Thunderbirds defeat IceCats on First Responders Night

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Twin City Thunderbirds defeated the Pee Dee IceCats by a final score of 4-2 on First Responders Night Friday at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Arena. Kayson Gallant, Jiri Pestuka, Zach White, and Jan Salak each netted a goal for the Thunderbirds in the victory. Salak’s goal was scored on his 32^nd Birthday. Boris Babik was sensational in net, making 56 saves, and earning 1^st Star of the Game honors. Twin City travels to the Florence Center for a road showdown against Pee Dee tomorrow night. Puck drop for tomorrow night’s road game is scheduled for 7:15pm ET.

Kayson Gallant netted the only goal during Friday’s opening period to give Twin City a one-goal lead in the battle. Gallant’s goal was scored even strength at 8:01 of the 1^st period, and was assisted by Zach White and Roman Kraemer. The Thunderbirds were outshot by a 21-11 margin during Friday’s opening period, and the 2^nd period began with Twin City leading by a score of 1-0.

Pee Dee responded with back-to-back goals during the middle period to take a one-goal lead in the matchup. Patriks Marcinkevics netted a goal at 6:04 of the 2^nd period to tie the game for the IceCats. Dzianis Zaichyk notched an assist on the scoring play. Dzianis Zaichyk gave the IceCats a 2-1 lead with a powerplay goal at 9:18 of the period. Timur Rasulov and Patriks Marcinkevics each collected an assist on the scoring play. Jiri Pestuka tied the game with an even-strength goal with less than four minutes to play in the 2^nd period. Kayson Gallant and Roman Kraemer each collected an assist on Pestuka’s game-tying goal. Twin City was outshot by an 18-15 margin during the 2^nd period, and Friday’s 3^rd period began in a 2-2 tie.

Zach White scored his team-leading 27^th goal of the season just over two minutes into Friday’s 3^rd period to give Twin City a 3-2 lead in the matchup. White’s goal was assisted by Chris Mott and Cade Hanley. Jan Salak netted a powerplay goal at 12:10 of the period to give Twin City a two-goal lead. Jon Buttitta and Jiri Pestuka each collected an assist on the scoring play. Salak’s goal was the final scoring play of Friday night’s battle, and sealed a 4-2 victory for Twin City. The Thunderbirds were outshot by a 16-11 margin during the 3^rd period, and by an overall margin of 58-37 during Friday night’s matchup. Twin City improved to 25-27-1 on the 2025-2026 season, and enter tomorrow night’s game only three points behind Pee Dee for the final playoff spot in the FPHL’s Continental Division standings.

Boris Babik backstopped the Thunderbirds to victory in a 56-save-on-58-shot performance in net. Parker Rutherford dropped the game in goal for the IceCats in a 33-save-on-37-shot effort. Boris Babik was named the 1^st Star of Friday night’s game with teammates Jiri Pestuka and Zach White earning 2^nd and 3^rd Star honors, respectively. Friday’s game was played in front of 2,328 fans at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Arena.  

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.

The Thunderbirds have one final home game remaining in the 2025-2026 regular season. The Thunderbirds will host the Blue Ridge Bobcats on Friday, April 10^th for Fan Appreciation Night. The battle will begin at 7:35pm ET. Tickets are still available, and may be purchased online by visiting WSFairgrounds.com, Ticketmaster.com, or by calling the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Arena Box Office at (336) 727-2236.