By David Dell
FRASER- The Port Huron Prowlers were singing in tune, on the road Friday night with a decisive win over their I-94 rivals the Motor City Rockers.
Recent acquisition Dylan Marty (2nd of the season) began things just one minute after puck drop. Dan Chartrand dug the puck out of the deep end on a backhand centering pass where Marty was able to take a swing, popping the disc over Ricardo Gonzales’s glove for the 1-0 lead. Braiden Simmons-Fischer (2nd of the season) lit the lamp just as Tristan Wells’ minor High-Sticking penalty expired in a tic-tac-toe play from Reggie Millette on the right wing, to Captain Austin Fetterly in the high slot, who’s shot got tipped in front of the crease. Time of the goal 6:55. Twenty seconds later Marty (3rd of the season) got a tip in on Bryan Parsons’ shot from the left wall blue line to make the score 3-0. On a Timor Gavrilovich Holding penalty, Captain Austin Fetterly (15th of the season) got the power play goal making if 4-0 with a Simmons-Fischer pass from the left wing point, to Player Coach Alex Johnson on the left wing side who got it on net. Gonzales was unable to control the rebound and Fetterly put it away easily. Time of the goal, 9:45. Once again, less than a minute later at 10:30 Port Huron drew blood. This time the recent collegiate signing Drew Welsch got his first professional goal. As part of the newly formed Trine (University) Line with Timothy Organ, Timothy Fox, Bobby Price, he was first in the record books. Fox won the face off to Gonzales left, getting the puck back to Simmons-Fischer at the blue line. He sauced it to Rice, near the middle of the slot, who went cross ice for Welsch’s one-timer that chased Gonzales from the game. Down 5-0 at 10:30, the Rockers’ only entries in the book, were a pair of minor penalties. No goals, no Shots on goal. At the 12:46 mark, Welsch (2nd of the season) with Fox and Simmons-Fischer put together an attack beating Bryn Sommerfeldt for a lead of 6-0. Bryan Parsons and Eli Rivers picked up Roughing minors at 18:31 with an Abuse of Officials added to Rivers, followed by Nicholas Magill-Diaz’s Cross Checking infraction at 19:00 put the Prowlers back on the power play 4-3 with just one minute remaining in the opening stanza. Using most of that minute, Lukas Lacny (18th of the season) added insult to injury giving Port Huron a 7-0 lead after 20 minutes. Johnson and Fetterly kept the puck in motion before sending it towards the goal, where Lacny was able to release a rocket on Sommerfeldt who was being properly screened by Jamie Bucell. At the end of 20 minutes, the Prowlers had one more goal than the Rockers had in shots on goal. Shot totals being 19-6.
Early in the middle frame, T.J. Sneath had a break away into the Prowler zone but his shot was turned away by Reid Cooper. As the puck went across the mouth of the goal, Nick Gullo was able to send it right back to Sneath who was able to break the shut out at 1:09. Dan Chartrand (8th of the season) got the goal back at 8:43. Johnson and Price got the play moving with Price racing down the right wing boards before circling behind the cage. Coming out on the left wing, he deftly went cross rink to Chartrand on his own rush in, leaving Sommerfeldt grossly out of position for number 8 in the match. Bobby Price got his souvenir First Professional Goal puck at 13:50. With Welsch, and Adam Heinzl hammering the Rockers’ defense with skating and shooting, Price was able to freeze Sommerfeldt in close beating him on the glove side for goal 9. Eli Rivers (even strength) and Magill-Diaz (power play) added goals two and three for Fraser before the period finished. Both teams put 14 shots on goal.
Jamie Bucell (12th of the season) lit the red lamp one last time for Port Huron at 4:22 when he cashed in the loose change from Marty’s shot that rebounded right to his stick following a face off. Port Huron would put up 13 shots to Fraser’s 6 for a game total count 46-26. Eight different players scored for the Prowlers and seven had three points or more.
The Prowlers play again at home Saturday night with a 6:05 puck drop against the Rockers before heading to North Carolina next weekend for a two game series with their playoff nemesis Thunderbirds.
The Prowlers play in the Empire Division of the Federal Prospects Hockey League, now in its’ 15th year.
