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October 21, 2022 – Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) – Carolina Thunderbirds News Release
The Carolina Thunderbirds begin their 2022-2023 season tonight at 7:05pm in Port Huron. In addition to winning the regular-season series 7-6, the Thunderbirds also swept the Prowlers in the opening round of last season’s playoffs.
The Prowlers are coming off of a weekend in which they won two of three games against the Motor City Rockers, scoring 11 goals in the process. Carolina had its fair share of struggles against Port Huron on the road last season, going 3-4 at McMorran Place.
A new group of Thunderbirds has been brought into town by head coach Garrett Rutledge. Seven players are expected to make their FPHL debut this weekend against the Prowlers, including goaltenders Boris Babik and Mario Cavaliere.
Among the players new to the FPHL game are a pair of Dawson Baker’s former teammates. Forwards Lucas Rowe and Justin Pringle joined Baker on the 2019-2020 Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). The trio combined for 49 points that season. Last year, Baker exploded into the FPHL with 48 points in 42 games.
Career Thunderbird Viktor Grebennikov currently sits at 99 games played in the FPHL, all of which have been in Carolina. He is expected to skate in his 100th game tonight against Port Huron. The 28-year-old defenseman has 48 points to this point in his career. Last season, he set a career-high with 11 assists and tied his best mark of 17 points.
Gus Ford returns to Carolina looking to build on his record-setting season. He became the first Thunderbird to hit both the 30 and 40 goal plateaus, pushing the record to 43 goals by season’s end. His 84 points also surpassed the previous record of 83, set by Josh Pietrantonio during the 2018-2019 season. Carolina’s captain John Buttitta returns after his career-high 81point season, and the Thunderbirds also brought back a lethal scoring threat in Josh Koepplinger. During a shortened 2021 season, Koepplinger tallied 25 points in 20 games.
The Thunderbirds have been patiently waiting for hockey to return, and spent six months assembling a team with impressive offensive potential. They now get to put that squad to the test with a pair of games against the Prowlers.
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