Skalde Suspended
Published on February 28, 2009 under International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Bloomington PrairieThunder News Release
PORT HURON, Mich. - The Bloomington PrairieThunder will be looking for its first
victory in six games this season against Port Huron at McMorran Arena without head coach Jarrod Skalde.
The first-year Bloomington coach was suspended for Saturday's 6:30 p.m. game. The suspension resulted from Skalde's actions during Friday's 3-2 PrairieThunder loss to the IceHawks.
The suspension was issued under accumulation of game misconducts in the "other" category. Skalde received two game misconduct penalties and was ejected from the game early in the third period.
Goaltender Scott Fankhouser, who is on the 45-day injury list with a high ankle sprain, will coach the team. Fankhouser took over the coaching duties when Skalde was ejected in another game and led the team to a shootout triumph.
Skalde was upset by two near Bloomington goals that were called off by the referee. He expressed his frustration by throwing the athletic trainer's medical bag, water bottles and sticks onto the ice.
The PrairieThunder (23-27-1-3, 50 points) are 1-10 against the IceHawks this season and have lost four of its last five games. Port Huron leads the league with a 33-16-5-1 record (72 points).
The Icehawks are unbeaten in regulation in their last eight games and have won seven straight at home. The Icehawks own a 20-3-1-2 mark in the all-time series with Bloomington.
Saturday's game can be heard on WTRX (93.7 FM) with Greg Halbleib handling the play-by-play duties.
Injury update
Forwards Travis Granbois and Henry Kuster will likely miss their second straight game Saturday with injuries. Granbois hurt his knee in Thursday's game at Flint and Kuster is nursing a back injury suffered earlier in the season.
Nothing boring about Booras
Captain Jon Booras became the first player in franchise history to reach the 200-game plateau when he took the ice Friday. Booras is also the franchise career leader in goals scored (75), assists (95) and points (170).
The Billings, Mont. native, who is in his third year at the pro level, ranks second in the league in scoring with 72 points and goals scored (30), fourth in assists (42) and first in shots (225), power play goals (12) and power play assists (3).
Booras has scored at least one point in 40 of the 53 games he has played and 22 times he has scored one or more points.
Frantic finishes
Four times this season the PrairieThunder has scored a goal in the final minute to force the game into overtime or a shootout. Those moments were:
Dec. 26 at Fort Wayne: Jon Booras scores with 55 seconds remaining in regulation and PrairieThunder goes on to 3-2 shootout win.
Feb. 4 vs. Muskegon: Booras scores with 0.9 seconds remaining in regulation and PrairieThunder earns 5-4 shootout win.
Feb. 6 at Muskegon: Travis Granbois scores with 54 seconds remaining in regulation and PrairieThunder goes on to 6-5 shootout vicory.
Feb. 21 vs. Port Huron: Jan Jas scores with 33 seconds remaining in regulation and PrairieThunder registers 2-1 overtime victory.
Next home game
The PrairieThunder is in the midst of a five-game road trip and does not return home until March 11 when it meets Muskegon in a 7:05 p.m. contest at U.S. Cellular Coliseum.
All tickets for the game are $7 with hot dogs, popcorn, soda, Miller Lite and Budwesier draught beers $2 each.
International Hockey League 2 Stories from February 28, 2009
- Countdown to Face-Off - Kalamazoo Wings
- Port Huron Extends Unbeaten Streak To Nine Games With Victory - Port Huron Icehawks
- Flint nipped by Lumberjacks - Flint Generals
- Kalamazoo Jumps Out to 2-0 First Period Lead Only to Fall 3-2 to Fort Wayne - Kalamazoo Wings
- Port Huron wins 2-1 over Bloomington - Bloomington PrairieThunder
- Skalde Suspended - Bloomington PrairieThunder
- Generals And Lumberjacks Tonight At Perani Arena - Flint Generals
- Countdown to Face-Off - Kalamazoo Wings
- Bloomington's Skalde Suspended - IHL 2
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