RIVER DRAGONS POUNCE PEE DEE 5-3 IN THE HOME OPENER

COLUMBUS, GA. — November 14, 2025 — The Columbus River Dragons defeated the Pee Dee IceCats by a final score of 5-2 on Friday night, at the Columbus Civic Center, in Columbus, Georgia. 

Tyler Roy was in net for the River Dragons, while Ricardo Gonzalez started in goal for the IceCats. 

In the opening frame, the two clubs traded power-play goals. At 4:10, Patriks Marcinkevics scored for Pee Dee. Then, at 7:00, while on a power play themselves, Ryan Hunter brought the crowd to its feet, with a beautiful wrist shot. 

4:03 into the second period, Colin Ratt scored his first FPHL goal, after a sweet passing sequence between Brodie Thornton, Chiwetin Blacksmith, and Colin Ratt. 

At 17:15, Joel Texmo tipped in his first goal of the season. He deposited a net front feed into the net, assisted by Benjamin Pizzimenti and Brodie Thornton. 

In the final frame, at 1:06, while on the power play, Trevor Lord brought his team back within a goal. 

At 9:27, Ryan Hunter added another, assisted by Tyler Barrow. Tyler Barrow would add a goal to his two assists a few minutes later, putting Columbus ahead for good, 5-2. 

Patriks Marcinkevics scored right at the buzzer for Pee Dee, bringing the final score to 5-3.

“I thought it was a pretty good game overall,” Head Coach Jerome Bechard said. “The guys managed the puck well tonight. The power play was good, the penalty kill wasn’t too bad, and we were physical again. I thought we protected the puck really well, and for the most part it was one of our first strong all-around games for a full 60 minutes. We got into some penalty trouble, but all in all, I thought we played really well. It was a good first home game with a great atmosphere. And while I never want to see Ryan Hunter have to fight, it was nice to see him step up, and to see Kyle Moore playing with a physical edge was nice too. Everyone was throwing their bodies around, and I was really happy with that.”

Tyler Roy earned the win for the River Dragons, making 21 saves on 23 shots, while Ricardo Gonzalez, in the loss for Pee Dee stopped 23 of 28. 

The River Dragons will be back in action tomorrow night at home, against the Biloxi Breakers. Puck drop is expected for 7:05 p.m.