COLUMBUS DEFEATED BY MONROE, 6-2

MONROE, LA. — The Columbus River Dragons fell to the Monroe Moccasins 6-2 on Saturday night at the Monroe Civic Center in Monroe, Louisiana.

Tyler Roy started in net for Columbus, while Tyler Masternak earned the nod for the home side.

Monroe struck first at 3:50 of the opening period when Casey Gerstein scored, finishing a setup from Dean Balsamo and Jared Christy.

Just 25 seconds later, Kirk Underwood electrified the crowd with a highlight-reel breakaway, lifting the puck upstairs over a sprawling Masternak to even the score.

The physical tone ramped up before the period ended, as Skate Skalde and Colten Gerkin dropped the gloves in a spirited bout that resulted in matching five-minute fighting majors. Despite the early surge from Columbus, Monroe held a 9-5 edge in shots through the first twenty minutes.

Momentum shifted decisively in the second period. Exactly five minutes in, Kyler Matthews got the Moccasins on the board, beating Roy from the outer edge of the zone. The equalizer sparked a surge for the home team.

At 8:28, Gerstein struck again, burying a feed from Balsamo and Christy to give Monroe the lead. The floodgates opened moments later. Just 28 seconds after his second goal, Gerstein completed the hat trick on the power play, snapping the puck home.

Columbus pushed back in the third period when Nathaniel Mott tallied his first professional goal, capitalizing shortly after a power-play opportunity to pull the River Dragons within two.

Just 68 seconds later, Frank Schumaker restored Monroe’s cushion, firing a shot from the point that found its way through traffic and into the back of the net. The Moccasins kept their foot on the gas, and Jared Christy added one more shortly thereafter to seal the 6-2 final.

Roy took the loss in net for Columbus, while Masternak turned in a steady performance to earn the victory for Monroe.

The River Dragons return home on Friday at 7:35PM, to take on the Pee Dee IceCats for the first of back to back games. Snag your tickets by clicking HERE!