Icehawks Score Early And Often In Fourth Straight Home Win

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


PORT HURON, MI - Larry Sterling got his 20th win of the season in emphatic fashion when the Port Huron Icehawks shutout the Quad City Mallards 6-0 at McMorran Arena Friday. The six-goal margin of victory is the largest of the season for the Icehawks, who moved within two points of second place with the win.

Port Huron took an early lead when Mike Kinnie extended his goal streak to four games with a wrist shot from the slot at 5:42 of the first period. Mickael Bedard continued his success against the Mallards when he deflected Jamie Lovell's shot into the back of the net about a minute later. Icehawks captain Kris Vernarsky broke a 28-game goalless drought when he slapped home a power play goal at 12:46 of the first. Peter Flache's rebound goal less than a minute later gave the Icehawks a commanding 4-0 lead. Port Huron outshot Quad City 18-7 in the opening period.

Icehawks forward Kerry Bowman scored the second period's only goal when he deflected Bryan Nathe's shot in at 15:43. Port Huron outshot Quad City 11-7 in the period.

Nick Lindberg fired away on a far-post pass from Mickael Bedard at 12:39 of the third period to give Port Huron the 6-0 victory. The Icehawks outshot the Mallards 11-9 in the game's final period.

Port Huron ended the game with a 40-26 edge in shots on goal. Each team was whistled for just three penalties. The Icehawks converted on one of two power play opportunities while the Mallards went 0-2 on the man advantage.

Larry Sterling earned his first official shutout of the season, stopping all 26 shots he faced. Sterling was not credited for a shutout in his December 12 start against Fort Wayne after missing the last 31 seconds of the game due to a fighting penalty. The win marks the third consecutive season Sterling reached 20 wins for the Icehawks. Jerad Kaufmann takes the loss for the Mallards, allowing four goals on 33 shots. Kyle Jones also saw action for Quad City, allowing two goals on seven shots in 6:35 of playing time.

With the win the Icehawks improve to 42-23-0-4 and 88 points, and 25-9-0-0 at home. With Fort Wayne's 3-1 loss to Flint, Port Huron is now just two points behind the Komets for second place in the IHL standings. Quad City drops to 25-33-4-7 and 61 points. The Mallards are just 6-22-3-3 on the road this season.

The Icehawks will get a chance to tie the Komets point total when they travel to Fort Wayne tomorrow night for a 7:30 p.m. battle. The Mallards head to Muskegon for a matchup with the first-place Lumberjacks at 7:00 p.m. tomorrow night.

Single game tickets for all Icehawks home games are on sale now at 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 April 2, 2010


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