Thunderbirds defeated by Moccasins

MONROE, LA. – The Twin City Thunderbirds were defeated by the Monroe Moccasins Friday night at the Monroe Civic Center by a final score of 6-3. Nate Keeley, Roman Kraemer, and Jon Buttitta each netted a goal for Twin City in the loss. The Thunderbirds will return to action tomorrow night for the final game of the weekend against the Moccasins. Puck drop for tomorrow night’s battle is set for 8:05pm ET.


Casey Gerstein scored the opening goal of Friday night’s game to give the Moccasins a one-goal lead in the matchup. Jamey Dorsey and Jared Christy each recorded an assist on the scoring play. The goal was scored on the powerplay at 8:55 of the 1st period. Andrew Bellant netted an even-strength goal just over eleven minutes into the battle to push Monroe’s lead to two goals. Ben Stefanini and Kyler Matthews each notched an assist on the scoring play. Monroe’s third goal of the opening period was scored by Rasmus Asp. Asp’s goal was scored at 14:32 of the 1st period, and was assisted by Carlos Fornaris and Austin Albrecht. Nate Keeley netted his second goal of the season at 17:47 of the 1st period to put Twin City on the scoreboard. Keeley’s goal was scored on the powerplay, and was assisted by Josh Labelle and Roman Kraemer. Each team recorded 14 shots on net during the 1st period, and Twin City entered the 2nd period trailing by two goals.


Michael Hagan Moe scored at 2:24 of the 2nd period to give Monroe a 4-1 lead in the battle. Andre Bellant and Landon Johnson each collected an assist on the scoring play. Roman Kraemer scored an even-strength goal at 6:27 of the 2nd period to cut the Moccasins’ lead to two goals. Gus Ford and Jon Buttitta each recorded an assist on the scoring play. Ben Stefanini netted a shorthanded goal at 8:58 of the middle period to give Monroe a 5-2 advantage in the contest. Dean Balsamo notched an assist on the goal. Casey Gerstein scored his second goal of the night at 9:23 of the 2nd period. The goal was netted even-strength, and was assisted by Yianni Liarakos and Jared Christy. Chad Purdy replaced Boris Babik in net following Monroe’s 6th goal of the game. Jon Buttitta scored Twin City’s second shorthanded goal of the season with less than six minutes to play in the 2nd period. Buttitta’s goal was assisted by Gus Ford. Twin City was outshot by a 16-15 margin during the 2nd period, and trailed 6-3 entering Friday’s 3rd period.


There were no goals during the 3rd period, and Twin City dropped the decision by three goals. Twin City outshot Monroe 11-10 during the 3rd period, and each team recorded 40 shots on goal during the matchup. Boris Babik made 17 saves on 23 shots, and recorded the loss in goal for the Thunderbirds. Tyler Masternak made 37 saves during the game, and recorded the win in goal for the Moccasins. Chad Purdy also made 17 saves on 17 shots during the game in goal for Twin City. The Thunderbirds dropped to 16-20-1 on the 2025-2026 season in Friday night’s 6-3 loss.


The Thunderbirds’ next home games will be played back-to-back against the Watertown Wolves on Friday, February 27th and Saturday, February 28th. Puck drop for Friday’s game is set for 7:05pm ET, and Saturday’s matchup will begin at 6:05pm ET.


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