Short-Benched River Dragons Fall to Monarchs in Southaven

COLUMBUS, GA - Following a back-and-forth contest the previous night, the Columbus River Dragons and Mid-South Monarchs returned to Southaven to close out their home-and-home weekend series. Mid-South struck early and maintained control throughout, taking advantage of a depleted Columbus lineup to secure a 6-2 victory.

The Monarchs applied pressure early, eventually breaking through at the 9:38 mark of the opening period. Zach Shankar made a slick move to his backhand from in close before sliding the puck past Doug Wakelyn to give Mid-South a 1-0 lead.

Columbus responded just over two minutes later. At 11:48, Connor Loft finished off a beautiful give-and-go with Tyler Barrow, beating Thomas Nappier low on the blocker side to even the score at one.

However, the Monarchs regained the lead late in the period and never relinquished it. Hunter Godmere capitalized on a power-play opportunity at 15:45, finishing off a tic-tac-toe passing sequence to put Mid-South ahead 2-1. Just over a minute later, Godmere found open space in the slot and redirected home his second of the night to extend the advantage to 3-1. Mid-South carried that two-goal cushion into the intermission while holding a 16-8 advantage in shots.

The second period was a much tighter affair, with Wakelyn coming up with several key saves early to keep Columbus within striking distance. At 9:43, the Dragons cut into the deficit when Tyler Barrow finished a beautiful setup from Alex Storjohann, bringing Columbus within one at 3-2.

The Dragons received another opportunity to find the equalizer late in the frame when Shankar was assessed a game misconduct for an illegal hit to the head of Brodie Thornton. Despite the extended power-play opportunity, Mid-South remained disciplined defensively, tying up sticks and limiting Columbus' ability to generate quality scoring chances. The Monarchs carried their 3-2 lead into the second intermission, with the shot advantage growing to 27-14.

Battling through injuries, suspensions and other roster challenges, Columbus entered the third period with just 12 skaters available. With essentially two forward lines to work with, the shortened bench began to take its toll as the period progressed.

The Monarchs eventually created some separation inside the final five minutes. At 14:56, Darion Benchich capitalized on a Columbus turnover to extend the lead to 4-2. The Dragons had a chance to respond with a late power play, but instead surrendered a pair of shorthanded goals that put the game out of reach. Brody Duncan scored his first goal as a Monarch at 18:03 before Weber added his third of the season just 18 seconds later to round out the 6-2 final.

Mid-South finished with a 35-22 advantage in shots, closing out the weekend with a victory on home ice.

Columbus falls to 4-6-0 on the season and will look to regroup with a return to the Civic Center next weekend. The Dragons welcome the Fresno Falcons for a two-game series next Friday and Saturday, looking to get back on track in front of their home crowd.

Meanwhile, Mid-South remains at home to host the Stockton Thunder for a pair of games as the Monarchs look to carry their momentum into next weekend.