Game Recap: Rockers vs. Sea Wolves 3/21/25

Rockers Explode for Eight Goals, Down Mississippi 8-3

By Brady Beedon

Fraser MI - It had been a while since the Motor City Rockers put on a show like they did Friday night.

The Rockers put up a season high eight goals in their only meeting with Mississippi this year, topping the Sea Wolves 8-3.

The night started off strong for Mississippi when Carter Eha opened the scoring just 4:18 into the opening period, giving the Sea Wolves a 1-0 edge.

Then Motor City woke up.

Cody Oaks found himself with the puck in between the hashes after a mad scramble, and buried the shot to even the score at 1-1.

Just under three minutes later, Yegor Kabatayev gave the Rockers the lead when he drove to the center of the ice, picked the corner past Sea Wolves’ goalie Edward Coffey to give Motor City the 2-1 lead.

1:01 later, Eli Rivers found the stick of Rockers captain Josh Colten who punched into the open net, extending the Motor City lead to 3-1.

The Rockers would not relent. With 2:18 left in the opening stanza, Kabatayev found the back of the net for the second time, bringing the score to 4-1 Motor City.

TJ Sneath put the cherry on top of the first period, when he deflected a Colton shot just under the crossbar to net the fifth goal of the period, and give the Rockers the 5-1 advantage going into the locker room.

Motor City, not content with the five goal lead, found their sixth of the night just :51 into the middle period when Hunter Hall jammed the puck past newly entered Mississippi goalie Richie Parent, giving the Rockers a 6-1 advantage.

Nearing the middle portion of the second, Eha took three chances from just in front of the net, burying the third chance to get one back for the Sea Wolves, and reduce the deficit to 6-2.

The momentum would be short-lived when Colton picked the top left corner for his second of the night, putting the Rockers back on top 7-2.

Mississippi forward Isiah Parris raced to the front of the net, and flicked the puck under the bar to get one back, setting the score at 7-3 after 40 minutes of play.

The third period would net just one goal, when newly acquired Rocker rookie Cory Checco carried the puck across the middle of the zone, tucking a wrist shot just inside the post to score his first pro goal, and capping the scoring at 8-3, sealing the Rockers victory.

“It was a simple game plan,” head coach Jameson Milam said. “The more time we wear them down in their zone, keep using the points, keep getting pucks to the net, it’s as simple as that.”

The Rockers' gameplan led them to their biggest margin of victory since December of 2023.

“We needed that one to build off of going into the rest of this weekend,” Colten said, who tallied a Motor City season high five points in the win. “I think that was one of the first games this year where we had the most fun together as a group and we played as a group in all three zones.”

The Rockers win gets them three points closer to a third straight playoff berth. Motor City is currently battling with division foe HC Venom for the fifth and final playoff spot.

“We had success tonight [from the game plan],” Milam said. “Which is good. That's the type of hockey we need to play.”

Motor City will matchup with HC Venom tomorrow night at 7:05 at Big Boy Arena.