Carolina Closes Calendar Year With Weekend Sweep

WINSTON-SALEM, NC

In front of another near sellout crowd of better than 3,200 fans at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Annex, the Carolina Thunderbirds continued their weekend of offensive domination over the Elmira Mammoth. Carolina posted a 10-2 victory to complete the weekend sweep in their first ever series with the Mammoth.

Lucas Rowe scored the first two goals of the game, the first coming on a wicked wrist shot from the left faceoff dot. His second was a wrist shot in tight that was partially stopped by Mammoth goaltender Richard Shipman, but not completely as it leaked through.

Gus Ford added two video-game like goals on amazing stickhandling moves that led to backhand shots.

Justin Bioni added his first goal of the season off a rebound.

Joe Kennedy, Josh Koepplinger, Petr Panacek and Daniel Martin each netted goals to give Carolina double-digits.

Boris Babik was spectacular in his first start in two weeks, stopping 25 of 27 Elmira shots.

Rowe finished with 4 assists, giving him a whopping seven points on the night and garnering him first star honors. Ford earned second star for his five point effort.

The Thunderbirds begin 2023 on the road, heading to Watertown for one and Danbury for two next weekend.