COLUMBUS, Ga. - Hockey is back at the Columbus Civic Center. The Columbus River Dragons opened their home schedule this weekend, Oct. 23 and 24, against the Binghamton Black Bears, the three-time defending champions of the Federal Prospects Hockey League. The team will play 28 home games this season, with the regular season running through mid-April.

The River Dragons play a balanced 56-game schedule, with 28 games at home and 28 on the road. The season opened on the road with two games against the Blue Ridge Bobcats in Wytheville, Virginia, on Oct. 16 and 17. The regular season ends with two games at Twin City on April 16 and 17.

The League and the Division

The FPHL has 17 teams this season, split into two conferences and four divisions. Columbus plays in the Western Conference's Delta Division with the Mid-South, Monroe and Baton Rouge teams. Half of Columbus' schedule, 28 of 56 games, comes against those three division rivals.

The division race decides who gets the easiest path to a title. Division champions earn an automatic spot in the division championship round, while the second- and third-place teams play in a play-in round whose details are still being finalized by the league's Board of Governors. The Western Conference champion advances to the Commissioner's Cup Finals, a trophy the River Dragons are still chasing.

Home Dates to Circle

Several home dates stand out on the schedule. On Friday, Nov. 20, the Fresno Falcons make their first trip to Columbus, and on Wednesday, Nov. 25, the River Dragons host Twin City on Thanksgiving Eve. Twin City returns to the Civic Center on Saturday, Dec. 26.

The busiest stretch at home comes in late winter. Columbus plays a six-game homestand from Feb. 5 through Feb. 20, its longest of the season, which includes a Valentine's weekend series against Mid-South on Feb. 12 and 13. A five-game homestand follows from March 5 through March 17, starting with Oceanside's first visit to the Civic Center on March 5 and ending with a St. Patrick's Day game against Twin City.

The Road Trips

The toughest part of the season comes in the spring. Columbus plays eight straight road games from March 19 through April 3, a stretch that includes the longest trip of the year, about 900 miles to Port Huron, Michigan, for games on March 26 and 27. Outside that stretch, the team will not spend more than two straight weekends away from home.

The road schedule also has a few firsts. On Friday, Dec. 18, Baton Rouge hosts Columbus for the first time at Raising Cane's River Center. The River Dragons play Mid-South 10 times this season and Monroe 10 times, more than any other opponents.

The rivalry with Twin City gets plenty of attention, too. The teams meet nine times in the regular season, including the final two games of the year. That series could decide playoff seeding if the division race is close in April.

Tickets and How to Watch

Season tickets for all 28 home games are on sale through the team's website, rdragons.com. Single-game tickets went on sale Oct. 8. Home games are played at the Columbus Civic Center, and the team held its training camp practices at the Ice Rink next door.

Fans who cannot make it to the Civic Center can still follow along. All 56 regular-season games are being broadcast on the River Dragons' YouTube channel. That includes road games as far away as Port Huron, Michigan.

A Short History

The River Dragons are one of the newer teams in the league. The FPHL awarded Columbus an expansion team on May 21, 2019, after the Columbus City Council approved a five-year lease at the Civic Center, and the team began play in the 2019-20 season. The team won the league's championship, then called the Ignite Cup, in the 2020-21 season.

That title team was coached by Jerome Bechard, with Brant Sherwood as an assistant. Sherwood now coaches Binghamton, the team Columbus faced in this weekend's home opener. The franchise is still looking for its first Commissioner's Cup, the trophy Binghamton has won three straight times.

The photos with this story show FPHL and minor league hockey scenes from other arenas, including the Blue Ridge Bobcats and Binghamton Black Bears, two of this season's River Dragons opponents. Columbus Civic Center photos were not available for this story. The team posts game photos on its website and social media.