Flags Fall Short to Fury in First Game, 4-2
Published on April 13, 2007 under International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Port Huron Flags News Release
(PORT HURON, MICH.) - On a night when all lower-seeded teams were bested in United Hockey League action, the Port Huron Flags fell prey to the Muskegon Fury's top forward line of Mike Watt, Todd Robinson and Rustyn Dolyny, by a final score of 4-2 at McMorran Arena.
Although Muskegon was on the power play, it was Port Huron who capitalized first, when Kris Vernarsky broke up a pass and walked to the net from the far circle. He beat Clayton Pool, stick side, to open up the scoring at 9:27 in the first. The Flags outshot their opponent by a margin of 10 to 8 in the first frame.
Bad blood started to flow in the second when two line brawls nearly erupted within a three minute span. A lapse in goaltending gave Watt a wide-open net when he intercepted Dustin's Traylen pass. His unassisted tally at 6:18 leveled the tables and the period closed out with no further scoring, despite 16 shots on goal by Muskegon and 8 from Port Huron.
Watt struck gold again, while the Fury were shorthanded, when he split two Flags defenders and found the five-hole at 1:50 in the third to give the visitors a 2-1 lead. It looked like the home team had tied things up when amateur Jeremy Scherlinck rifled in a wrister from beyond the blue line, but the goal was whistled down as a result of Flags offsides. Down but not out, Scott Wray took matters into his own hands and rebounded a Joe Markusen shot to equalize the game. Greg Bullock also assisted at 7:53, as the scoreboard read 2-2, approaching the midpoint of the third.
At that point, the deadly trio of Watt, Robinson and Dolyny went to work to secure an important first victory on the road. A questionable call that sent Steve Hildenbrand to the box resulted in a power play goal by Dolyny at 11:45, with his linemates tallying the assists. Fifty-one seconds later, the triplets returned to the Flags zone to seal the deal. Robinson took top honors on the final goal of the night, while Dolyny and Watt each padded their stats with another assist.
Traylen made 26 saves on 30 shots in the loss, while Pool stuffed 28 of 30 for the win. AT&T awarded its three stars of the game to Watt, Dolyny and Vernarsky, respectively. The Flags travel to Walker Arena tomorrow night and Tuesday for games two and three and return to McMorran on Wednesday to host the Fury in game four, with the puck dropping at 7 p.m.
Catch Flags Fever! Game four of first round playoff action returns next Wednesday, at 7:30 p.m. at McMorran Arena, as the Flags host the Muskegon Fury. Thanks to Cawood Auto, advance tickets are available at the reduced price of $12, $10 and half-off for children, 12 and under. On game day, prices return to the regular season cost of $16, $14 and $12. Don't miss out on your chance to be a part of all the playoff action as the Flags chase the Colonial Cup! Call (810) 982-FLAG today to reserve your seats and save money!
The Port Huron Flags are a community owned, non-profit member club of the United Hockey League. For more information, contact the front office at (810) 982-3524 or visit the website at www.porthuronflags.net.
International Hockey League 2 Stories from April 13, 2007
- Rockford Hunts Down Mallards In Opener - Rockford IceHogs
- Flags Fall Short to Fury in First Game, 4-2 - Port Huron Flags
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- Jackals Welcomed Unanimously Into The ECHL - Elmira Jackals
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