Breakers Drop Early Lead, Fall 5-3 (1/2)

BILOXI, MS - Settling in for a 6 game homestand, the Breakers looked to kick off 2026 with a win in an inter-division clash with the Topeka Scarecrows. Despite a 2-0 lead at the first intermission, 5 unanswered Topeka goals helped the visitors leapfrog Biloxi en route to a 5-3 victory. 

The Breakers came out flying in period 1 with some early pressure. Off a turnover in the Scarecrow end, Aldi Nurlan fed a pass to Darius Davidson that was shoveled home to put the Breakers up 1-0 just 2:04 in. Topeka does not like to play from behind, and it only took a minute for player assistant coach Justin Schmit to step up and answer the bell with Breakers enforcer AJ Schlepp. After a spirited bout at center ice, Schlepp tackled Schmit down to the logo and was greeted with a loud ovation as he headed to the box. As the midway point in the frame approached, Topeka turned up the pressure, flipping the shot totals in their favor but still not cracking Anton Borodkin. The Breakers needed to regain the tempo, and sometimes a little luck will do the trick. At 17:17, Lucas Piekarczyk fired a shot from above the circle that deflected off Bryzgalov’s glove and in to double the lead at 2-0. The Scarecrows outshot the Breakers 14-11 through the opening 20. 

Topeka needed some answers in period 2 trailing by a pair, and it didn’t take long to find them. Just 1:43 in, a tenacious effort by Elijah Wilson through a stick tie up was slid home through Borodkin’s five-hole to cut the deficit in half. A few minutes later, a delayed icing was confirmed by the Breakers winning a race, but as the whistle was blown Elijah Wilson tapped the puck into the net, sparking some controversy. With the whistle blown, there was nothing to review, and Biloxi had indeed won the race so the equalizer would be postponed. Topeka would find their revenge late at 18:09, when Boston Bird made a power-move to the goal and stuffed home the equalizer. Originally the play was reviewed with the call on the ice being no goal, but video assistance confirmed the late mark to tie the game at 2. Through 40 minutes we were all locked up, with Topeka leading in shots 36-22. 

Both teams were locked in on the all important 5th mark of the contest as they fired out for period 3 action. Topeka had the momentum after a solid middle chapter, and began to control the possession. At 7:06, a frantic play in front spit out a puck to Trevor Grasby who soared through the air to bury it for his first with his new club to make it 3-2 Topeka. Only 1:17 later, Boston Bird tipped a Jacob Gagnon centering pass home to double the lead at 4-2. Knowing someone needed to step up, around the midway point Brendan Spinale challenged Avery Smith to some fisticuffs after a play boiled over. Spinale came out on top with a right-handed cannon to send Smith to the ice and put some energy back into the building. Unfortunately, the tides couldn’t turn quick enough for Biloxi. At 14:16, Connor Lind scored on a relentless route to the goal to make it 5-2 and virtually put the game out of reach. The silver lining came at 17:47 when Brandon Lucchesi threw a puck on net from below the end line that deflected in to make it 5-3. Topeka outshot Biloxi 51-33 in full time, and the game also did not feature a single minor penalty or man-advantage opportunity. 

Biloxi falls to 5-19-1, as Topeka improves to 15-8-0. The two teams will battle again tomorrow night at 7:00 inside the Coast Coliseum.