By David Dell
PORT HURON- A single game was played Thanksgiving Eve at McMorran between the Prowlers and Indiana Sentinels out of Columbus, Indiana, before the Prowlers hit the long road to Topeka, Kansas to take on the Scarecrows.
Port Huron will face the Sents 15 times this year, making them the defacto Empire Division rivals, while the Motor City Rockers (originally from Fraser, Michigan) are on hiatus after issues with Big Boy Arena.
Port Huron started the game strong outshooting the visitors 11-4 in the first frame, although Indiana’s netminder John Werber was Johnny on the Spot and made all 11 saves.
The Sentinels didn’t have the same luck in the middle stanza. At 7:23 Bobby Price (3rd of the season) brought the puck around the back of the Indiana net and banked a shot off Werber’s chest. Vincent Dekumbus gathered the rebound pushing it back out to Price who went upstairs on the goalie’s trapper side to start the scoring run. Not a minute later at 8:21 Player Coach Matt Graham (6th of the season) doubled the score against, on a big uncontrolled rebound given up by Werber. Arttu Heikkila put a close in blast on the blocker as Werber was moving towards the side of the net. Graham was racing down the slot, picked up the puck and had a virtual empty net in front of him. Seven seconds later, the Sentinels avoided the shut out with a goal by Ryan Glazer. Graham potted his second of the night at 9:33. As Graham crashed the net, Lukas Lacney fed a centering pass from the left-wing boards right on the tape and it was an easy tip-in to put Port Huron back in the lead. With Maximus Marek-Tortorella serving a Cross-Checking minor, Reggie Millette (3rd of the season) returning from a 15-day IR padded the Prowlers lead at 16:10. Nick Favaro sent the puck rink wide from right to left where Millette put a hard wrist shot beating Werber low on the stick side, padding the lead 4-1. Port Huron doubled up shots on goal 16-9 for the period.
Indiana picked up a power play goal at 5:28 during a Timothy Organ Interference minor to half the short fall but that would be all the scoring against Bailey Huber for the night. Millette took down and then continued the beating on the Sentinels’ Ryan Glazer behind the play after being on the receiving end of a Cup Check. With 1:52 left in regulation, Millette left the ice with a Fighting major, and Game Misconduct and Ejection. The crowd let loose with their “Reggie, Reggie” chant, as he was escorted to the player door. The Sentinels managed to get into the double digits for shots on goal with 11, against the Prowlers’ 8 in the period, but fell 4-2 on the big board.
Port Huron holds second place in the Empire Division with a 10-5-0 record, behind last year’s Commissioner’s Cup champions Binghamton Black Bears. They are finishing up a three-game road trip against the Topeka Scarecrows with a short bench due to injuries and illness.
The Port Huron Prowlers, now in their 11th consecutive season, are the longest tenured team in the FPHL.
