Columbus, GA – The Columbus River Dragons completed their weekend sweep of the Twin City Thunderbirds Saturday night.
The first period, although intensely battled, ultimately went to the River Dragons.
Despite great pressure by Twin City, the River Dragons struck first. As Chewetin Blacksmith subbed in, making a bee line to the center slot, he drilled it past Boris Babik’s glove to give Columbus a 1-0 lead at 11:16.
Trevor Babin, in net for the River Dragons, successfully blocked all 8 shots thrown at him by the Thunderbirds.
The second period saw points on the board from both sides of the bench.
Jan Salak scored a tip-in goal from a shot sent by Josh Labelle at 14:48, tying the game, 1-1.
At 10:35, Ryan Hunter was hit with a 2-minute minor for Head Contact, allowing the Thunderbirds a power play opportunity, but Twin City was unable to capitalize.
As Hunter was leaving the box, he caught a pass from Kyle Moore, and poked the puck between Boris Babik’s legs at 12:43.
The second period concluded in favor of the River Dragons, maintaining a 1-point lead over the Thunderbirds, 2-1.
In the third period, the Thunderbirds were forced on their heels.
At 3:53, Ryan Hunter found Ryan Galvin open for the wide open shot opportunity, resulting in a 3-1 lead for the River Dragons.
Twin City fired back at 8:51, when Zach White snuck one past Trevor Babin, cutting the River Dragons’ lead down to 3-2.
With 2:05 remaining, Twin City called for a timeout and pulled Babik from the net to gain a 6-on-5 advantage against Columbus.
With Labelle attempting to gain control of the puck heading back into the Thunderbirds’ defensive zone, he was rushed by Kyle Moore, who stole the puck and scored the empty-net goal for Columbus to seal their regulation victory with only 7 seconds remaining.
The game ended with Columbus ahead in regulation, 4-2.
Trevor Babin made 29 saves, achieving a 93.55 SV% for the night.
Kyle Moore produced three points – achieving assists in the first and second period, and scoring a goal in the closing seconds of the third frame.
Ryan Hunter also produced multiple points – scoring a goal in the second period and assisting in the third.
The River Dragons, now on a 3-game winning streak, prepare to hit the road for the next three games. First, they’ll challenge the Athens Rock Lobsters on New Year’s Eve, before taking on the Monroe Moccasins on January 3rd and 4th.
The Twin City Thunderbirds will face off against the Blue Ridge Bobcats on Saturday, December 31st.
Photos by Toni Rae Hill
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