Battlers Shut Out in 12-0 Loss Against Summit City Distillers, Optimism Remain

Fort Wayne, IN — The Summit City Distillers overwhelmed the Battlers in a dominant 12-0 victory at SportONE Parkview Ice Rink last night. The Distillers' offensive firepower was matched by a stellar performance from goaltender Richardson, who stopped all 27 shots he faced to secure the shutout.

The Battlers were outshot 58-27, struggling to counter the relentless pressure from Summit City. Philip Bushbacher led the way with a hat trick, and Cody Hess added five assists. Lawrence Huffman contributed two unassisted goals within ten seconds in the third period, cementing the Distillers' supremacy.

While the loss was a tough one for the Battlers, team owner Andrew Dibble struck a motivational tone. "This game was a lesson, not a setback," Dibble said. "The Distillers are a great team—they played with heart, speed, and skill. We respect what they’ve accomplished on the ice, but we’re not defined by one game. Losses like this fuel the fire for what’s to come."  

“They played for the entire 60 minutes of the game” Dibble remarked. “Summit City sets the bar high for every team in this league, and they’ve shown us where we need to improve. This is the kind of challenge that makes us better and I know we have the team that can go all the way, we are special group of guys and I know we can get all the peices put together.”  

Despite the tough outing, the Battlers showed resilience, fighting hard for puck control and creating scoring opportunities that, on another night, might have found the back of the net.

Looking ahead, the Battlers face another challenging matchup next weekend as they hit the road to take on the #2-ranked Toledo Mobsters. The Mobsters are riding high this season with an aggressive offensive approach and one of the league’s top power-play units.  

“This is an opportunity for us to show what we’re made of,” Dibble said about the upcoming game. “The Mobsters are a great team, and playing them on their ice will push us to raise our game. We’re committed to learning, improving, and coming back stronger every time we hit the ice.”  

The Battlers’ next home game is scheduled for January 4th against the Toledo Mobsters and a Sunday game January 5th against the #1 West Michigan Sentinels at the Kaliseum, where they’ll aim to turn things around and give their fans a reason to cheer.  

“Every game is a chance to grow,” Dibble concluded. “We believe in this team, and we’re just getting started.”