Thunderbirds drop overtime decision to River Dragons

COLUMBUS, GA. – The Twin City Thunderbirds dropped an overtime decision to the Columbus River Dragons by a final score of 4-3 Friday night at the Columbus Civic Center. Josh Labelle, Jiri Pestuka, and Gus Ford each netted a goal for Twin City in the loss. The Thunderbirds return to action tomorrow night in another road contest against the River Dragons. Puck drop for tomorrow’s matchup is set for 7:05pm.


Each team failed to net a goal during Friday’s night’s opening period, and the 2nd period began in a scoreless tie. Twin City outshot Columbus by a 13-7 margin during the 1st period. Josh Labelle gave the Thunderbirds a 1-0 lead at 2:53 of Friday’s middle period. Labelle’s goal was netted even-strength, and was assisted by Dionne Demke and Don Carter Jr. Alexander Jmaeff scored the game-tying goal for the River Dragons with less than six minutes to play in the period. Benjamin Pizzimenti recorded an assist on the scoring play. The final goal of Friday’s 2nd period was netted on the powerplay by Ryan Galvin. Ryan Hunter provided the assist on Galvin’s scoring play. The Thunderbirds were outshot by an 8-6 margin during the 2nd period, and trailed 2-1 entering Friday’s 3rd period.


Jiri Pestuka scored the game-tying goal with under five minutes left to play in the 3rd period. The goal was assisted by Gus Ford and James Farmer. Gus Ford netted a go-ahead goal for Twin City two minutes later. Jan Salak and Jiri Pestuka each collected an assist on the scoring play. Kyle Moore scored a six-on-four goal with ten seconds left in the 3rd period to bring the game to a 3-3 score, and forced an overtime finish. Moore’s goal was assisted by Tyler Barrow and Brodie Thornton. Twin City was outshot by a 10-7 margin during the 3rd period, and the game required an overtime finish to determine a winner. Ryan Hunter scored the game-winning goal in the extra period for the River Dragons with less than a minute to play. Tyler Barrow and Josh Colten each collected an assist on the play. The Thunderbirds outshot the River Dragons by a 28-26 margin overall during the contest, but fell by a final score of 4-3.


Boris Babik made 22 saves on 26 shots and dropped the decision in net for Twin City. Tyler Roy collected the win in goal for Columbus in a 25-save-on-28-shot effort.


Ring in the New Year with the Twin City Thunderbirds on Wednesday, December 31st at 8:35pm ET. The Thunderbirds and the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Arena are currently offering a special ticket offer to the event. The unbeatable deal offers two tickets for only $20.26! Experience the action on the ice and stick around for the midnight puck drop! For more information on this one-time ticket offer, visit https://www.gofevo.com/event/Welcome20262.


The Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Arena is currently offering a Holiday 4-Pack for only $60. The deal includes four tickets to the Thunderbirds’ New Year’s Eve game against the Blue Ridge Bobcats, and four public skating passes. The ticket package can be purchased and picked up at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Arena Box Office. More information about the ticket special can be found online at https://tinyurl.com/WSFairgroundsDecember4Pack. 


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