Category Archives: The Warrior

River Dragons Defeat Thunderbirds 11-1

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Columbus, GA – The Columbus River Dragons hosted the Carolina Thunderbirds at home to conclude their 3-part series this weekend. After defeating the Thunderbirds Thursday in SO, and falling short of their rival in OT Friday, the River Dragons came home breathing fire for the 4,725 fans looking on at the Civic Center.

In the first period of regulation alone, the River Dragons’ Kyle Moore (3:55), Cody Wickline (4:58), Ryan Hunter (6:19), Alexander Jmaeff (11:24), and Justin MacDonald (15:36) all scored goals against a dazed and confused Carolina defense. Joseph Kennedy scored Carolina’s first, and ultimately, only goal of the game. The first period ended with the River Dragons ahead, 5-1.

In the second period, although the River Dragons were faced two Penalty Kill situations, the onslaught continued with goals scored by Wickline (13:56), MacDonald (17:56), and Alex Stojahann (19:02). The second period wrapped with the Thunderbirds trailing the River Dragons, 8-1.

The River Dragons gave fans the thrill of watching Cody Wickline achieve a hat trick goal at 3:26, followed by Jmaeff’s second of the night at 14:01 and Slachetka’s game-ending goal at 15:46. The game concluded with the River Dragons taking the regulation win, 11-1.

Our first Star of the Game was Cody Wickline, scoring 4 points and achieving a hat trick for the River Dragons.

The game’s second Star of the Game was Alexander Jmaeff, scoring two goals and an assist.

Our third Star of the Game was Breandan Colgan, finishing the night with a .937 SV% on 15 saves out of 16 shots on goal.

Tonight’s game also marked Josh Pietrantonio’s final regulation match in the FPHL. Pietrantonio, captain of the River Dragons, has been with the organization since its debut in the FPHL in 2019.

The River Dragons were also credited tonight as taking the record for the most regular season wins in Columbus Hockey history, passing Columbus’ preceding home team, the Columbus Cottonmouths.

The River Dragons will play again in Biloxi, Mississippi on Wednesday against the Mississippi Sea Wolves before hosting them in Columbus on Friday and Saturday.

The Thunderbirds set out to play in Port Huron’s barn on Friday before heading home to complete the first round of playoffs on Saturday and Sunday.

River Dragons Suffer First At-Home Regulation Loss Versus Bobcats

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Columbus, GA –

The Columbus River Dragons lost in regulation against the Blue Ridge Bobcats, 3-2.

While allowing Josh Pietrantonio and Justin MacDonald an opportunity to rest, Nathan Balkwill and Jordan Popoff tallied two for the River Dragons, compared to the Bobcats’ three for the night.

Following the Columbus Legends game, including several former Columbus Cottonmouths and Columbus River Dragons stars, 3,724 fans looked on to see an aggressive contest between two hungry teams.

The first period saw a Bobcats-dominated effort, scoring twice in the first twenty minutes to draw the early lead over the River Dragons, but was riddled with several penalties against both teams.

Both the Bobcats and the River Dragons suffered a total of eight minutes in the penalty box.

Nathan Balkwill denied the Bobcats a first-period shutout, scoring on an assist by Alex Storjohann at 17:53.

The second period appeared to show the momentum beginning to shift in the River Dragons’ favor, holding the Bobcats scoreless while scoring their second goal of the night.

Blue Ridge was penalized for a total of 14 minutes in the second period for hooking (2 minute minor), tripping (2 minute minor) and twice for fighting (both 5 minute majors). Columbus also suffered 14 minutes-worth of penalties for boarding, hooking and fighting.

Jordan Popoff took a pass from Alex Storjohann and hammered a long-range shot past Owen Liskiewicz at 18:00 to end the second period, 2-2.

The Bobcats came screaming into the third period, scoring quickly at :52 to take the lead, in what would ultimately be the final point of the game.

The River Dragons suffered their first in-regulation loss at home this season, just one night after laying claim to the league and division Regular Season title.

The River Dragons will hit the road to play the Mississippi Sea Wolves tomorrow, while the Bobcats prepare to host the Watertown Wolves on Friday.

River Dragons Roll Over Rockers

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Columbus, GA – In the second match-up in this three-game weekend series, the Columbus River Dragons took on the Motor City Rockers at home in front of 3,096 local fans.

In just the first twenty minutes of gameplay, both teams played solid hockey and avoided committing any infractions, allowing a total of six goals to be scored between them.

The River Dragons struck first, using fast puck movement and good positioning to overtake the Motor City defense. At 1:45, Austin Daae found the back of the net to kick of what would turn into a high-scoring game.

Alexander Jmaeff tacked on another for the Dragons at 5:30, scoring on Sequoia Swan’s rebound.

