Thunderbirds ready to battle Rock Lobsters

ATHENS, GA. – The Twin City Thunderbirds are ready for this afternoon’s road game at Akins Ford Arena against the Athens Rock Lobsters. Twin City returns to action today against Athens after hosting the Watertown Wolves for back-to-back home games at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Arena to begin the weekend. Puck drop for today’s road game between the Thunderbirds and the Rock Lobsters is scheduled for 4:05pm ET.


Twin City (18-21-1) hits the road this afternoon after splitting home games to begin the weekend. The Thunderbirds won a high-scoring thriller by a final score of 8-6 over the Wolves on Friday night, and dropped a 3-2 contest against the Wolves last night. Nate Keeley and Gus Ford each netted a goal for the Thunderbirds in the loss. Goal scorers for Twin City through the opening two games of the weekend include Gus Ford (4), Nate Keeley (2), Jon Buttitta, Corey Cunningham, Jan Salak, and Roman Kraemer. The Thunderbirds have utilized each goaltender so far this weekend. Chad Purdy started Friday night’s game but was replaced just over halfway through the matchup by Boris Babik. Babik collected the win in net in Friday’s 8-6 win, but recorded a loss in last night’s 3-2 decision. Twin City’s powerplay has netted three goals through the first two games of the weekend. The powerplay has produced at least one goal in each of the Thunderbirds’ last nine games. Twin City is 35/171 (20.5%) on the man advantage, and 110/156 (70.5%) on the penalty kill through the opening forty games of the 2025-2026 season. Twin City has dropped the first three games of this year’s nine-game season series against Athens. The Thunderbirds have been outscored by a 15-4 margin in head-to-head games against the Rock Lobsters this season. Twin City enters this afternoon’s road game against Athens as the 5th place team in the FPHL’s Continental Division standings. The Thunderbirds currently trail the Pee Dee IceCats by seven points for the final playoff spot in the division. Scoring leaders for Twin City through the first forty games of the season include Gus Ford (27), Zach White (20), and Roman Kraemer (17). The Thunderbirds will return to action next weekend for three consecutive road games against the Baton Rouge Zydeco on Friday, March 6th, Saturday, March 7th, and Sunday, March 8th. Twin City’s next home game will be played on Friday, March 13th against the Athens Rock Lobsters. Puck drop for the Thunderbird’s home game on Friday, March 13th is scheduled for 7:35pm ET.  


Athens (31-8-0) hits the ice for the first time this weekend after not playing last night or Friday night. The Rock Lobsters enter today’s game as the 2nd place team in the FPHL’s Continental Division standings. Athens currently trails the Monroe Moccasins by two points for the top spot in the division standings. A regulation win today over Twin City would give Athens sole possession of 1st place in the Continental Division. The Rock Lobsters are 6-4-0 over the last ten games, and dropped a 6-3 decision on the road to the Baton Rouge Zydeco last Saturday night at the Raising Cane’s River Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The result marked the first time in franchise history that the Rock Lobsters lost a game against the Zydeco. Devyn Mayea, Garrett Milan, and Luke Croucher each netted a goal for Athens during the matchup. Carter McPhail recorded the loss in net for the Rock Lobsters in a 26-save-on-31-shot performance. The Rock Lobsters return home this afternoon to Akins Ford Arena where the team has won sixteen of eighteen games this season. Athens won their first fifteen home games of the season from Saturday, October 25th, 2025, to Friday, January 23rd, 2026. The Rock Lobsters are five goals away from scoring two hundred in the 2025-2026 regular season. Athens has netted 43 goals on the powerplay this season. The Rock Lobsters’ powerplay is 43/195 (22.1%), and the team’s penalty kill is 150/187 (80.2%). Scoring leaders for Athens through the opening thirty-nine games of the season include Garrett Milan (22), Gleb Bandurkin (20), Eric Neiley (18), and Carter Shinkaruk (18). The Rock Lobsters will return to action after today’s game with back-to-back road games against the Pee Dee IceCats.


Twin City is currently offering a special ticket through FEVO to celebrate the historic double gold sweep in Milano Cortino for the United States Men’s and Women’s Hockey Teams. Three tiers of pricing (Gold, Silver, Bronze) are available through this special. The Gold Tier includes two blue section tickets for $46, a nod to the United States’ Men’s team winning Gold at the Olympics for the first time in forty-six years. Silver Tier pricing includes two red section tickets for $33 in honor of United States Women’s Captain Hillary Knight’s team record of thirty-three points recorded in the Olympics. The Bronze Tier includes two white section tickets for $20.26, a nod to this year’s historic performance by each United States hockey team in the 2026 Olympic Winter Games. https://www.gofevo.com/event/Olympicdiscount23


Thunderbirds’ Family 4 Packs are designed to deliver an exciting and affordable night of Thunderbirds hockey. Three themed package options (Red, Black, White) are available as part of this special promotion. The Red Pack includes four glow sticks and four White Section tickets for $64, creating a high-energy game night atmosphere for the whole family. The Black Pack features four pucks along with four White Section tickets for $80, perfect for fans looking to take home a unique piece of the action. The White Pack includes four Thunderbirds t-shirts and four White Section tickets for $88, allowing families to gear up and show their team pride together. Fans interested in purchasing a Family 4 Pack can contact Vice President of Business Operations Joe Cangelosi by phone at (336) 413-3794, or by email at jcangelosi@tcbirds.com, to secure their package and enjoy a memorable night at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Arena!


This afternoon’s game is set to begin at 4:05pm ET, and will be streamed live on YouTube, Facebook, and WTOB Radio. Tickets to Thunderbirds home games 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