MOTOR CITY ROCKERS at PORT HURON PROWLERS

ROCKERS COME BACK TO DEFEAT PROWLERS IN OT

by Will Wiegelman

Port Huron, MI - The Port Huron Prowlers opened their 2023-24 season with a 3-2 overtime loss to the Motor City Rockers at McMorran Place on Oct. 20. Scott Coash scored the winner after Motor City battled back from a two-goal deficit.

“I thought we played pretty well for 40 minutes,” said Prowlers head coach Matt Graham. “In the third, I was pretty disappointed with our level of play and compete, our composure as well [and] discipline. I think there’s a lot to build on, a lot of good habits that I saw today that we can take forward into tomorrow and next week.” 

Ian Wallace and Trevor Babin kept the teams off the board in the opening period and Port Huron struck first in the second. Brandon Picard stepped over the blue line and wired a wrist shot over Babin’s glove for the Prowlers’ first goal of the season and his for as a pro.

“It’s awesome for a guy to play his first game and get his first goal in the same game,” Graham said. “It was a play that we don’t work on in practice where you walk in and take a shot one-on-three, but sometimes that’s how it works out.”

1:35 later, Dalton Jay picked the same corner over Babin’s glove to double the advantage.

The Rockers got the power play going in the third. Brad Reitter potted a loose puck after Danny Vanderwiel drove the crease and then Dante Suffredini one-timed a shot from the slot to knot the score at two. In all, Motor City had five power plays in the third.

Wallace made 39 saves in the loss while Jay added an assist to his goal. Matt Graham also picked up a helper for Port Huron.

Coash’s overtime goal was enough to notch him the first star of the game. Six different Rockers picked up a point and Babin made 22 saves in net.

The rivalry is renewed on Oct. 21 at McMorran Place with puck drop scheduled for 6:05 P.M. You can get tickets at phprowlers.com/tickets or by calling the box office at 810-985-6166.

Rockers Rally Back to Win in OT

by Ben Szilagy

Port Huron, MI - The Motor City Rockers traveled to Port Huron to renew the I-94 Rivalry and kick off the 2023-24 season on Friday night. 

The Rockers used an explosive third period and two power play goals to force overtime against the Prowlers. The Rockers won 3-2 thanks to Scott Coash’s game winning goal in the extra frame.  

The two teams skated to an even first period as nothing was resolved. The Rockers trailed on shots 12-10, as both teams couldn’t secure quality scoring chances. 

The Prowlers made sure that changed in the second period as Port Huron scored two goals to build an insurmountable lead.

The first goal was off the stick of Brandon Picard as he rifled a shot from the slot as he immediately entered the offensive zone for his first of the season and a 1-0 lead with 11:10 left in the second period. 

Dalton Jay added on to the lead when the Prowlers put on extreme pressure after forcing a turnover. After creating a 4-on-1, the Jay picked up a misplayed puck in the slot and fired home the puck for a 2-0 lead. 

The Rockers offense woke up in the third period thanks to the power play where Motor City received five power plays in the final frame. 

As bodies were crashing the net, Brad Reitter opened the scoring for the Rockers when he shoved the puck past Ian Wallace to cut into the lead 2-1. Dante Suffredini finished off a one-time in the slot from Roman Gaudet to pull the Rockers even at 2-2 with 4:36 to play.

In the overtime period, Scott Coash picked up the puck near center ice and walked into the offensive zone. As he reached the high slot he fired in the game winning goal with 1:13 into the extra frame.

The Rockers and Prowlers will square off again on Saturday night at 6:05pm at McMorran Place.

BINGHAMTON BLACK BEARS at DANBURY HAT TRICKS 

Hat Tricks Win in a SO

by Doug Lattuca

Danbury, CT -  The Hat Tricks defeated the Black Bears of Binghamton 3-2 tonight at home in a shootout in the first game of a home-and-home series.