Justin MacDonald, in a rush to keep his league-record scoring streak going, scored at 7:07 on an assist by Hunter Bersani to put the Dragons up over Motor City, 3-0.

At the 8:28 mark, Scott Coash answered the Dragons’ call and put the Rockers on the board, making it 3-1.

At 12:09, Nicholas Magill-Diaz closed the gap even further for Motor City on a scrambled Dragons’ defense to keep the Rockers in the game.

MacDonald hit back at 15:30, creating another two-point lead for the Dragons, ending the first period.

The second period heated up as both squads showing signs of their distaste for each other, leading to minutes spent in the box.

Alex Storjahann and Josh Pietrantonio spread the gap over the Rockers to 5-1 with back-to-back goals scored at 5:42 and 5:53, respectively.

The arena began to heat up with several skirmishes, although none lead to penalties called until 15:14 played in the second frame when Nathan Balkwill was called for cross-checking. Soon after the game returned to even-strength, Alexander Jmaeff (River Dragons) and Nicholas Magill-Diaz (Rockers) were called for holding against each other.

Lane King kept the Rockers alive, scoring on a well-laid pass by TJ Sneath at 19:20 to close out the second period, 6-3.

The third frame kicked off in a frenzy. In just 53 seconds, Kirk Underwood drilled one into the back of the net to put the River Dragons up, 7-3.

Nick Gullo hammered back-to-back goals on Hunter Virostek’s net at 7:20 and 7:47, to put the Rockers back in the game, 7-5.

The final score of the game was a one-handed sweep by Josh Pietrantonio at 14:38, giving the River Dragons the regulation win over the Rockers, 8-5.

With only 8 seconds remaining in the game, Sequoia Swan and Declan Conway engaged in fisticuffs. Both were slapped with 2 minutes for roughing, as well as a 10-minute major for continuing an altercation.

Both teams left the ice after exchanging harsh words, indicating that the final game of this weekend series is going to be all-out war.

Hunter Virostek finished the night with a .837 SV%, saving 27 of 32 shots on goal.

Ricardo Gonzalez earned a .783 SV%, making 29 out of 37 total saves.

Justin MacDonald extended his league-record scoring streak to 36 games, tallying 34 goals and 50 assists for a total of 84 points.

The Motor City Rockers remain in Columbus to take on the River Dragons in the third of three games this weekend at the Civic Center.

 

Dragons Red Hot, Pull 15 Consecutive Wins

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Columbus, GA – The Baton Rouge Zydeco came to Columbus to battle the River Dragons tonight at the Columbus Civic Center in front of 3,475 people looking on.

The period was mostly uneventful. The River Dragons tried to get some momentum early in the game, but the Zydeco proved to be better organized and in position to prevent good scoring opportunities.

At the end of the first period, Columbus put up only 12 shots on goal, Baton Rouge kept up, but also failed to put many shots on goal, only attempting 10 shots on the net.

The second period amped up a bit, and the River Dragons met the Zydeco with more aggression and organized play.

At 5:21, Cody Wickline put Columbus on the board first, scoring on the power play off a pass from Alexander Jmaeff.

At 18:19, Alex Storjahann buried it again for the Dragons on a power play to put them up over the Zydeco, 2-0.

In what seemed to be a repeat scenario for Baton Rouge, penalties in the second period proved to be costly for them. Bryan Gowin spent two minutes in the box for cross-checking, Josiah Roen was caged for two minutes for boarding, Edgars Ozolinsh was slapped with a five minute major for fighting and given a game misconduct, and Taylor Cutting went away for two minutes for hooking.

Thus far, Bailey Stephens appeared to be the Zydeco saving grace, making 41 saves out 43 attempts. Their offensive lineup only managed to put 20 shots on the Dragons’ Breandan Colgan, but none of them found the back of the net.

To start the third period, Justin MacDonald scored on an assist by Kyle Moore with just nine seconds played.

Matthias Tellstrom fought hard to give the Zydeco an edge, scoring on a scattered Dragons’ defense at 11:23 to bring Baton Rouge back into the fight, 3-1.

Josh Pietrantonio fired back for the Dragons though, scoring an unassisted short-handed goal at 15:16 to put Columbus ahead, 4-1.

The game ended with the Dragons pulling off their 15th consecutive win, after hammering the Zydeco with 62 shots on goal, compared to the Zydeco’s 23 shots on the Dragons’ net.

Tonight’s 3 Stars of the Game for the River Dragons included Alex Storjahann (1 Goal), Breandan Colgan (22 Saves), and Josh Pietrantonio (1 Goal, 1 Assist).

The River Dragons aim to extend their win-streak to 16 games, but will need to do it on the road against the Motor City Rockers in Detroit, Michigan on Friday.

