River Dragons Split Opening Weekend In Delaware; Look Forward To Home Opener Friday
Columbus, GA - A memorable Friday was followed by a Saturday to forget in Delaware this weekend, as the River Dragons split the weekend series with the Thunder following an 8-2 loss on Saturday night.
Friday's win was spurred on by a dominant first period that saw the River Dragons take a 3-0 lead in a 1:40 span in the first period. The game in total saw goals from five different players (Jay Croop, Tim Santopoalo, Chad Herron, Zach Pease and Brett Menton).
Saturday's game was a reversal for the River Dragons as it was Delaware who came out with the first three goals in the first period. Columbus got one back through Jimmy Philbin before the period ended but any momentum was squashed by Delaware scoring in the first minute of the second period. All told the Thunder chased Ryland Pashovitz out of the net in his pro debut and put up 8 goals total. River Dragons goals came from Philbin and Herron (his 2nd of the year).
Now the River Dragons look ahead to the Elmira Enforcers and the first pro hockey games back in Columbus in two years. Friday's game is 7:35 with the first 2,000 fans receiving a free QuickStick schedule for the season. Saturday's puck drop is 6:05.
The River Dragons also have a few transactions to announce ahead of their home opener. Defensemen Brett Menton and Rowan Lougheed have been released and added to the active roster are defenseman Levi Lind, forward David Powlowski and defenseman Wyatt Trumbley.
Lind is a fan favorite in Columbus playing eight seasons previous with the Columbus Cottonmouths of the SPHL. Lind played 328 games with the Cottonmouths in his SPHL career and was a part of the team that won the 2012 President's Cup.
Powlowski is a graduate of Nazareth College (NCAA-DIII) and a native of Rochester, NY. Powlowski appeared in 100 games for Nazareth and scored 28 goals.
Trumbley is a Campbell River, BC native who made his pro debut near the end of last season with the Evansville Thunderbolts of the SPHL. Previous to turning pro Trumbley played four years at Westfield St. (NCAA-DIII) and also spent a year in Atlanta with the Atlanta Jr. Knights in the USPHL.
If you can't make it out to the games this weekend you can watch the games for free on the River Dragons YouTube page or listen to the game in your car on WRCG (92.1FM/1420AM) in Columbus and surrounding areas.
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HOCKEY RETURNS to the Columbus Civic Center on Friday, November 1st at 7:35 p.m. when your River Dragons take on the Elmira Enforcers to open the home portion of their inaugural FPHL schedule. The River Dragons have also scheduled two neutral site games in Athens, GA this summer. Visit www.rdragons.com for season ticket information and everything you need to know about the Columbus River Dragons.