Goalie Conor McCollum was the first star of the night and for good reason. The rookie netminder, in his first professional start after signing with the Hat Tricks yesterday (Thu., Oct. 19), stopped 51 of 53 shots plus all attempts in the one-on-one shootout.

McCollum spent last season at Acadia University posting a .932 save percentage and 2.17 goals against average in six playoff games after playing in 21 regular season contests (.897 SV%, 3.07 GAA).

The scoring kicked off 1:25 in to the first period when Binghamton's F Josh Fletcher, assisted by F Nikita Ivashkin, found the back of the net, giving the Black Bears a 1-0 lead and subduing a pumped-up Danbury crowd.

In the 2nd period, the Hat Tricks roared back with a vengeance. F Evan Lugo, with assists from D Jarod Yau and F Jacob Ratcliffe, leveled the score at 1-1. Just 17 seconds later, F Daniel McKitrick, supported by F Jonny Ruiz and F Nick DiNicola, put Danbury ahead 2-1.

The Black Bears, who heavily outshot the Hat Tricks 53-23 in the game, tied the score at 5:16 of the third on Thomas Wray’s first score of the season. The goal was assisted by former Hat Tricks F Dustin Jesseau in his first game back against Danbury.

With no further scoring in regulation, the game went into a shootout. Danbury’s D Zachary Pamaylaon scored the lone goal in the shootout with McCollum stopping Ivashkin, Jesseau, and F Tyson Kirkby.

Prior to tonight (Fri., Oct. 20), the last time these two teams squared-off was in the second round of last year's FPHL playoffs. After falling behind 1-0 in the series, the Hat Tricks took games two and three to advance to the finals.

The Hat Tricks and Black Bears square off again tomorrow night in Binghamton in the second game of the home-and-home set and game two of 18 between the two sides this season.



MISSISSIPPI SEA WOLVES at WYTHEVILLE BOBCATS 

Sea Wolves Skate by Bobcats in Inaugural Season Opener

by Charles Ryan

Wytheville, VA -  The Blue Ridge Bobcats dropped their inaugural game to start off the 2023-2024 season against the Mississippi Sea Wolves on October 20th, 5-2.

The Seawolves struck first at 13:47 during the first period where Philip Wong found the back of the net with a one timer off the top of the left faceoff circle. Just brushing past a screened Connor Green over his right shoulder for the 1-0 lead. Assists on the play were awarded to Jackson Bond and Tyson Lambert.

Mississippi was quick to the punch during the second period with a tap-in shot from Yannis Liarakos from a deep shot off the stick of Hugo Koch to get the insurance goal to bring them up 2-0.

But the goals didn’t stop there for Joe pace and the Sea Wolves as they found the back of the net with a fast-break attempt through neutral ice as Chuck Castillo with an assist from Yianni Liarakos to push the gap to three just seven minutes later at 8:59.

Not to be out done though Hugo Koch finally found the back of the net four minutes later off the stick of Yianni Liarakos. Bringing Mississippi ahead by a large margin of 4-0 at 15:08.

While fans thought hope might be lost the Bobcats went to work finding their extra spark at 5:26 as Brice French awakened the bench taking the puck coast-to-coast to give the falcons the first point of the teams career in the third period.

The goal seemed to help as just two minutes later Captain Kyle Stevens caught goalie Joseph Sheppard off guard with the redirect from Jakub Volf and Brice French off the left side of the ice to bring Blue Ridge within two.

The Bobcats kept closing the gap throughout the third period as forward Cody Oakes pushed past the five-hole to bring the score within one off a lateral from Jakub Volf at 15:32 to bring the score to 4-3.

Just as the Bobcats started to build up the comeback in the third period they pulled Green and brought on Stevens as an extra skater. Down in the slot a bobbled reception sent the puck back into the hands of Hugo Koch who found a transition player in the neutral zone in Yianni Liarakos anda speedy forward in Jake Raleigh. Although Stevens made it in time the dive was just barely miss timed and the Sea Wolves took the game 5-2.

Three Stars of the night:

Yianni Liarakos

Hugo Koch

Brice French