IHL Honors Port Huron Icehawks as 2008-09 Member Club of the Year
April 2, 2009 - International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2) News Release
ROCHESTER, MI--- The International Hockey League (IHL) announced Thursday that the Port Huron Icehawks have been named the 2008-09 IHL Member Club of the Year as selected by the league's Board of Governors. The IHL Member Club of the Year is determined by the team's overall success both on and off the ice.
Off the ice, the Icehawks have made significant donations to charities and the community of Port Huron. The Icehawks goaltenders Larry Sterling and Ryan Mior have teamed up with E&A Credit Union to create "Saves for Charity". All saves made by the Icehawks goaltenders result in E&A Credit Union donating $1 to the goalies charity of choice, which include Port Huron Minor Hockey Association and Child Abuse/Neglect Council in St. Clair County. Other charitable initiatives taken by the Icehawks this season include their Spaghetti on Ice charity dinner, which helped raise $5,000 for MDA and Star Wars Night, which rose over $4,000 for St. Clair County Council on Aging.
The Icehawks have also been involved in helping gear children towards earning better grades by giving free tickets for students K-12 who achieve good grades on their report cards. The players themselves have also had involvement in assisting the minor hockey associations in the Port Huron area.
On the ice, the team has compiled a regular season record of 41-20-6-3 with six games remaining on the regular season. The Icehawks broke their franchise record for most points in a season already earning 91 so far with the record being 88, set during their inaugural season during 2007-08. They have tied last year's record of wins, earning 41 with six games still remaining on the season. The Icehawks ran an impressive nine game winning streak on the road, spanning from December 4, 2008 thru January 10, 2009. They will return to the Turner Cup Playoffs for the second straight year in their franchise history, looking for a repeat trip to the finals.
Goaltenders have been stellar between the pipes for the Icehawks this season. Between the goalies, there have been a total of seven shutouts by Port Huron with rookie Ryan Mior earning four of those seven since joining the team in January. Forward Robert Snowball has been called up to the Lake Erie Monsters of the American Hockey League (AHL) three different times this season. In his three stints with Lake Erie, Snowball has played a total of seven games, scoring one goal and one assist with a plus-4 rating, recording 15 minutes in penalties. Snowball scored his first AHL goal on his first shift in his first game.
Several players earned weekly and monthly honors from the IHL, including Jamie Carroll, Derek Patrosso, Derek Merlini, Ryan Mior and Larry Sterling earning a total of 12 weekly honors while Kevin Desfosses, Ryan Mior, Derek Patrosso and Larry Sterling earned a total of five monthly honors. Port Huron personnel also earned end-of-the-season awards from the IHL including Stan Drulia- IHL Coach of the Year and Tab Lardner- IHL Outstanding Defensive Forward.
The Icehawks will be presented their award on Saturday, April 4th.
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International Hockey League 2 Stories from April 2, 2009
- Icehawks Named IHL Member Club of the Year - Port Huron Icehawks
- IHL Honors Port Huron Icehawks as 2008-09 Member Club of the Year - IHL 2
- First Father/Son Combination to Play in IHL for Jacks - Muskegon Lumberjacks
- Icehawks Stan Drulia Named Coach Of The Year - Port Huron Icehawks
- Port Huron's Stan Drulia Named Coach Of The Year - IHL 2
- Lardner Named Outstanding Defensive Forward - Port Huron Icehawks
- Port Huron's Tab Lardner Named Outstanding Defensive Forward - IHL 2
- K-Wings' Mike Modugno Earns Two Front Office Awards - Kalamazoo Wings
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