RIVER DRAGONS COMPLETE UNREAL COMEBACK, WIN 7-6 IN OVERTIME

COLUMBUS, GA. — The Columbus River Dragons defeated the Pee Dee IceCats by a final score of 7-6 in overtime on Friday night, at the Columbus Civic Center in Columbus, Georgia.

Trevor Babin got the start in goal for the River Dragons, while Parker Rutherford received the nod for the road team.

From the opening puck drop, Columbus came out flying.

Just 1:51 into the game, Kyle Moore set the tone, driving hard to the net and burying the game’s first goal off a slick setup from Scott Docherty and Alex Storjohann.

The River Dragons struck again at 6:06, this time with Ryan Hunter finishing off a beautiful feed from goaltender Trevor Babin, slipping the puck through the wickets of Pee Dee netminder Parker Rutherford. Tyler Barrow picked up the secondary assist as Columbus built an early 2-0 lead.

Then, everything flipped.

Across the remainder of the first period, all of the second, and into the early moments of the third, Pee Dee surged with six unanswered goals. Jake Cox started the run, followed by Elijah Wilson, Jacob Hamilton, Patriks Marcinkevics, Domenic Della Cevita, and Vadim Frolov, turning a Columbus lead into a daunting 6-2 deficit.

But the River Dragons never backed down.

At 4:06 of the third period, Tyler Barrow sparked the comeback, wiring a shot top shelf off assists from Kyle Moore and Nathaniel Mott.

Just over two minutes later, Moore struck again, finishing a play set up by Barrow and Lare Pahtakyen to make it 6-4.

The momentum was building, and Moore was not done yet. Less than three minutes later, he completed the hat trick, capitalizing on a setup from Alex Storjohann and Barrow to pull Columbus within one.

The building was alive, and the River Dragons kept pushing.

At 14:29, on a crucial power play, Barrow delivered again, burying the equalizer and completing an incredible rally from four goals down to tie the game at six.

Overtime felt inevitable. The energy carried right into the extra frame, where Kirk Underwood sealed the comeback with a game-winning goal off a beautiful pass from Brad Fortin, sending the Columbus crowd into a frenzy.

Trevor Babin was outstanding in net, turning aside 39 shots and even adding an assist in the victory. Parker Rutherford took the loss for Pee Dee after a night that saw momentum swing dramatically.

It was a game that showcased resilience, firepower, and belief. Down but never out, the River Dragons proved that no deficit is too big when the fight is there until the very end.

"We played 22 minutes of hockey tonight," Head Coach Jerome Bechard. "We started our selfish; Everyone was working hard, but we weren't effective because they were playing as individuals. In the third period, we finally played connected. That's my hockey team."

Don’t miss tomorrow's contest, as the club plays Pee Dee for the final regular season home game. The puck drops at 7:05PM, and you can reserve your spot by clicking HERE!