Flags Take Out Top Two Teams in Week 20
February 26, 2007 - International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Port Huron Flags News Release
Game Recaps
Friday, Feb. 23 Port Huron 2 @ Fort Wayne 0
Steve Hildenbrand's power play goal in the first period gave the Flags the initial lead. Colt King secured the win in the third, as Dustin Traylen turned away all of the home team's shots to earn a shutout victory on the road.
Saturday, Feb. 24 Port Huron 3 @ Muskegon 1
Shayne Tomlinson and Steve Hildenbrand each found the net in the initial frame, but Muskegon struck back in the third to cut the Flags' lead in half. However, Chris Bogas hit an empty-netter in the final minute to put the nail on the coffin of the Fury.
Player of the Week: Shayne Tomlinson Defense
DATE Vs. G A PTS PIM +/-
2/23 FTW 0 1 1 0 +1
2/24 MUS 1 0 1 0 +1
TOTAL 2 1 1 2 0 +2
As a veteran d-man, Shayne had a solid weekend against the league's top offenses, recording a goal and an assist, as well as being a key component in an outstanding effort from Port Huron's special tams. The Flags' defense killed off a 5-minute power play in Fort Wayne, in addition to over a minute of 5-on-3 shorthanded time, in which the Komets had the opportunity to tie the game. He recorded his second goal of the season in Muskegon on Saturday night.
Goaltender of the Week: Dustin Traylen
DATE Vs. W/L/SOL MIN GA SAVES SPCT.
2/23 FTW 1/0/0 60:00 0 33 1.000
TOTAL 1 1/0/0 60:00 0 33 1.000
In a weekend shortened by inclement weather, Dustin had just one night to shine and he capitalized, by blanking the 2nd place Komets on the road. He turned away all 33 shots and was named First Star of the Game, while giving the Flags their first victory of the season against Fort Wayne. It was his third shut-out of the season, his fourth straight win and his 15th of the season, tying a career high for him.
Team Notes
- The Flags hit the 20-win marker in Week 20, on Friday in Fort Wayne. It was also the first time Port Huron beat the Komets this season.
- As a team, they are now on a 3-game winning streak and recorded consecutive road victories for the first time this season
- It has been 180:00 since the Flags last trailed in a game, as they have held lead for the duration of their past three victories.
- The team is one win shy of reaching 50 points, which would best the teams' record from 2005-06, when the capped out at 49.
- Winning in Muskegon on Saturday gave the Flags a perfect road record against the Fury in February. They also bested the league leaders in LC Walker on Feb. 2.
- Port Huron moved out of last place in the Eastern Conference and into 7th in the league, as Elmira fell below the Flags in both standings.
- The team will finish up the second half of its road circuit this weekend as they travel to Rockford and Fort Wayne. On Sunday they return home to host the Jackals.
- When scoring first, the Flags are 13-6-3, in 22 games played
- Traylen's three shut-out games are third in the league among goalies and he is 5th in the league in SPCT with .916, as well as 2nd in the league in shoot-out win with 4.
- Greg Bullock & Ben Gustavson are both riding 3-game assists streaks, dating back to Feb. 17
Upcoming Games:
Friday, Mar. 2 @ Rockford IceHogs
Saturday, Mar. 3 @ Fort Wayne Komets
Sunday, Mar. 4 vs. Elmira Jackals (Home)
Continuing their road circuit, the Flags travel to Rockford on Friday to play the IceHogs who went 12-0-1 in February. Port Huron is the only team against which the Hogs have a losing record (the Flags are 2-1 in the series), however the last time they played in Rockford, the home squad was victorious.
The Komets will be seeking revenge for last Friday's blanking, when the Flags hit Fort Wayne on Saturday. Port Huron is 1-2-1 against the western conference leaders and Dustin Traylen will look to keep the Komets scoreless again.
The visiting Jackals are currently one point behind the Flags in the standings and will no doubt try to move past Port Huron. Their most recent match-up at McMorran came back in December, when the Flags hosted Elmira for a three game stand, going 1-1-1.
FEBRUARY MONTHLY HONORS
Player of the Month: Steve Hildenbrand Center
DATE Vs. G A PTS PIM +/-
2/9 MUS 1 0 1 6 0
2/10 KZO 0 0 0 4 0
2/11 CHI 0 1 1 0 0
2/14 FLT 0 2 2 0 +1
2/16 KZO 0 0 0 0 0
2/17 BLM 0 3 3 4 +2
2/23 FTW 1 0 1 0 0
2/24 MUS 2 0 1 2 0
The Flags' assistant captain had a banner month, leading the Flags in scoring in February and quietly propelling the team to a late month surge, to end the month above .500 at 6-5-0. In the 2 games in which he did not contribute a point, the Flags were shut out, and he did not earn a negative rating in either. He was named 3rd Star of the Game in Fort Wayne on Feb. 23. Steve recorded 1 shorthanded assist, 2 game-winning goals, 1 first goal and 1 shoot-out goal. He went 50% on shootouts and recorded a .176 SPCT.
Goaltender of the Month: Dustin Traylen
Rookie of the Month
DATE Vs. W/L/SOL MIN GA SAVES SPCT.
2/7 FTW 0/1/0 58:56 3 27 .900
2/10 KZO 0/1/0 60:00 3 32 .914
2/11 CHI 1/0/0 60:00 4 27 .871
2/14 FLT 1/0/0 60:00 2 31 .939
2/17 BLM 1/0/0 60:00 3 29 .906
2/23 FTW 1/0/0 60:00 0 33 1.000
TOTAL 6 4/2/0 358:56 15 179 .923
After sitting out January with a leg injury, Dustin made up for lost time in February, earning 2 consecutive shoot-out victories (2/11 & 2/14) and his third Shut-Out of the season (2/23). He finished the month with a 2.51 GAA and was named in the top 3 game stars in 2 contests. He is currently riding a 4-game winning streak for the second time this season and achieved his 15th win on Friday night, tying his career best in a season.
International Hockey League 2 Stories from February 26, 2007
- Playoff races heating up - IHL 2
- IceHogs sweep player of the week awards - Rockford IceHogs
- Booras earns weekly team honor - Bloomington PrairieThunder
- RockFord's Jason Ralph and Frederic Cloutier earn weekly UHL honors - IHL 2
- Kalamazoo Wings Week in Review - Kalamazoo Wings
- Mallards Face Divisional Rivals This Week - Quad City Mallards
- Chicago Hounds Weekly Notes - Chicago Hounds
- Flags Take Out Top Two Teams in Week 20 - Port Huron Flags
- Komets sweep pair on road to stay on top - Fort Wayne Komets
- Jackals Held Winless By Rockford On Weekend - Elmira Jackals
- Rockford ends February unbeaten after four-game sweep - Rockford IceHogs
- Generals Weekly Recap - Flint Generals
- First-place Fury remain road warriors - Muskegon Lumberjacks
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