The Baton Rouge Zydeco will continue their travels, playing Friday at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Annex against the Carolina Thunderbirds, hoping to end their current 10-game losing streak.

River Dragons Breath Fire on Zydeco, Win 14 Straight

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Columbus, GA – The Columbus River Dragons dominated the Baton Rouge Zydeco at home tonight as 2,682 people looked on, marking the Dragons’ 14th straight victory.

Baton Rouge looked as though they were gaining steam against the Dragons, but gave up several opportunities to exhaust some of their best players with being shorthanded due to penalties.

At 13:38, Justin MacDonald scored the first goal of the game, taking advantage of a scattered Zydeco defense, on assists by Ryan Hunter and Kyle Moore.

At 19:06, Nolan Slachetka poured on the gravy with a distant snipe, off a poss by Josh Pietrantonio to close the first period at 2-0.

To kick off the second period with 38 seconds spent, Kirk Underwood grabbed a pass out of the air from Justin MacDonald and finessed it past Bailey Stephens to increase the Dragons’ lead, 3-0.

Josh Pietrantonio slapped it in, increasing the Dragons’ lead to 4-0 at 7:43, as the Zydeco suffered a crippling 5-on-3 scenario due to Matthew Bazarin going to the box for elbowing and Michael Haskins being called for hooking.

The Dragons continued to breath fire on the Zydeco throughout the second frame, and scored their fifth goal at 8:52, when Hunter Bersani scored on a pass from Alex Storjahann.

At 12:54, Josh Pietrantonio scored his second goal of the night with the help of Alexander Jmaeff and Carter Shinkaruk.

Continuing their fast-paced, hard-pressed efforts on the Zydeco, the Dragons turned the heat up even further when Austin Daae shoveled a pass from Nolan Slachetka at 16:26.

At 19:24, Carson Andreoli put another tick on the board for the Dragons to close the second period out in favor of the River Dragons, 8-0.

The third period off with Baton Rouge showing their only sign of life, when at 1:55 Josiah scored their only goal an assist by Edgars Ozolinsh.

The remainder of the third period appeared to be a slug fest, with the River Dragons pounding on an already exhausted Zydeco lineup.

The River Dragons scored twice in the final frame of regulation, with Austin Daae scoring at 10:27 and Ryan Hunter closing things up at 12:13.

The River Dragons achieved their 14th straight victory over the Zydeco, ending the game with a searing 11-1 win.

Tonight’s Stars of the Game for the River Dragons included Austin Daae and Ryan Hunter. Daae put up 4 points (2 Goals, 2 Assists). Hunter also scored 4 points for Columbus (2 Goals, 2 Assists).

The River Dragons will battle Baton Rouge again tonight at home, hoping to earn their 15th consecutive win.

River Dragons Dominate Sea Wolves At Home

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Columbus, GA –Tonight’s matchup set off with the Mississippi Sea Wolves squaring off against the Columbus River Dragons. 3,979 fans looked on as the Sea Wolves, after being defeated in their last meet with the Dragons, came to even the score and end the Dragons’ current 12-game run.


Carter Shinkaruk sniped a long shot from the blue line at 5:03 to mark the first score of the night, as the River Dragons looked to build some early momentum.


To wrap up the first period, Kyle Moore crashed the net, scoring on a tight pass from Justin MacDonald to give the River Dragons a 2-0 lead at 19:43.


The Dragons wasted no time scoring in the second period. Kyle Moore forced the first goal through the hands of Blake Weyrick in just 32 seconds, with an assist by Ryan Hunter and Justin MacDonald.


To add insult to injury, Alex Storjahann chipped a pass from Austin Daae into the net at 8:36 to widen the gap between the Sea Wolves to 4-0.


At 18:35, Kyle Moore pulled off a hat trick to stack onto an already dominating lead over the Sea Wolves to end the second period, 5-0.


At 2:39 in the final frame of regulation, Matt Stoia denied Breandan Colgan the shutout, scoring the power play goal for the Sea Wolves.


Kyle Moore added another rock in the bucket, scoring the single-handed goal on an empty net at 17:30.


Just 11 seconds later, Ryan Hunter poured fuel on the fire and increased the Dragons’ lead over Mississippi to 7-1, capping things off on a runaway game.


Tonight’s 3 Stars of the Game were awarded to Kyle Moore (4 goals), Ryan Hunter (1 goal, 3 assists), and Justin MacDonald (3 assists).


Breandan Colgan made 18 saves tonight for the River Dragons, compared to the Sea Wolves’ Blake Weyrick, who had to step up to 50 shots on goal and saved 44 of them.


Tonight’s win marks number 13 for the River Dragons as they prepare to host the Baton Rouge Zydeco on Friday.


Mississippi heads home to play the Carolina Thunderbirds, aiming to end their current 3-game losing streak.