Sports stats

Fighting Falcons Eclipse .500 for First Time With Weekend Sweep

January 6, 2014 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Port Huron Fighting Falcons News Release


PORT HURON, MI - The Port Huron Fighting Falcons, proud members of the North American Hockey League, won back-to-back games for the first time since mid-November, as they swept the Janesville Jets in their first home series of 2014.

 

With the weekend sweep, the Fighting Falcons improved to 21-7-7 on the season. Port Huron holds a five-point edge over Johnstown in the North Division standings, and is just one point behind Amarillo in the NAHL's overall standings.

 

The wins also set a major milestone in Fighting Falcons franchise history, as they eclipsed the .500 mark overall for the first time in their four-year history. The Fighting Falcons have overcome an inaugural season that saw them finish 46 games below .500, and now sit at 97-96-20 all-time in the regular season, and 106-105-20 including their trips to the playoffs the past two years.

 

Head Coach Michael Gershon also tied Bill Warren's regular season record of 43 wins with the sweep.

 

Port Huron showcased why they are the NAHL's top scoring offense as they lit the lamp six times in Friday's win. Saturday night, they excelled on defense, as goalie Max Milosek earned his first shutout of the season in a 4-0 victory.

 

Fighting Falcons captains Bryan Yim, Jonathan Kopacka and Zach Badalamenti stepped up all weekend long, providing the offensive punch the team needed after leading scorer Mitch Maloney was called up to the USHL's Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. The captains outscored the Jets on their own over the course of the weekend, combining for four goals and five assists.

 

Kopacka got the scoring started Friday night, as his power play goal during a 5-on-3 advantage ignited Port Huron's offense. Noah Batis scored his first of two goals less than two minutes later before a Janesville score made it 2-1 after the first.

 

Port Huron and Janesville combined to score six times in Friday's second period, with the Fighting Falcons getting the first three. Batis scored less than a minute into the second for his first career two-goal game. Vito Aluia and Jon Hall scored goals just 36 seconds apart before Janesville responded with a pair of goals of their own. Bryan Yim's score late in the second proved to be the game's final goal, giving Port Huron a 6-3 win.

 

Kopacka added a pair of assists for his first three-point game of his NAHL career. Nick Le Sage, Taylor Fernandez, Bryan Yim, Bryce VanHorn and Matt Seidel each added an assist of their own in the victory.

 

Goalie Alex Blankenburg earned his 11th win of the season in his first home start since late November. Blankenburg is now 11-1-0 on the season.

 

Great defense with short bursts of offense was the story of Saturday's game, which began with a scoreless first period.

 

For the second consecutive night, Kopacka scored the game's first goal as his power play goal with less than five minutes to play in the second period broke a scoreless tie. The Fighting Falcons' lead doubled just 39 seconds later as Bryce VanHorn scored for the first time in 18 games to put Port Huron up 2-0.

 

The pattern continued in the third period, as a Zach Badalamenti goal was followed 44 seconds later by a Jon Hall score to make it 4-0.

 

Nick Horne, Bryan Yim, Jon Hall, Austin Romzek and Zach Badalamenti had assists Saturday night, with Hall earning the first two-point game of his rookie year.

 

Max Milosek stopped all 33 shots he faced, including 13 in the third period to earn his first shutout of the 2013-14 season, and sixth of his career, extending a franchise record. All six of Milosek's shutouts have come at McMorran Arena.

 

The win was Milosek's 10th of the year, making Port Huron one of just two NAHL teams with a pair of 10-win goaltenders (Amarillo).

 

The Fighting Falcons hit the road for a weekend series against the Soo Eagles Saturday and Sunday before returning to home ice to take on the second-place Johnstown Tomahawks Friday, January 17 and Saturday, January 18. Youth hockey players can get a $5 ticket to either game if they wear their jersey to the game. "Jackpot Friday" will also give one fan $1 per person in attendance at the January 17 home game.

 

Tickets to any Port Huron Fighting Falcons home game are available at the McMorran Arena Box Office starting at just $7 for seniors, students and military. For more information, call the front office at (810) 966-3800.



North American Hockey League Stories from January 6, 2014


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Port Huron Fighting Falcons Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central