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Icehawks to Ring in New Year on a High Note

December 29, 2008 - International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Port Huron Icehawks News Release


PORT HURON, MI - The Port Huron Icehawks will wrap up the 2008 portion of their International Hockey League schedule on a high note. They won both games played last week and with Saturday's win over Fort Wayne took over sole possession of first place in the IHL standings with 36 points.

They conclude the year with a New Year's Eve showdown at Bloomington on Wednesday and look to put a cap on a solid December in which they have gone 8-3-0-0. Port Huron will then ring in the New Year with back-to-back home games, including a bout with the Fort Wayne Komets on Friday and a visit from the Flint Generals on Saturday.

The league standings could vary before Wednesday, as Kalamazoo plays tonight at Fort Wayne, and Bloomington and Muskegon square off on Tuesday. The Icehawks will likely retain at least a share of first place, however, as they are currently two points in front of the second place K-Wings and four points in front of the third place Komets.

When the Icehawks travel to Bloomington on Wednesday, they will look to extend their league high five game road winning streak. The Icehawks have enjoyed two road winning streaks this season. Aside from the current streak, the Icehawks also rode a five game winning streak from November 7 - November 22.

On Wednesday, the Icehawks will also be searching for their tenth consecutive win versus the PrairieThunder, dating back to last season. The Icehawks are 5-0-0-0 in the season series with Bloomington and are 12-0-0-2 in their last 14 games with the team. They have not lost in regulation versus the PrairieThunder since December 15th of the 2007-08 season.

Port Huron's 4-2 win over Fort Wayne on Saturday marked the first time that the Icehawks defeated the Komets on home ice this season. The season series is currently tied 3-3, though the Komets lead 1-3-0-0 at McMorran Arena. The Icehawks lead the season series with the Generals 5-3-0-0 and have won the last four consecutive meetings between the teams.

A Look Back: The Icehawks improved their home record to 8-7-0-0 last week with back-to-back home wins. On Friday, Tab Lardner notched two goals and an assist and Jason Selleke added a goal and an assist as the Icehawks defeated the Lumberjacks 6-5 in overtime. Jamie Lovell had the game winner with just 21 seconds left in the five minute overtime period. On Saturday, the Icehawks scored four consecutive goals over the last two periods of play to skate to a 4-2 victory over the Komets. Jeff Zehr had two goals in the win, while Daniel Tetrault tallied a goal and an assist.

Patrosso Named Rookie Of The Week: Derek Patrosso was named IHL Rookie of the Week for the week ending Sunday, December 28th, the league announced Monday. Patrosso dished out a total of three assists in two games last week. He had two assists Friday night in the overtime win against Muskegon. He also assisted on Jeff Zehr's game-winning goal the following night in the Icehawks victory over the Komets. The 24-year-old Northville, Michigan native has posted 13 points so far in his rookie season, scoring four goals and nine assists in 24 games played.

Hot Streak: With three goals in two games last week, Jeff Zehr is now riding a four game goal streak (5g) and a seven game point streak (6g, 4a). Jamie Carroll also put up assists in both games played last week to extend his assist streak to five games. Tab Lardner saw his point streak snapped at nine games on Saturday.

Milestone Watch: Jason Selleke is closing in on several personal milestones. He is three points shy of 300 in his pro career and four games away from playing in his 500th professional contest. Selleke has averaged a point per game since returning to the lineup on December 16th after missing several weeks due to injury. He has seven points (2g, 5a) in his last six games.

Misc. Icehawks Notes: The Icehawks scored at least four goals in both games played last weekend and are now an impressive 15-1 when scoring four or more goals this season...The Icehawks and the K-Wings are currently well-matched offensively. The IHL's top two teams share the league lead in goals (110), assists (184) and points (294).



International Hockey League 2 Stories from December 29, 2008


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