Fighting Falcons Win on Star Wars Night
October 22, 2011 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Port Huron Fighting Falcons News Release
PORT HURON, MI - The Port Huron Fighting Falcons earned a "Star Wars Night" victory Saturday as they defeated the Jamestown Ironmen 2-1 at McMorran Arena. Fighting Falcons players wore one-of-a-kind Chewbacca jerseys that were auctioned off to raise money for St. Joseph Mercy Hospital's Pink Ribbon Fund.
Nico Sierra put Port Huron on the board just 3:01 into the first period. Easton Powers and Mitch Sand assisted on the goal. The Fighting Falcons held the Ironmen without a shot for the final ten minutes of the period, and outshot Jamestown 12-6 through the first 20 minutes.
Sierra netted another at 8:46 of the second to give the Fighting Falcons a two-goal lead. Max Reavis and Sand assisted on the second period's only goal. Port Huron outshot Jamestown 17-9 in the period and appeared ready to cruise to another victory.
The Ironmen did not let up and they were the aggressors throughout the majority of the third period. Nick Bingaman ruined Megariotis' shutout bid with four minutes to play, cutting the lead in half.
Jamestown head coach Dan Daikawa pulled goalie Joe Ballmer in favor of a sixth skater late in the third period, but the Ironmen took a penalty after their first 6-on-5 shot with 50 seconds to play and were unable to put together another scoring chance.
The Ironmen had a 14-10 edge in third period shots, butPort Huron outshot Jamestown 39-29 overall.
Megariotis got his second win in as many nights as he stopped 28 of 29 Ironmen shots. In two starts this weekend, the Anaheim Hills, California native turned away 52 of the 54 shots he faced.
Ballmer made 37 saves but took the loss. Though he drops to 5-9 on the season, Ballmer remains in the top 20 in save percentage at 0.915.
Both teams were held scoreless on the power play as Jamestown went 0-4 and Port Huron was 0-7. Of the 11 combined power play chances, only five lasted an entire two minutes before another penalty nullified the opportunity.
There was no shortage of aggressive play, but no fighting took place in the first matchup between these teams since a line brawl marred their October 8 matchup in Jamestown.
With the win, the Fighting Falcons improved to 8-6-2; their 18 points matches their 2010-11 total. Jamestown is 6-11-0 after going 1-2 in three games this week.
In other North Division action, the Kalmazoo Jr. K-Wings moved to within one point of first place as they took out the division-leading Michigan Warriors at Wings West Arena in Kalamazoo. The Traverse City North Stars dropped their sixth straight game, falling 2-0 at home to the Janesville Jets.
The North Division has been the NAHL's most competitive division this season, as just nine points separate the first-place Warriors from the fifth-place Ironmen. The North is the only NAHL division in which each team has reached double digits in points.
The Fighting Falcons will hit the road for their next two games, as they take on the Michigan Warriors in Flint on October 29 and again on November 2. They return to McMorran Arena November 4 when they host the Kalamazoo Jr. K-Wings at 7 p.m.
Single game tickets to all Fighting Falcons home games are available at the McMorran Arena Box Office. Tickets in any section are just $7 this season. Student, senior citizen and military tickets are only $6.
For more information, call the Fighting Falcons office at (810) 966-3800, or follow the Fighting Falcons on Facebook (Port Huron Fighting Falcons - NAHL) and Twitter (@PHhockeyNAHL)!
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North American Hockey League Stories from October 22, 2011
- From a Sour Note to a Bitter Pill - Springfield Jr. Blues
- Bulls Escape Odessa Rally 2-1 - Odessa Jackalopes
- Fighting Falcons Win on Star Wars Night - Port Huron Fighting Falcons
- Bruins pick up victory 4-2 - Austin Bruins
- Payne Scores Twice, Kalamazoo Rolls Again - Kalamazoo Jr. K-Wings
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