two minutes after that, Justin Daly ripped home Blue Ridge's second power-play goal to make it a one-goal game again. The Bobcats pulled Anthony Shrum for an extra attacker, but Matt Graham blocked a shot and hit the empty net to seal it.

Alexander and Price each added an assist to their goals. Reid Cooper stopped 24 shots in the win.

Carson Gallagher dished out two assists and Shurm made 27 saves.

The Prowlers and Black Bears will meet in the semifinals for the second-straight season. Port Huron will host Game 1 and Binghamton will host Games 2 & 3.

ATHENS ROCK LOBSTERS at PEE DEE ICECATS

ICECATS SWEEP ROCK LOBSTERS

By Tom Callahan

FLORENCE, SC - The Pee Dee IceCats completed a two-game sweep of the Athens Rock Lobsters with a 7-2 win at Florence Center on Saturday night.

Elijah Wilson and Alex Legkov scored twice to pace the offense while Patriks Marcinkevics had a goal and three assists. Houston Wilson also notched a goal and two assists as 10 different IceCats posted at least a point in the win.

Breandan Colgan once again earned the win, making 42 saves on 44 shots against. For the series, Colgan stopped 87-of-91 shots for a 2.00 GAA and .956 save percentage.

With a chance to put the series away on home ice in the team's first playoff home game, Pee Dee raced out to a 3-0 lead on goals by Elijah Wilson, Houston Wilson and Drew Welsch.

Garret Milan brought Athens within a goal in the second, but Elijah Wilson scored his second of the game to put the lead back to three goals before intermission.

In the third period the IceCats put the game away on a pair of goals from Legkov sandwiched around Marcinkevic's third goal of the playoffs.

Notes:

The IceCats set a new single-game playoff attendance record with a crowd of 5,725 fans at Florence Center.

Pee Dee scored 15 goals in two games against the Rock Lobsters after only scoring seven and eight goals in a game once each during the regular season.

Alex Legkov led all scorers in the series with three goals and six assists for nine points in two games.

The IceCats now await the winner of Sunday's Game Three between the Columbus River Dragons and Monroe Moccasins. Next round game dates and times will be announced once the team's opponent is known.

IceCats Force Early Athens Exit from Commissioner's Cup Playoffs

By Matteen Zibanejadrad

Florence, SC - The Athens Rock Lobsters fell 7-2 to the Pee Dee IceCats in Game Two of the Commissioner's Cup quarterfinals Saturday in the Florence Center.

The momentum from last night's third period carried over into the first period Saturday for the IceCats, as Pee Dee scored three with little more than five minutes to play of the first 20. Elijah Wilson converted on his own takeaway, Houston Wilson got one to go on a redirect and Drew Welsch willed a puck past Carter McPhail on the rebound.

Chaos at the crease paid off for the Crustaceans in the second period, as Garrett Milan scored his first since the injury he sustained in late March; however, Elijah Wilson restored the three-goal lead for Pee Dee three-and-a-half minutes later on his second of the night.

The hosts kept Athens at a distance for the rest the night and the deficit was increased by Alexander Legkov just 54 seconds into the third period.

Luke Croucher scored a goal of the season candidate in an attempt to pull the Lobsters back into the fight, but late goals from Patriks Marcinkevics and Legkov would stamp the IceCats' ticket to the next round

COLUMBUS RIVER DRAGONS at MONROE MOCCASINS

MOCCASINS FORCE GAME THREE WITH 3-0 SHUTOUT WIN OVER RIVER DRAGONS

By Joseph Furtado

Monroe, LA - The Monroe Moccasins kept their season alive Saturday night, defeating the Columbus River Dragons 3-0 at the Monroe Civic Center to force a decisive Game 3 in the opening round of the Commissioner's Cup Playoffs.

After dropping Game 1 on Friday, Monroe responded with a complete effort on home ice following the quick turnaround from Columbus. The series will now be decided Sunday afternoon in Monroe, with the winner advancing to face the Pee Dee Ice Cats.

Tucker Scantlebury opened the scoring at 6:41 of the first period, netting his sixth career playoff goal off assists from Corson Green and Ethan Matchim to give the Moccasins an early lead.

Monroe extended the score in the second period with a quick two-goal burst. Jared Christy made it 2-0 at 4:48, finishing a setup from Jamie Dorsey. Then 44 seconds later, Hagan Moe added another at 5:32 off the rush, beating Trevor Babin on the rush blocker side to push the lead to 3-0.

That would be more than enough for goaltender Tyler Masternak, who turned in a standout performance in his FPHL playoff debut. Masternak stopped all 39 shots he faced to record a shutout, including key saves during sustained pressure from Columbus in the second and third period.

Monroe controlled the pace early, outshooting Columbus 28-11 in the first period and finished with a 46-39 edge overall.

With the win, the Moccasins improved to 16-9-3-3-1 at home this season and moved to 7-1-2 against Columbus overall, including a perfect 5-0-0 mark at the Civic Center. Monroe has outscored the River Dragons 27-12 on home ice this season and has gone 31 of 34 on the penalty kill across seven meetings.

Columbus is now 11-9-3-2-0 on the road and will look to keep its streak of three consecutive second-round appearances alive in Sunday's winner-take-all matchup. Game 3 is set for 4:05 p.m. CST at the Civic Center, with a trip to the next round on the line.

Federal Prospects Hockey League Stories from April 18, 2026

• FPHL Ice Chips - Game Recaps - FPHL
• IceCats Advance, Sweep Athens Behind Offensive Barrage - Pee Dee IceCats
• Dragons Maul Moccasins in Game One, 8-3 - Columbus River Dragons

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