Columbus, GA – The Columbus River Dragons extended their win streak to 8 games after defeating the Pee Dee Ice Cats 6-3 at home on Saturday night.
Trevor Babin was between the pipes for Columbus, while the Ice Cats gave Parker Rutherford the nod to man the cage for Pee Dee in what turned out to be a very physical match.
The first period was littered with penalties against both teams as they picked on each other.
Tyler Barrow, Cody Wickline, Skate Skalde, Alex Storjohann and Jestin Somero were each in the box for Columbus, while Chance Adrian, Jake Jurgeneit, Divyne Apollon, Patriks Marcinkevics and Trevor Lord found themselves in the box for Pee Dee within the opening 20 minutes.
Alex Storjohann put the River Dragons on the board with a PPG at 1:57 to claim the lead for Columbus in the first period.
The second frame came with several calls against Pee Dee, giving the River Dragons a chance to capitalize on crucial power play opportunities.
Chance Adrian, Dzianis Zaichyk, Domenic Della served penalties and HC Gary Graham were penalized for delay of play at 6:18 and unsportsmanlike conduct at 3:02, ultimately leading to three PPGs for Columbus.
Tyler Barrow gave the River Dragons a 2-0 lead at 6:18, but was answered by Pee Dee’s Dominiks Marcinkevics at 8:48.
The match was drawn at 12:17 by Dzianis Zaichyk, tying the match at 2–2.
Tyler Barrow and Brodie Thornton each scored an additional PPG at 15:02 and 16:14 respectively, before Cody Wickline extended the River Dragons’ lead at 18:22.
The second frame ended with the Columbus River Dragons ahead, 5-2.
The final twenty-minute piece was peppered with several altercations.
HC Gary Graham of Pee Dee Ice Cats was ejected from the game at 2:10 for unsportsmanlike conduct after a disagreement with the officials.
At 2:52, Tyler Barrow scored the Hat Trick goal, unassisted.
At 5:40, Patriks Marcinkevics scored what would be the last goal of the evening for Pee Dee, putting the Ice Cats behind by three points.
The locks opened at 3:07 p.m. Domenic Della Civita was hit for Roughing at 3:07, while Patriks Marcinkevics was called for Slashing at the same time.
Within seconds, almost everyone on the ice was involved in an altercation.
Columbus’ goaltender Trevor Babin was penalized for leaving the Crease and Slashing, while Skate Skalde and Matthew Horan were hit with a 5-minute major for fighting and a game misconduct for fighting after the original altercation.
Pee Dee Ice Cats’ Nicholas Magill-Diaz, Jordan Popoff and Divyne Apollon were also hit with a 5-minute major for fighting and a game misconduct for fighting after the original altercation.
The match ended in favor of the Columbus River Dragons under regular rules with a final score of 6-3.
Trevor Babin faced 30 shots, saving 27 of them, earning a SV% of 90.0 for Columbus.
The three stars of the evening were Tyler Barrow, who produced a hat-trick tonight, Brodie Thornton and Scott Docherty.
Thornton produced four points for the River Dragons: one goal and three assists.
Docherty produced two points for Columbus and assisted twice.
Kyle Moore also produced two assists.
The Columbus River Dragons prepare to take on Baton Rouge Zydeco at home on Friday evening.
Puck drop is scheduled for 7:35 p.m.
Photos by Toni Rae Hill
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