Thunderbirds defeat IceCats 4-2

WINSTON-SALEM, NC. – The Twin City Thunderbirds defeated the Pee Dee IceCats by a final score of 4-2 Saturday night at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Arena. Roman Kraemer (2), James Farmer, and Jan Salak netted goals for the Thunderbirds in the victory. Twin City completed a two-game weekend sweep of Pee Dee with the result. The Thunderbirds will return to action next weekend with back-to-back road games against the Columbus River Dragons.


Roman Kraemer scored his seventh goal of the season, and fiftieth goal of his FPHL career, just over one minute into Saturday night’s game to give the Thunderbirds a 1-0 lead. The goal was assisted by Josh Labelle and Zach White, and was netted even-strength. Roman Kraemer scored a powerplay goal at 8:38 of the opening period to give Twin City a two-goal advantage in the battle. Kraemer’s second goal of the night was assisted by Gus Ford and Josh Labelle. The final goal of Saturday’s 1st period was netted by James Farmer with less than one minute to play. Jon Buttitta and Boris Babik each recorded an assist on the scoring play. Babik’s assist was his first of the season, and third of his FPHL career. Twin City outshot Pee Dee by a 12-9 margin during Saturday’s 1st period, and the Thunderbirds carried a three-goal lead into the 2nd period.


Konstantin Chernyuk netted the lone goal of the 2nd period to cut Twin City’s lead to two goals. The goal was netted even-strength, and at 11:24 of the period. Patriks Marcinkevics recorded an assist on the scoring play. The Thunderbirds were outshot by a 19-9 margin during the 2nd period, and carried a 3-1 lead into the final period.


Jan Salak scored an unassisted goal with less than ten minutes to play in Saturday’s 3rd period. Salak’s goal gave the Thunderbirds a 4-1 lead in the matchup. The final goal of the game was netted by Pee Dee’s Trevor Lord with three minutes left to play. The goal was netted on the powerplay, and was scored with an extra attacker on the ice. Patriks Marcinkevics notched an assist on the goal. Twin City was outshot 14-2 during the 3rd period, 42-23 overall in the matchup, and won the game by a final score of 4-2. The Thunderbirds improved to 9-11-0 on the 2025-2026 season in the victory, and overtook the IceCats for 4th place in the FPHL’s Continental Division standings.


Boris Babik collected the win in goal for Twin City in a 40-save-on-42 performance. Sean Kuhn recorded a regulation loss in net for the first time this season after making 6 saves on 9 shots during the 1st period of Saturday night’s game. Ricardo Gonzalez played the final two periods of the matchup, and made 10 saves on 11 shots.


Roman Kraemer was named the 1st Star of Saturday’s game, with teammates Josh Labelle and James Farmer collecting 2nd and 3rd Star honors, respectively.


Twin City’s next home game will be played on Wednesday, December 31st at 8:35pm ET. The game will serve as the organization’s New Year’s Eve promotion, and will feature a rivalry matchup against the Blue Ridge Bobcats.


The Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Arena is currently offering a Holiday 4-Pack for only $60. The deal includes four tickets to a Thunderbirds home game in December and four public skating passes. The ticket package can be purchased and picked up at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Arena Box Office. 


Tickets to home games at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Arena may be purchased online by visiting WSFairgrounds.com, Ticketmaster.com, or by calling the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Arena Box Office at (336) 727-2236. The Thunderbirds are proud members of the Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL). #FlockTogether