FOUR GOAL NIGHT FOR RYAN HUNTER LEADS COLUMBUS TO 7-1 WIN

BATON ROUGE, LA. — November 1, 2025 — The Columbus River Dragons trounced the Baton Rouge Zydeco 7–1 on Friday night at the Raising Cane’s River Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Tyler Roy was in net for the River Dragons, while Bailey Stephens began the contest for the Zydeco.

In his season debut, Ryan Hunter opened the scoring, assisted by Alex Storjohann. Storjohann blocked a clearing attempt and set up Hunter beautifully from behind the net.

Shortly after, Hunter struck again, extending the Columbus lead to two. Joel Texmo and Alex Storjohann assisted on Hunter’s second tally.

Following Hunter’s second goal, Juho Nupponen, the backup goaltender for Baton Rouge, came in to replace Bailey Stephens in net.

While on the power play, the Zydeco scored their first and only goal of the night, as Scott Shorrock found the back of the net through traffic.

A few minutes later, Kevin Szabad continued his torrid start to the year, slamming home a loose puck. Szabad’s goal was assisted by Captain Kirk Underwood and Matt Stoia.

Only one goal was scored in the second period, and it came off the stick of Ryan Hunter. Hunter’s hat-trick goal was assisted by Benjamin Pizzimenti and Alex Storjohann.

Hunter continued his dominance in the third, scoring his fourth goal of the night, with helpers from Ryan Galvin and Alex Storjohann.

Tyler Barrow secured his second straight two-goal performance to close out regulation, first scoring unassisted, then lighting the lamp following a dish from Benjamin Pizzimenti.

Tyler Roy earned the victory for the River Dragons, while Bailey Stephens took the loss for the Zydeco.

“I thought the game went really well," Head Coach Jerome Bechard said. "We played a lot cleaner and more efficiently. Obviously, having Ryan back gives us a real shot in the arm offensively, but I thought all three line combinations did well to limit turnovers."

The River Dragons will be back in action tonight at the Raising Cane’s River Center, when the club battles Baton Rouge at 8:05 p.m. EST. Coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. EST on YouTube, Facebook, and Sporfie.