Sea Wolves Split Home-Opening Series

Biloxi, MS – The (2-1-1) Mississippi Sea Wolves took three of six possible standings points in their first weekend at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum against the Columbus River Dragons. Friday’s matchup was claimed by the Sea Wolves 3-0 before they suffered an 11-2 setback the ensuing night to Columbus.

Friday, October 28:

The story of the night was about goaltender Ethan Taylor, who shined in his last-second start with a 39-save shutout in the first meeting between the archrivals. The first period went scoreless between the two clubs with Columbus holding a 13-9 edge in shots on goal. The second period saw Yaroslav Yevdokimov light the lamp at the 8:12 marker on a pass from Denys Honcharenko. Just 1:32 later, Marvin Powell, a native of Jackson, Mississippi, drove home a slapshot from the blue line for his first goal in a Sea Wolves uniform.

“That first one was special for me,” Powell said. “The last time I scored in this building was when I played with the Memphis Blues in 2010 at our division championship. It was the previous time I skated at the Coliseum and it felt amazing picking up where I left off.” Mississippi made it a 3-0 lead courtesy of Chris Leveille’s first goal of the season 17:23 into the second period. Taylor held off the River Dragons in the final frame for his second consecutive win in net and his first shutout in a Sea Wolves uniform.

Saturday, October 29:

The River Dragons entered Game Two as a much different team than the previous night, jumping out to a 4-0 lead in the first 14 minutes of the contest. Matt Caranci’s point shot past Bailey MacBurnie cut the Sea Wolves deficit to three entering the first intermission. 

Columbus tacked on five goals in the middle period before Mississippi’s Chris Hunt tapped home his third goal of the season with 54 seconds left to make it 9-2. Two insurance goals came in the third from the River Dragons prior to securing the series split. 51 shots were placed onto the Sea Wolves goaltending core with Ethan Taylor and Thomas Proudlock each making an appearance between the pipes on Saturday. 

Mississippi recorded 30 chances in the offensive zone between Columbus goalies MacBurnie and Breandan Colgan. Sea Wolves captain Justin Barr logged two assists for his first multi-point game of the 2022-23 campaign. Hunt has now recorded a point in each of the team’s four games played this season.

The Sea Wolves will once again welcome the River Dragons to the Mississippi Coast Coliseum this Friday, November 4 and Saturday, November 5. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05pm on both nights.

ABOUT THE MISSISSIPPI SEA WOLVES

The Mississippi Sea Wolves are a member of the Class-A Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL). The team plays at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum (Wolves Den) in Biloxi, Mississippi. For 2022-23 season tickets, drop by the hockey office at 4063 Ginger Drive Suite D., D' Iberville MS, or call 228-999-8333. To learn more about corporate partnerships, visit our hockey office or call Jerod Campbell directly at 228-600-WOLF.

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