Lardner hat trick lifts Icehawks to victory

Published on March 15, 2009 under International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Port Huron Icehawks News Release


PORT HURON, MI - Tab Lardner earned his second hat trick of the season on Sunday to lift the Port Huron Icehawks to a 7-3 victory over the Muskegon Lumberjacks at McMorran Arena.

Lardner's linesmate Bryan Smolinski also had a big game for Port Huron, netting one goal and three assists. The third member of the line, Steve Rymsha, dished out two assists.

The decisive win comes a night after the Icehawks scored a season high nine goals in a 9-1 routing of the Flint Generals.

The Icehawks outshot the Lumberjacks 31-19 through the first two periods of play to soar to a 5-1 lead. In the first period, Lardner scored his 31st and 32nd of the season to give his team an early advantage. The first goal was shorthanded.

The Icehawks continued to capitalize on scoring chances early in the second period and made it a 4-0 game with a Robert Cowan goal at 2:18 and a tally by Smolinski at 3:56. Just twenty seconds after Smolinski's goal, Chad Woollard beat goalie Larry Sterling to put the Lumberjacks on the board. The Icehawks were not deterred, however, and added their fifth goal of the contest before the period came to a close. The goal was scored by Jeremy Tucker at 17:49.

In the third period, the Lumberjacks attempted a comeback with goals from Woollard and Alec Kirschner, but the Icehawks also scored twice to cement the win. Jamie Lovell notched a goal on the power play at 3:21 and Lardner scored again at 12:17 for the hat trick. Lardner, who notched his first hat trick of the season on February 4 versus Kalamazoo, is on a hot streak. He also landed a pair of goals in Saturday's win versus Flint.

The Icehawks outshot the Lumberjacks 42-33. Sterling turned aside 30 of 33 shots to earn his 25th win of the season. Clayton Pool started in goal for Muskegon and made 12 saves on 16 shots, before he was replaced by John Ceci, who made 23 saves on 26 shots. Both teams were 1-5 on the power play.

With the win, the league leading Icehawks improve to 38-18-5-2 with 83 points and maintain a four point lead over the second place Fort Wayne Komets in the International Hockey League standings. The Lumberjacks see their losing streak reach four games and fall to 35-20-3-3 with 76 points. Though they entered the weekend in second place, they now sit three points behind the Komets in third.

The Icehawks wrap up a five game home-stand on Tuesday when the Fort Wayne Komets come to town. Don't miss this special St. Patrick's Day celebration. Tickets are buy one, get one free and hot dogs at McMorran Arena are just $1. The Icehawks wrap up the week with a pair of games on the road. They travel to Fort Wayne on Friday and Muskegon on Saturday.

Tickets for all Icehawks home games are available now at the Icehawks office, McMorran Arena box office, all Ticketmaster locations and www.ticketmaster.com. For more information call 810-966-3800 or visit www.porthuronicehawks.com.

Game Notes: With one assist tonight, Nick Lindberg extended his point streak to six games (3g, 8a)...The Icehawks now lead the season series with Muskegon 7-3-1-1...The Icehawks are an impressive 30-0-1-0 when leading after the second period this season.

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



International Hockey League 2 Stories from March 15, 2009


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.

OurSports Central