Thunderbirds drop road game to Bobcats

WYETHVILLE, VA. – The Twin City Thunderbirds dropped a road game to the Blue Ridge Bobcats Friday night at Hitachi Energy Arena by a final score of 4-2. Joe Kennedy and Corey Cunningham each netted a goal for Twin City in the loss. The Thunderbirds will return to action tomorrow afternoon at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Arena in a rematch against the Bobcats. Puck drop for tomorrow’s game has been scheduled for 2:30pm ET.

Joe Kennedy gave the Thunderbirds a one-goal lead just over five minutes into Friday’s matchup. Jacob Schnapp and Dionne Demke each collected an assist on the scoring play. Dustin Jesseau netted a goal at 8:38 of the 1^st period for Blue Ridge to bring the score to 1-1. Carson Gallagher notched an assist on the scoring play. Twin City was outshot by a 13-9 margin during Friday’s opening period, and the 2^nd period began in a 1-1 tie.

Each team was held off the scoreboard during Friday’s middle period, and the 3rd period began with the game tied at 1-1. Blue Ridge outshot Twin City by a 12-8 margin during the 2^nd period.

Dustin Jesseau netted his second goal of the game at 5:49 of Friday’s 3^rd period to give Blue Ridge a 2-1 lead in the matchup. Carson Gallagher and Danny Martin each recorded an assist on the scoring play. Nick Stuckless scored a five-on-three powerplay goal at 7:28 of the period to increase the Bobcats’ lead to two goals. Nikita Kozyrev and Michael Mercurio notched an assist on the goal. Twin City answered back with a goal from Corey Cuninngham at 11:51 of the 3^rd period. Roman Kraemer and Zach White recorded an assist on the goal. Twin City elected to pull goaltender Boris Babik for an extra attacker in the final minutes of Friday’s game, but were unable to net the game-tying goal. The final scoring play of the matchup was an empty net goal scored by Nikita Kozyrev with less than one minute to play. Carson Gallagher and Anthony Shrum each collected an assist on the scoring play. Twin City was outshot by a 15-10 margin during the 3^rd period, and 40-27 overall in the matchup. The Thunderbirds fell to 12-17-1 in the 2025-2026 regular season in the road loss.

Boris Babik made 36 saves and dropped the game in net for Twin City. Anthony Shrum collected the win in goal for Blue Ridge in a 25-save-on-27-shot performance.

Tomorrow’s game between the Thunderbirds and the Bobcats at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Arena will now begin at 2:30pm ET, instead of the previously advertised start time of 6:05pm ET, due to weather concerns. Doors to the event will open at 1:30pm ET. All tickets for the matchup remain valid for the new 2:30pm ET puck drop. Fans who are unable to attend may exchange their tickets for another home game through their original point of purchase. The promotional elements of NASCAR Night will not take place and will be moved to a later date. For ticket‑related questions regarding tomorrow’s home game, please contact the Fairgrounds Arena Box Office at 336‑727‑2236.

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