Sports stats

Icehawks Kick Off Second Half Of Season With Two Games

January 20, 2010 - International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Port Huron Icehawks News Release


PORT HURON, MI - The Port Huron Icehawks were consistently one of the best teams in the International Hockey League during the first half of the 2009-10 season and will look to keep that momentum going as they enter the second half of the schedule.

The Icehawks play their 38th game of the season tonight in Dayton before returning home to officially kick off the second half of the 76-game campaign with a game against the Quad City Mallards on Saturday.

The Icehawks (25-9-0-3) entered last week at first place in the IHL, but with a loss to the Muskegon Lumberjacks on Sunday dropped to second place, two points behind their rival. The Icehawks and Lumberjacks have played with first place on the line twice in January alone, with the teams splitting the two games. The loss also snapped an 11-game home winning streak for the Icehawks that began in mid November.

Port Huron will get a chance to reclaim a share of first place tonight when they travel to Dayton. Port Huron is 7-1-0-0 against the Gems this season, though their last meeting at Hara Arena ended in a 4-2 loss.

Quad City comes to town on Saturday in search of their first win in Port Huron. The Icehawks and Mallards have gone to a shootout in their last four meetings this year, with the home team winning each time. The Icehawks look to avenge two shootout losses at iWireless Center during their last road trip.

Quad City has earned the interesting distinction of being one of just two IHL teams with a winning record against the Icehawks, while at the same time being the only IHL team without a win in regulation versus Port Huron. The Icehawks are 2-0-0-3 versus the Mallards overall.

A Look Back: McMorran Arena fans were treated to two offensive explosions last weekend, as the Icehawks and their competitors combined for 21 goals in two nights of hockey. Brandon Naurato kicked off five unanswered goals Friday to push the Icehawks past the Gems 6-3 after falling behind 3-1 in the first period.

The Icehawks again fell behind early on Sunday as Muskegon scored the game's first five goals before Naurato had two of Port Huron's four consecutive goals in the third period to battle back. The Lumberjacks answered back with three more to finish a third period that saw seven total goals in less than 13 minutes and skate to a 8-4 win.

Rookie skaters led the way once again last week, scoring five of the Icehawks' ten goals. Mickael Bedard continued his great first season with a goal and two assists. Brandon Naurato moved up the rookie ranks with three goals, jump-starting two Port Huron rallies in the process.

Fire Away: The Icehawks offense was aggressive last weekend, outshooting their opponents in each game. Port Huron has had at least ten shots on goal in each of the last seven periods. The team has scored four goals or more 16 times this season, and they lead the IHL with 3.54 goals per game.

Expansion Success: In 13 games against the league's two expansion teams - Quad City and Dayton - the Icehawks are 9-1-0-3 and a perfect 7-0 at home. The Icehawks have outscored the Gems and Mallards 52-31 in the process. Their 36 goals against Dayton are the most the Icehawks have scored against any team this season, a stat padded by their six-goal performance last Friday.

Rookie Leaders: The Icehawks owe much of their success at the halfway point to their rookie skaters. Plagued with injuries to veteran forwards Mike Kinnie, Cory Stillman and Kris Vernarsky, the team has depended on newcomers to fill the void. Three of the IHL's top seven rookie point scorers wear Icehawks sweaters, including runaway leader Mickael Bedard. With 42 points (22g, 20a) Bedard enjoys a 16-point cushion for the rookie lead. Brandon Naurato sits in sixth with 21 points (11g, 10a), just five shy of second place despite playing it at least 15 fewer games than his colleagues. Defenseman Mike Gershon rounds out the top seven with 20 points (5g, 15a).

Milestone Watch: Daniel Tetrault is poised to reach at least one career milestone this week. The defenseman is just one game shy of 600 in his pro career and four goals shy of 100. Kris Vernarsky, who is currently on IR, is just two games away from 500.

Upcoming Promotions: Saturday, January 23 vs. Quad City, 7:30 p.m. - Pat Hills Night. Steve Yzerman Signed Jersey Raffle. The game is dedicated to the memory of Pat Hills, former director of the International Silver Stick Tournament. The Icehawks are also offering $8 group tickets to Silver Stick teams and will hold a raffle for a Red Wings jersey signed by Steve Yzerman and other Red Wings Alumni.

Ticket Packages: The Icehawks are offering two great discount packages for home games during the 2009-10 season. Family Four Packs are available now for all home games, while Deuces Wild Packages are on sale for all weekday games.

Family Four Packs include four tickets, four hot dogs, and four small fountain drinks for just $44. For just $22, the Deuces Wild Package includes two tickets in the Attack Zone and two beers or soft drinks. The Deuces Wild Package must be purchased at the Icehawks office during normal business hours, while the Family Four Pack is available in advance or at the gate.

Single Game Tickets: Single game tickets for all Icehawks home games are on sale now at the McMorran Arena Box Office, any Ticket Master location or by phone. For more information, visit www.porthuronicehawks.com or call 810-966-3800.



International Hockey League 2 Stories from January 20, 2010


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 Icehawks Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central