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Russo Solid For Icehawks After Return From Italy

February 22, 2010 - International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2) News Release


ROCHESTER, MI--- Port Huron goaltender Adam Russo was solid between the pipes for the Icehawks this past week after returning from Italy. Russo spent the weekend of February 12th -14th with the Italian national team, participating in the 2010 Euro Ice Hockey Challenge. The netminder recorded two road wins for the Icehawks, earning a 4-1 win over Fort Wayne Friday and a 3-2 shootout win over Quad City Sunday. Russo has improved his overall record to 15-10-0-2, with a 2.57 goals against average and a.913 save percentage.

Port Huron was the only unbeaten team during Week 19, winning all three games and earning all six points available, all on the road. The Icehawks continue to dominate in special teams with the league's best power play record at 21.3% and the best penalty kill record at 87%. This past week, they added two more power play tallies to their total, giving them 47 total man-advantage goals.

Muskegon recorded back-to-back losses for just the second time this season over the past week. The first came Friday when they were shutout by the Quad City Mallards on the road 3-0. It was the second time the -˜Jacks have been shutout, with the first coming on home ice when Port Huron earned a 1-0 win on December 13th . Saturday, they had their 11-game home winning streak snapped in the 5-4 loss to Generals. The 11-game win streak ties the league high set by Port Huron.

The Flint Generals have been on a tear lately, earning a 6-4-0-0 record in their last 10 games, including wins over first place Muskegon and second place Port Huron. The Generals, who have scored 15 goals over their last three games, had a 2-1-0-0 record this past week, putting them just seven points behind fourth place Bloomington. The PrairieThunder currently hold the fourth and final playoff spot with eight weeks left in the regular season.

Around the 'I'

Bloomington PrairieThunder (1-1-0-0)- Forward Zach Pearson has scored a goal in four straight games. He has also tallied five of the PrairieThunder's last nine goals, including the game-winning tally in overtime Wednesday in Fort Wayne. The PrairieThunder snapped a seven-game winless streak in Fort Wayne, dating back to last season, with its 4-3 overtime win February 17th . Rookie Nick Elligsen has two goals in his short pro career and both have come in Fort Wayne. Bloomington is still undefeated when leading after the first period (20-0-1-2) and the second period (19-0-1-2). Of its 26 remaining regular season games, the PrairieThunder finds itself on the road 16 times and at home 10. They continue to have two of the IHL's top four scores in Jon Booras (58 points) and Craig Macdonald (54 points).

Flint Generals (2-1-0-0)- John Mori's five points on Saturday in Muskegon is the most points a Generals player has racked up in one game all season. He also leads the league in shorthanded goals with five (the 5th was added Saturday) and shots in a game with 11. John Ronan played in his 300th career game Sunday. Matt Moffat has the longest current point streak, with five points in five games. John Mori leads the team in points for the month of February with 12 (six goals and six assists in eight games). Mori leads the team in points away from Perani with 20 points, while Jamie Schaafsma leads the team at home with 24 points. While at home, the team has an overall plus-minus of plus-37 in comparison to a minus-101.

Fort Wayne Komets (1-1-1-0)- In addition to being on pace to lead the league in attendance for the eighth consecutive season, after 23 home games, the Komets are an improved 16-5-1-1 (.739) on home ice compared to last year's 11-8-1-3 (.565). The Komets special teams lead the IHL at home on the power play (25.7%) and have the best home penalty kill at 88.9%. Tim Haun leads goaltenders with a 2.21 goals-against average and 1,822 minutes; Guy Dupuis leads defensemen with 151 shots while Frankie DeAngelis tops blueliners with three game-winning goals, two short-handed goals and +18. Friday's 4-1 home loss to Port Huron saw four player streaks snapped. However Saturday at Dayton Leo Thomas (C) dished an assist to extend his point streak to three games (1 g, 2 a), goaltender Tim Haun earned his third straight win.

Muskegon Lumberjacks (2-2-0-0)- Four of Muskegon's six victories over Quad City have come by way of extra time; two overtime wins and two shootout wins as the -˜Jacks are a perfect 4-0 against the Mallards in this category. The -˜Jacks remain undefeated entering the third period with the lead this season with a record of 22-0-0-2. Of his 15 victories this season, rookie goaltender Matt Lundin has earned seven in extra time, three in overtime and four in the shootout, ranking him second in the IHL in shootout wins. With his three assists in Sunday's 8-7 win over Flint, -˜Jacks center Todd Robinson has attained 1,000 points in his 11-year pro career (1,002). Also in Sunday's win, left wing Bobby Bolt notched his first- ever pro hat trick. Those three goals exceeded his entire output for the current season (2) entering Sunday's game.

Port Huron Icehawks (3-0-0-0)- The Icehawks defeated the Mallards 3-2 in a shootout on Sunday night. Port Huron and Quad City have met eight times this season, with six of the eight games, including all five played at iwireless Center, being decided in a shootout. Three new players saw their first action as Icehawks this weekend. Veteran defenseman Bryan Nathe and rookie left wing Matt Maccarone both made their Icehawks debut on Friday, while forward Peter Flache joined the lineup on Saturday. Flache tallied one goal and one assist in two games played, while Nathe and Maccarone each finished the weekend with one assist. Matt Maccarone is the brother of Icehawks defenseman Adam Maccarone. His signing with the Icehawks marks the third time that the brothers have played on the same team during their careers.

Quad City Mallards (1-0-0-2)- The Mallards have suffered just one regulation loss in their last eight home games (5-1-0- 2). Kyle Jones stopped 34 Muskegon shots last Friday on the way to the first shutout of his professional career. Jones set a Division III record by posting 25 shutouts over the course of his four year collegiate career at St. Norbert in Wisconsin. Jones has suffered just one regulation defeat in his last seven appearances (3-1-0-2). Juris Stals scored with just over nine seconds left in the third period to tie last Wednesday's game in Muskegon. The Flock has now scored a tying or game winning goal in the final minute of regulation five times this season. The Mallards snapped a 0-for-21 power play drought when Chris Lipsett scored on the man advantage in the third period of Sunday's shootout loss to Port Huron.

Dayton Gems (0-2-0-0)- The Gems have another big week ahead with four games in five days, after they had a light two game week this past week. In the past 10 games, the Gems have had four players who have accumulated more than five points. John Snowden with four goals and three assists for seven points, Jon Ornelas with four goals and two assists for six points, Justin McCutcheon and Mike Vaskivuo who both have three goals and two assists for five points. The Gems have three defensemen in the top 15 of scoring leaders: Captain Greg Labenski, Russ Smith and Joe Van Culin. Van Culin is tied for 2nd in the league in goals - accumulating eight goals in 49 games and is third in the league with his shooting percentage of.100.

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