PrairieThunder Heating Up
January 14, 2009 - International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Bloomington PrairieThunder News Release
Fresh off back-to-back International Hockey League victories in its last two games, the Bloomington PrairieThunder returns to action Thursday at league-leading Port Huron in a 6:30 p.m. contest at McMorron Arena
The game begins a three-in-three-day flurry of action for Bloomington, which has improved its record to 12-20-1-0. The PrairieThunder has 25 points and trails Flint by just two points in the standings.
Bloomington travels to Muskegon for a 7 p.m. contest Friday before returning to U.S. Cellular Coliseum for the first time in two weeks Saturday to meet Flint at 7:05 p.m. All games can be heard on WTRX (93.7 FM) with Greg Halbleib handling the play-by-play.
Port Huron won three consecutive road games last week to extend its winning streak to a league-high nine games. The The red-hot Icehawks (23-12-1-0) have won their last four contests and seven of their last eight.
They are an impressive 14-3-1-0 in their last 18 games and haven't lost on the road since Nov. 27. Port Huron hasn't lost in regulation since Dec. 21. The IceHawks are 9-7-1-0 at home and a league-best 14-5-0-0 on the road.
Bloomington will be looking to snap an 11-game losing streak against Port Huron, dating back to last season. The IceHawks are 6-0 against the PrairieThunder this year, including two wins in Port Huron.
The PrairieThunder is 5-10-0-0 on the road where it has won two straight. Bloomington is 2-5 against Muskegon and 1-2 in L.C. Walker Arena against the 19-10-2-1 Lumberjacks, who are in third place with 41 points. Muskegon has won the last three games between the teams.
Bloomington is 3-4 against Flint and 2-2 in U.S. Cellular Coliseum versus the Generals. The PrairieThunder is 7-10-1 at home overall. Flint has a 12-24-1-2 with 27 points.
New faces
Jan Jas and Henry Kuster, two players obtained in trades over the last two weeks from Flint and Muskegon, have paid immediate dividends.
Jas has scored eight points in six games since joining the team. He has four goals and four assists. Jas has scored three points in each of the last two games.
Kuster scored a goal 29 seconds into his first game with the PrairieThunder on the way to a four-point night (2 goals, 2 assists).
Injury list
Center Brent Clarke is on the 45-day injury list after suffering a broken jaw when hit by a puck during the Dec. 6 game at Fort Wayne.
Clarke, one of the team's fastest skaters, had scored 11 points in 17 games after scoring just 12 in 73 games a year ago as a rookie. He is scheduled to come off the IR list on Jan. 21.
Clarke joined defenseman Jason Lepine on the extended injury list. Lepine is recovering from ACL surgery and expects to return in March.
Leaders of the pack
Forward Jon Booras leads the PrairieThunder in scoring with 45 points (17 goals, 28 assists) in 32 games to rank fifth in the league. He has already matched the number of assists he had last season in 74 contests.
Booras is second in the league in power play goals with nine. He has scored at least one point in 23 of the 32 games he has played, including multiple-point efforts 13 times.
He also is the franchise leader in games played, goals scored, assists and points.
Shaun Fisher is the team's top scorer among defensemen with 17 points (3 goals, 14 assists), while Adam Tomkow is the top scoring rookie with eight points (3 goals, 5 assists).
Players of the Week
Rookie goaltender Ryan Ludzik and Booras are the reigning IHL Player and Goaltender of the Week. Booras scored seven points in two games, while Ludzik had a .928 save percentage in netting two wins.
Slapshots, etc.
Brett Holmberg has scored at least one point in six straight games and seven of the last eight he has played for 11 points. He missed two games with a concussion. The second-year player has already tallied 33 points in 31 games to surpass the 31 he scored last year in 76 contests.
Marty Standish has scored 14 points in the last 14 games. There have only been six times in the 21 games Standish has played with the PrairieThunder that he hasn't recorded a point.
Standish holds the record for the quickest goal scored to start a game (11 seconds) in franchise history.
Four times this season, the PrairieThunder has scored a goal within the first 42 seconds of the game. Those scores came 11, 29, 38 and 42 seconds into a game.
Newcomers Henry Kuster and Jan Jas have either had a goal or assists (10 points between them) in the team's last 12 goals.
PrairieThunder Country Idol
The PrairieThunder, in conjunction with the Illinois Country Music Association and B-104 FM, stage the second round of its 'PrairieThunder Country Idol' talent contest at Saturday's game during the first intermission.
Missy Vail goes against Jordan Carter with the winner advancing to the March 21 finals. Mike Porter defeated Anjanel Folkens in the first round of the contest that tests the talents of six country music artists during PrairieThunder games
Winners are determined by the decision of an expert panel chosen by the Illinois Country Music Association and the vote of fans attending the game. The fan vote counts 25 percent and judges vote 75 percent in determining which performer advances in the competition.
The event is sponsored by the PrairieThunder, Illinois Country Music Association, B-104, McLean County Country Opry, PrimeTime Country Opry, 2156 East Studios of Springfield, AlphaGraphics and Altman's Billiards and Barstools.
Tickets for all PrairieThunder games can be purchased by calling 309-454-5500; on-line at www.prairiethunderhockey.com or at the Coliseum box office, 101 S. Madison Street, Bloomington between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and on game days.
International Hockey League 2 Stories from January 14, 2009
- Defenseman Rob Jarvis Snaps K-Wings' Three-Game Losing Streak with OT Winner - Kalamazoo Wings
- Probert and Kocur to Appear in Port Huron on Saturday - Port Huron Icehawks
- 'Jacks Announce Special Ticket Prices - Muskegon Lumberjacks
- PrairieThunder Country Idol Saturday - Bloomington PrairieThunder
- PrairieThunder Heating Up - Bloomington PrairieThunder
- Countdown to Face-Off - Kalamazoo Wings
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