MONROE, LA - The Monroe Moccasins opened the 2026 calendar year with a statement victory, defeating the Columbus River Dragons 8-5 on Friday night at the Monroe Civic Center in a highly anticipated matchup between two of the FPHL’s top teams.
The game marked the first meeting between the clubs and the first game of 2026 for both teams, with Monroe entering the night number one in the continental and Columbus at number three. The win extended the Moccasins winning streak to 11 games, now the longest active streak in the FPHL.
The opening period featured end-to-end action and seven combined goals. Columbus struck first on a power-play goal at 5:04, but Monroe answered just eight seconds later as Dean Balsamo scored his first goal with the Moccasins to even the score. Jared Christy followed to give the Moccasins the lead before Columbus responded 25 seconds later to tie it at 2-2 at 6:31.
Monroe regained the lead midway through the period on a goal from Tucker Scantlebury; then extended their lead on the power play 4-2, when Balsamo recorded his second of the night. Columbus closed the gap late in the frame with another power-play goal, but the Moccasins carried a 4-3 lead into the first intermission.
The second period tightened defensively with Monroe breaking through late. Yianni Liarakos finished off a breakaway, beating Roy glove side at 17:49 to make it 5-3 heading into the third.
Columbus cut the deficit to one early in the third period, but Monroe responded decisively. Casey Gerstein restored the two-goal cushion at 6:41, followed by a goal from Rasmus Asp just 30 seconds later. Balsamo would complete his first hat trick at 8:58, pushing the lead to 8-4 to seal the game
Columbus added a late goal from Benjamin Pizzimenti, but Monroe closed out the win in its first game of the new year. With the victory, Monroe improved to 18-4-2-1-0 on the season and remained dominant on home ice at 11-2-0-0-0. Columbus dropped to 12-8-2-2-1. The Moccasins continued their surge atop of the continental divisional standings, opening 2026 the same way they closed 2025 with another win.
FPHL 
