Thunderbirds complete season with thrilling win over Bobcats

WYTHEVILLE, VA. – The Twin City Thunderbirds completed the 2025-2026 season with a thrilling come-from-behind 5-3 victory Saturday night against the Blue Ridge Bobcats at Hitachi Energy Arena. Twin City netted five unanswered goals, and ended the Bobcats’ ten-game winning streak in the win. The Thunderbirds finished the season in 5^th place in the FPHL’s Continental Division standings, and posted an overall record of 26-29-1.

Michael Mercurio opened the scoring for the Bobcats just over one minute into Saturday’s battle. Mercurio’s goal was netted even-strength, and was assisted by Nikita Kozyrev. Jordan Rosenbaum scored another goal for Blue Ridge at 5:39 of the opening period. Rosenbaum’s goal gave the Bobcats a two-goal lead in the matchup, and was assisted by Danny Martin. The final scoring play of Saturday’s opening period was netted by Nikita Kozyrev just over six minutes into the matchup. The goal was scored even-strength, and was assisted by Demid Podrezov and Michael Mercurio. Following the Bobcats’ third scoring play of the opening period, Boris Babik replaced Chad Purdy in goal for the Thunderbirds. Purdy made two saves on five shots in just over six minutes of playing time during Saturday’s season finale. Twin City was outshot by a 12-7 margin during the 1^st period, and trailed by three goals entering the 2^nd period.

Roman Kraemer netted the lone goal of Saturday’s middle period to put Twin City on the scoreboard. Kraemer’s goal was assisted by Nate Keeley, and was scored with less than three minutes to play in the period. The Thunderbirds were outshot by a 13-12 margin during the 2^nd period, and entered the 3^rd period trailing by two goals.

The Thunderbirds’ final period of the 2025-2026 season included four consecutive goals to shock the Bobcats. Kayson Gallant scored an even-strength goal just over three minutes into the 3^rd period for Twin City. Gallant’s goal was assisted by Jack Johansen and Roman Kraemer. Jan Salak scored twenty-two seconds later to bring the game to a 3-3 tie. Salak’s goal was assisted by Jon Buttitta. Roman Kraemer netted his second goal of the night, and team-leading 29^th goal of the season with less than four minutes to play to give the Thunderbirds a one-goal advantage in the rivalry matchup. Kraemer’s goal was scored on the powerplay, and was assisted by Kayson Gallant. The final goal of Twin City’s season was scored into an empty net by Jack Johansen. Johansen’s goal was netted with forty-seconds to play, and was assisted by Chris Mott. The goal sealed a 5-3 road victory for Twin City. The Thunderbirds and the Bobcats each recorded thirteen shots on net during the final period, and the Bobcats held a 38-32 shots on goal advantage during the game.

Boris Babik recorded the win in goal for Twin City in a 33-save-on-33-shot effort. Babik ended the season as the league’s saves leader, with 1,532 on the year. His final record in net for the Thunderbirds during the 2025-2026 season was 21-24-1. Anthony Shrum dropped the game in net for Blue Ridge in a 27-save-on-31-shot effort.

Roman Kraemer was named the 1^st Star of Saturday night’s game, with teammate Kayson Gallant collecting 3^rd Star honors. Blue Ridge’s Nikita Kozyrev was selected as the 2^nd Star of the game.  

The Thunderbirds are now accepting season ticket renewals for the 2026–2027 season, giving fans the opportunity to lock in current pricing before rates increase on May 1st. Season ticket holders can take advantage of significant savings by renewing before the April 30th deadline, with full-season packages starting as low as $315 in the White Zone and premium seating options available across Gold, Red, and Blue zones. Half-season plans are also available, offering flexible and affordable ways to stay connected to all the action at the arena. Renewing early not only guarantees your seat location, but also ensures you receive the best available pricing ahead of the upcoming increase. A 20% deposit is required to secure your seats for next season, making it easy to reserve your spot while planning ahead. Contact Vice President of Business Operations Joe Cangelosi at jcangelosi@tcbirds.com to renew or for more information.