Thunderbirds welcome Wolves for Veterans Night Game

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. –The Twin City Thunderbirds return to the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Arena tonight to open a two-game weekend series against the Watertown Wolves. The Thunderbirds will celebrate Veterans Night and look to build on last Saturday’s dramatic Home Opener victory over the Blue Ridge Bobcats. The Thunderbirds will also wear Veterans Night specialty jerseys during tonight’s game. The jerseys feature a red, black, and gray camouflage design, an American flag on the sleeve, and military branch patches honoring those who have served our country. Fans will have an opportunity to take home one of those jerseys through a live auction in Section 213 following the contest. Tonight’s matchup marks Twin City’s second home game of the 2026-2027 regular season and the first meeting of the season against the Wolves. Tickets are still available for tonight’s game and may be purchased online at tcbirds.com, wsfairgrounds.com, ticketmaster.com, or by calling the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Arena Box Office at (336) 774-8880. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:35pm ET.

Twin City (5-1-0) returns to action tonight following last weekend’s two-game sweep over the Blue Ridge Bobcats. The Thunderbirds posted a 3-2 overtime victory on the road last Friday night before recording a 4-3 win in Saturday’s Home Opener at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Arena. Zach White (2), Jacob Schnapp, and Roman Kraemer each netted goals for Twin City in Saturday’s victory. White scored the game-winning goal with twenty-seven seconds remaining in regulation, his second game-winning goal in as many nights. Kraemer’s goal was his first of the season. Goaltender Ayvin Eidsness made fifty-one saves on fifty-four shots in the Home Opener, including eighteen saves during a scoreless 3rd period. Eidsness stopped ninety-one of ninety-six shots across the two games against Blue Ridge. Twin City enters tonight’s game in 3rd place in the FPHL’s Atlantic Division standings with ten points, two points behind both the Binghamton Black Bears and Blue Ridge Bobcats. The Thunderbirds have won their last two games and have scored twenty-five goals through the opening six games of the season. Twin City went scoreless on seven powerplay opportunities during last weekend’s series. The Thunderbirds have posted a 26-14-3 all-time regular season record in forty-three meetings against Watertown. Scoring leaders for Twin City entering tonight’s opening game of the weekend include Zach White (7), Dominic Dumas (6), and Jacob Schnapp (3). The Thunderbirds will return to action tomorrow night for the second game of the weekend against Watertown. Twin City will also host the Indiana Sentinels next weekend on Friday, November 20th, at 7:35pm ET and Saturday, November 21st, at 6:05pm ET.

Watertown (0-8-2) enters tonight’s road game following a 5-1 home loss to the Danbury Hat Tricks on Wednesday night at the Northern Credit Union Community Arena. The Wolves enter tonight’s matchup in 4th place in the FPHL’s Great Lakes Division standings with two points and continue to seek their first victory of the 2026-2027 regular season. Brendan Hussey netted Watertown’s lone goal during Wednesday’s four-goal loss, with Hunter Hall and Gavin Abbott collecting assists. Hussey’s goal was his fifth of the season and brought his season total to ten points. Goaltender Anthony Shrum made thirty-one saves on thirty-six shots in net for the Wolves. Watertown outshot Danbury by a 37-36 margin but surrendered three goals during the 1st period. The Wolves went scoreless on nine powerplay opportunities and allowed two shorthanded goals during the matchup. Watertown’s penalty kill held Danbury scoreless on all seven powerplay opportunities. Head Coach Brent Clarke also played in Wednesday’s game, his first appearance as a player for the Wolves since the team’s 2021-2022 championship season. Watertown has scored twenty-two goals and allowed fifty-five through the opening ten games of the season. Donovan Powell leads the Wolves with twelve points, while Jake Schultz has contributed seven points from the blue line. Scoring leaders for Watertown entering tonight’s road game include Donovan Powell (5), Brendan Hussey (5), and Bret Parker (5). The Wolves will return to action tomorrow night for the final game of the weekend against Twin City, completing a stretch of three games in four nights.

The Thunderbirds own a 26-14-3 all-time record against the Wolves through forty-three regular season meetings between the organizations. Tonight’s matchup opens a weekend series with an opportunity for Twin City to extend its winning streak to three games, while Watertown looks to turn Wednesday’s shot advantage and successful penalty killing into a more complete result.

Tonight’s game is also a “5:00 For Fighting Friday,” with Fiddlin’ Fish Brewing Company’s Thunderbirds-branded “5:00 For Fighting Lager” available for only $5. The promotion will continue during Friday home games throughout the season.

The Thunderbirds and Wolves will conclude their weekend series tomorrow, Saturday, November 14th, with puck drop scheduled for 6:05pm ET on Huntington Bank Hockey Night. Twin City will then welcome the Indiana Sentinels for a two-game series on Friday, November 20th, at 7:35pm ET and Saturday, November 21st, at 6:05pm ET.

Single game tickets for all Twin City Thunderbirds regular season home games at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Arena are on sale now. Tickets may be purchased online at tcbirds.com, wsfairgrounds.com, ticketmaster.com, or by calling the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Arena Box Office at (336) 774-8880. For Group Ticket information, or to plan your next company outing at a Thunderbirds game, please contact Holli Carmin at (336) 774-8882 or hcarmin@tcbirds.hockey.