6ixers, Dawgs, and Wings Trade Blows in Fraser as Northeast Race Tightens

The East Pro Division made its second and final visit of the season to Big Boy Arena in Fraser, Michigan on Saturday, January 10, with Buffalo, Toronto, and Motor City squaring off in a compact six-game round-robin. With each club playing four games and arriving already deep into their 2025-26 slate, the day served as both a measuring stick and a momentum builder heading into the last regular-season weekend in Buffalo. When the dust settled, the Toronto 6ixers owned the best record on the day at 3-1-0, Motor City Dirty Dawgs split their games to finish 2-2-0, and the Buffalo Wings came away 1-3-0 but proved they can skate with anyone when they are rolling.

Below is a game-by-game look, followed by team breakdowns, standout performances, and what comes next in the Northeast playoff race.

Game-by-Game Recaps

Motor City Dirty Dawgs 5, Buffalo Wings 4 (OT) – 4:00 PM

The day opened with a thriller as Motor City and Buffalo traded goals in a back-and-forth contest that needed extra time to decide. The Dawgs found just enough offense in the 3-on-3 frame, capitalizing on a breakdown to bury the winner and grab the early edge in the mini-tournament. Buffalo generated plenty of offense of its own and had stretches where it tilted the rink, but could not close it out in regulation. Motor City skated off with a 1-0-0 start, while the Wings settled for a frustrating single-goal OT loss to open their day.

Toronto 6ixers 8, Buffalo Wings 4 – 4:40 PM

Game two turned into an offensive showcase for the 6ixers as Toronto poured in eight goals against a Wings squad playing its second straight. Toronto’s speed through the neutral zone and quick puck movement created repeated odd-man looks, and the 6ixers took full advantage to pull away. Buffalo still managed to find the back of the net four times, but chasing the game from behind for most of the contest proved costly in terms of energy and focus. The 6ixers closed the first half of their day at 1-0-0, while the Wings fell to 0-2-0.

Motor City Dirty Dawgs 6, Toronto 6ixers 2 – 5:20 PM

In a statement win, Motor City clamped down defensively and countered with a clinical offensive effort to hand Toronto its only loss of the day. The Dawgs controlled long segments of possession, wore down the 6ixers’ defenders, and converted their chances to build a multi-goal cushion. Toronto generated opportunities but ran into strong goaltending and could not find the kind of finishing touch that powered its earlier win over Buffalo. The result pushed Motor City to a perfect 2-0-0 start, while Toronto dropped to 1-1-0 heading into the evening rematches.

Buffalo Wings 7, Motor City Dirty Dawgs 2 – 6:00 PM

Buffalo responded emphatically in the rematch, flipping the script on Motor City with a decisive 7–2 victory. The Wings pushed the pace early, established a lead, and never looked back, turning their speed and forecheck into offense and forcing the Dawgs into uncharacteristic mistakes. As the game wore on, Buffalo’s confidence grew, and the margin on the scoreboard reflected both its urgency and its depth. Motor City absorbed its first loss of the day and dropped to 2-1-0, while Buffalo finally broke through to move to 1-2-0 and keep its day from slipping away.

Toronto 6ixers 3, Buffalo Wings 2 – 6:40 PM

Toronto and Buffalo delivered one of the tightest games of the festival in the second meeting between the clubs. The 6ixers did just enough in the key moments, finding a way to edge ahead and then protect a one-goal margin in the late stages. Buffalo, coming off its lopsided win over Motor City, generated plenty of push but could not manufacture the tying goal as Toronto’s defensive structure held. The victory lifted the 6ixers to 2-1-0 and dropped the Wings to 1-3-0 on the day despite some strong stretches of play.

Toronto 6ixers 6, Motor City Dirty Dawgs 2 – 7:20 PM

The night closed with a convincing bounce-back from Toronto, which returned the favor against Motor City after dropping the afternoon meeting. The 6ixers’ attack was relentless, and they steadily pulled away, turning the finale into a statement game with six goals and a stout defensive performance. Motor City struggled to generate second-chance looks and found itself chasing once Toronto grabbed control of the scoreboard. With the result, Toronto finished 3-1-0 and on top of the Big Boy mini-festival, while Motor City settled at an even 2-2-0.

Team-by-Team Breakdown

Toronto 6ixers – 3-1-0 on the Day

Toronto’s 3-1-0 record in Fraser underlined why the 6ixers have to be considered a serious threat heading into the final weekend. An explosive offense produced 23 goals across four games, including an eight-spot in their first meeting with Buffalo and a six-goal closer against Motor City. Just as importantly, Toronto showed the ability to respond to adversity: after being handled 6–2 by the Dawgs, they tightened up, ground out a one-goal win over the Wings, and then dominated the rematch with Motor City. With 14 regular-season games now in the books, this performance reinforces Toronto as one of the East’s upper-tier clubs heading into Buffalo.

Motor City Dirty Dawgs – 2-2-0 on the Day

Motor City’s day was a study in highs and lows. The Dawgs opened strong with a gutsy OT win against Buffalo and an impressive 6–2 victory over Toronto, looking every bit like a team capable of controlling games with their pace and structure. The back half of the schedule, however, exposed some inconsistency, as Motor City conceded a combined 13 goals in losses to Buffalo and Toronto. Even so, a 2-2-0 showing in a tight three-team field keeps them firmly in the mix near the top of the Northeast standings after 14 games. The Dawgs leave Fraser knowing that when they are locked in, they can beat anyone they will see in Buffalo.

Buffalo Wings – 1-3-0 on the Day

On paper, the Wings’ 1-3-0 record does not tell the full story of their night. Buffalo started with a narrow OT loss to Motor City, ran into Toronto’s firepower in game two, and then authored one of the festival’s most impressive performances with a 7–2 dismantling of the Dawgs. They finished with a pair of one-goal defeats to Toronto and the earlier OT setback, leaving them just a few bounces away from a very different record. Still, with 14 games now played, Buffalo has a clear picture of where it stands: dangerous when it strings together full 24-minute efforts, but needing a bit more consistency to climb into the top playoff seeds going into the final weekend.

Individual Standouts

While the full stat lines tell the detailed story, several themes emerged across the six-game set in Fraser:

• Clutch scoring in overtime and rematches. Motor City’s sudden-death winner in the opener and Toronto’s emphatic response in the nightcap underscored how many big goals came in high-leverage moments.

• Balanced offensive depth. All three teams showed that their scoring does not come from just one line; multi-goal games and diverse scoring spreads were a common thread in both Toronto’s and Motor City’s wins, and Buffalo’s 7–2 victory highlighted its own secondary scoring.

• Goaltending under fire. With several games reaching six or more goals for one side, both starters and backups across the three teams faced heavy workloads. In their wins, each club got timely saves that prevented momentum swings and allowed their offenses to take over.

(Once full player statistics and three-star selections are digested, this section can easily expand into more specific call-outs for multi-point nights, special-teams impact, and goaltending performances.)

What’s Next

With this second and final Big Boy Arena festival now complete, all seven Northeast Pro teams have reached the 14-game mark—a true checkpoint for where everyone stands in the divisional race. The focus now shifts to the rescheduled regular-season finale at the Kenan Center in Buffalo in two weeks, the last chance for clubs to improve their position. That weekend will lock in final seedings and determine which five of the seven East teams punch their tickets to the PIHA Finals. For Buffalo, Toronto, Motor City, and the four clubs that were idle this weekend, every point in Buffalo will carry playoff-level urgency as the road to Colorado Springs comes into full view.