Drahorad, Dill, and Defense Lead Thunderbirds to Weekend Sweep of Port Huron
By Zak DeBeaussaert
Winston-Salem, NC - The first FHL shutout of Henry Dill's career propelled the Carolina Thunderbirds to a 6-0 victory Saturday night against the Port Huron Prowlers. Dill stopped all 21 shots he faced tonight from an understaffed Port Huron team that didn't have the services of Austin Fetterly and Edgars Ozolins due to suspension.
The Thunderbirds capitalized on the bench depth advantage, potting four goals in the first period to take the wind out of Port Huron's sails and send the Fairgrounds Annex into a frenzy. Karel Drahorad potted two of those goals and assisted on the first goal of the game scored by Micahel Bunn. Chase Fallis, Petr Panacek, and Josh Pietrantonio also tallied goals to make the scoreline read 6-0. Pietrantonio left the ice with about three minutes to go in the game after securing a Gordie Howe hat trick with a fight against Shea Carey.
The Thunderbirds special teams were just that tonight, special. A 4/8 mark on the Salem Smiles Power Play and a perfect 6/6 on the Wake Forest Baptist Health Penalty Kill.
Andre Niec was ejected from this game in the middle of the second period after protesting a referee's call. Healthy scratch Jay Kenney manned the bench for the remainder of the second, and Thunderbirds President and GM Scott Brand manned the bench for the third.
Henry Dill stopped 22 of 22 shots in the win for his first shutout of his FHL career. Matt Leon stopped 39 of 45 shots in the loss.
Carolina remains at the top of the FHL standings with a maximum six points out of six through the opening weekend. They'll host the Elmira Enforcers on Friday and Saturday next weekend.
3 Stars of the Game:
Henry Dill
Karel Drahorad
Jiri Pargac
Attendance: 2,242
Photo credit: V. Khouri