By David Dell
PORT HURON- Following a drubbing by the Carolina Thunderbirds on Friday night, the Prowlers looked to make good on the franchise’s 10th anniversary season.
Carolina got the scoring going again in the first frame, at 1:22 by Petr Panacek, doing it all by himself. Unlike Friday night, Carolina wouldn’t control the period and Port Huron wouldn’t let the goal go unanswered. They didn’t respond until the second period though, giving up 20 shots in 20 minutes.
Isiah Parris capitalized on Jakob Schnapp’s Holding the Stick minor and scored the Prowler’s first goal of the regular season at 10:03. The Pickering Ontario rookie broke a seventy-minute drought and potted his first professional goal at the same time. Carolina’s captain John Buttitta put his team back in front 2-1 on a shorthanded goal all by himself just 13 seconds following Matt Pedersens’s High Sticking minor at 14:17. Jakob Schnapp’s third minor of the game put the Port Huron back on the powerplay but this time, Alex Johnson with helpers from Parris and Graham knotted the game back up at two apiece with just 10 seconds left in the period.
The officials, having found the style of play of Carolina’s Schnapp caught him for his fourth and fifth penalties of the night at 6:41 for Cross-Checking and again at 10:40 for Interference. The Prowlers were unable to take advantage of the man advantage in both cases. With the score even up at the end of regulation, the goalies swapped ends for the Overtime Period.
Playing 3 on 3 hockey for five minutes, neither team was able to put the game away leading to the Shoot Out ‘Skills Competition’. Confusion abounded as to the format as the league seems to swap between best of three and best of five every year. After some consultation, Carolina commenced with their first shooter. While Dawson Baker and Kalib Ford both failed to get one past Prowler goalie Valtteri Nousiainen Port Huron’s Daniel Chartrand did as well against Mario Cavaliere. Port Huron’s captain Austin Fetterly fired second for the home team, managing to lift the puck over Cavaliere’s leg to put on the red lamp. Thunderbird Jiri Pestuka was unable to follow suit, giving Port Huron the win, 3-2.
Port Huron’s record improved to 1-1-0 with 3 points, while Carolina drops to 1-0-1. Port Huron plays in the Empire Division while Carolina plays in the Continental Division of the Federal Prospects Hockey league. Port Huron in their 10th year, travels to Binghamton, New York next week to face the Black Bears for a two-game series.