Thunderbirds fall to River Dragons 4-3

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Twin City Thunderbirds, proud members of the Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL), fell to the Columbus River Dragons by a final score of 4-3 Friday night at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Arena. Roman Kraemer (2), and Liam Blomqvist scored for the Thunderbirds in the loss. Twin City returns to action Saturday night in another battle against the Columbus River Dragons. Puck drop for the matchup is scheduled for 6:05pm ET.  


Columbus netted two powerplay goals during the opening five minutes of Friday night’s game. The first man-advantage goal was netted by Cody Wickline at 2:53 of the 1st period. Ryan Hunter and Tyler Barrow each recorded an assist on the scoring play. Josh Colten netted a powerplay goal at 4:45 of the 1st period to increase the River Dragons’ advantage to two. The goal was assisted by Tyler Barrow and Ryan Hunter. Matt Stoia scored an even-strength goal with just over seven minutes remaining in Friday’s opening period to give Columbus a 3-0 lead in the battle. Columbus outshot Twin City 12-9 during the 1st period, and the River Dragons carried a three-goal advantage into the 2nd period.


Twin City outscored Columbus 2-0 in the 2nd period, and outshot the River Dragons by a 13-7 margin. The Thunderbirds’ first goal of the night was netted by Roman Kraemer at 7:31 of the middle period. Kraemer’s goal was assisted by Zach White and Don Carter Jr. Liam Blomqvist scored his first career FPHL goal minutes later to bring the score to 3-2. Blomqvist’s scoring play in his debut game with the organization was assisted by Jan Salak and Cade Hanley. After netting back-to-back goals in the 2nd period, Twin City entered Friday’s final period in a one-goal deficit.


Alex Storjohann netted Columbus’ third powerplay goal of the contest with just under ten minutes left to play in Friday’s 3rd period. The goal increased the River Dragons’ lead to 4-2, and was assisted by Cody Wickline and Tyler Barrow. Roman Kraemer netted his second goal of the night, and third goal of the season, with less than a minute to play to bring Twin City back within one goal of Columbus’ lead. The goal was scored six-on-five, at 19:09 of Friday’s 3rd period. Liam Blomqvist and Gus Ford each recorded an assist on the scoring play. The Thunderbirds lifted goaltender Dysen Skinner for an extra attacker during the final minutes of the contest, but were unable to find the game-tying goal. Twin City Citty outshot Columbus 19-8 in the 3rd period, and 41-27 overall during the matchup. The Thunderbirds dropped the decision by a final score of 4-3, and fell to 1-6-0 on the 2025-2026 regular season.


Dysen Skinner made 23 saves during the game, and dropped the decision in goal for Twin City. Tyler Roy collected the win in net for the River Dragons after making 38 saves on 41 shots.


Twin City will host Columbus again tomorrow night for Veterans Night at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Arena. Discounted tickets for Veterans are available to purchase for $15 (plus fees) online at https://tinyurl.com/2z7mwmw2.


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