Icehawks Earn Six Points In Four Road Games, Return Home Friday

January 13, 2010 - International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Port Huron Icehawks News Release


PORT HURON, M - The Port Huron Icehawks wrapped up a road trip last week with arguably their best stretch away from home this season. The Icehawks beat the Bloomington Prairie Thunder twice and lost in two shootouts against the Quad City Mallards to earn six of eight possible points and a 2-0-0-2 record.

The Icehawks return to McMorran Arena for a pair of games this weekend, as the Dayton Gems and Muskegon Lumberjacks come to town Friday and Sunday, respectively. With a 6-1-0-0 record against the Gems this season, the Icehawks look to avenge a 4-2 loss in Dayton that kicked off their five-game road trip on January 3. The Gems have never won in Port Huron (0-4).

When the Lumberjacks come to Port Huron for Sunday night's game, it will yet again be a battle of the IHL's top two teams. The first place Icehawks currently hold a two-point lead over the Lumberjacks, although by Sunday that can surely change as Muskegon plays twice before their trip to McMorran. The Lumberjacks lead the season series 4-2-0-1, but the Icehawks have won the last three meetings between the teams, including a huge 7-2 win on January 2.

Fans will see the IHL's top four leading scorers as Muskegon's Robin Bouchard (31g, 27a) and Todd Robinson (14g, 38a) will face Port Huron's Mickael Bedard (21g, 18a) and Derek Patrosso (17g, 20a). Bedard and Muskegon's Matt Krug represent the league's top two rookie scorers.

Home At Last: The Icehawks will put their league-leading, ten-game home winning streak on the line this week. The Icehawks continue to hold the best home record in the league at 14-2-0-0 and have not lost in front of the home crowd since a November 11, 2009 loss to the Lumberjacks. They last played at home on January 2 and treated their fans to a 7-2 routing of the same Lumberjacks.

Shootout Story: Four of the five times they've played this season, the Icehawks and Mallards have needed overtime, with Quad City winning three of four shootouts. Every time Port Huron has traveled to Quad City, they have returned home with a shootout loss. The Icehawks are 3-3 in shootout action overall this season, with all three shootout losses coming at the hands of the Mallards.

Put On The Red Light: With 13 goals in four games last week, the Icehawks became the highest-scoring team in the IHL with 121 goals. They also lead in assists (200) and points (321).

Best on Both Sides: The Icehawks' special teams enjoyed more success last week, holding their opponents to 1-13 on the power play, while scoring five goals of their own on the advantage. Coach Stan Drulia's team has been the class of the IHL in both categories all season long. Currently the Icehawks are in first place in power play goals scored (36), power play scoring percentage (22.4%), power play goals allowed (15) and penalty killing percentage (89.8).

Milestone Watch: Two Icehawks reached milestones last weekend. Derek Patrosso played in his 100th career game on Friday in Quad City and Jamie Lovell played in his 300th professional game on Sunday in Quad City. Two other players are poised to reach milestones. Daniel Tetrault is four goals shy of 100 for his career and three games away from 600 as a pro and Kris Vernarsky is two games shy of 500.

Oleksy Waived: Rookie defenseman Steven Oleksy was placed on waivers on Tuesday. Oleksy was signed in early November and had two points (1g, 1a) in 28 games.

Upcoming Promotions: Friday, January 15 vs. Dayton, 7:30 p.m. - Super Hero Night and Corporate Connections Night. Bring your camera for a unique photo opportunity with Iron Man and Spiderman! Local businesses will also be in attendance on Corporate Connections Night.

Sunday, January 17 vs. Muskegon, 5 p.m. - Red Wings Ticket Giveaway. The Icehawks will again conduct a drawing for a pair of Red Wings tickets. Anyone in attendance can enter to win.



International Hockey League 2 Stories from January 13, 2010


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