By David Dell
PORT HURON- Like every game between the Prowlers and the Mississippi (Biloxi) Sea Wolves, the game starts with a goal in the opening minutes. Saturday was no different with the Sea Wolves’ Philip Wong besting Port Huron’s Yoshihiro Kuroiwa at 1:01. Jamie Bucell (6th of the season) wouldn’t let nearly 40 minutes elapse though before getting things started for the Prowlers. Bucell had his shot stopped by Samuel Best and Tucker Scantlebury collected the puck and pulled it behind the goal. His centering pass went right back to Bucell who squeezed it past Best and the post to even things up at 4:41. Ludwig Thellstrom was also credited with an assist on the goal. Things would go dormant until just before the horn, Ross Bartlett and Austin Fetterly fought at center ice. Both teams test their opposing goalies 11 times in the period.
Starting a period with Fighting majors on the clock for the second time in two nights and skating nearly the entire time without many scoring chances, Austin Fetterly (10th of the season) put Port Huron up 2-1 with just 2:33 remaining in the middle stanza. Bucell and Scantlebury would pick up assists as Scantlebury put the puck on Fetterly’s stick deep in the slot from the left-wing boards, who found pay dirt low on Best’s glove side to pad the lead. Port Huron would get 11 chances again but held the Sea Wolves to 8.
At 14:01 of the third period Prowler Reggie Millette was whistled for Roughing. With half of his time left on the clock Fetterly took Brendan Hussey down in front of the Port Huron bench. This got the Mississippians riled up, as Kuroiwa deflected a shot out of play off his shoulder. With 00:35 remaining in Millette’s penalty Scantlebury took his man down deep in the right-wing corner. With no call for what the Sea Wolves perceived as a penalty, a stick flew from their bench landing on the blue line in the middle of the ice, followed by Scantlebury being checked from behind who made a beautiful 9.9 scored forward dive. Play continued with no call. Tanner Coleman brought the play in on the right wing and beat Kuroiwa low on the glove side. With play stopped at 4:03, it appeared Mississippi had tied the game with 00:04 left in the power play. Almost immediately the officials gathered to discuss events and ultimately reset the clock by 20 seconds and the tying goal taken down from the big board. Hussey drew a minor Unsportsmanlike penalty, along with Ross Bartlett who got his own Unsportsmanlike minor, along with Abuse of Officials under 5 minutes 10-minute Misconduct, and an Abuse of Officials Game Misconduct with Ejection. With things sorted out Port Huron had a 4 on 3 for 20 seconds then 5 on 3 when Millette rejoined the game. At 17;23 Player Coach Matt Graham (8th of the season) swept up the trash left in the crease from Johnson’s shot and put the Prowlers up 3-1. Ben Brockway drew a Boarding minor at 17:47 when both teams were back to full strength. The Sea Wolves then pulled their goalie for an extra attacker on the power play to skate 6 on 4. On the ensuing face off, Parsons stole the puck and knocking it off the boards, Graham (9th of the season) picked it up. Skating to Port Huron’s blueline, he flipped towards the net and picked up his second goal of the night. A Powerplay goal and a Shorthanded goal for the record books. Fetterly was credited with an assist as well giving him a Gordie Howe Hat Trick. Consisting of a Goal, and Assist, and a Fight, Gordie Howe himself only managed two, while playing over seven decades. Now down 4-1 with under a minute remaining, Mississippi pulled their goalie a second time and were able to halve the Prowlers’ lead with a goal at 19:47, but were a pair of goals shy of the win. The Sea Wolves were again held to 8 shots on goal to end the night with 27. Port Huron had 11 to finish with 35.
With the weekend sweep, Port Huron moves into second place in the Empire Division with a record of 12-12-3-1 record and 47 points. Their five-game win streak is their first of this length in several years and currently the longest in the Federal Prospects Hockey League.
The Prowlers will travel down the road to play the Motor City Rockers in Fraser Friday night with puck drop at 7:35 before hosting the Rockers Saturday night at McMorran Place Arena.
The Prowlers play in the Empire Division of the Federal Prospects Hockey League, now in its’ 15th year.
