SPHL Huntsville Havoc

Weekend Preview: Havoc Preparing to Break Four-Game Losing Streak on Thanksgiving Day

Published on November 21, 2018 under SPHL (SPHL)
Huntsville Havoc News Release


HUNTSVILLE - The Huntsville Havoc (4-4-1) look to break their four-game losing streak as they host Knoxville (3-4-2) on Thanksgiving Day and Roanoke (4-4-0) on Black Friday. On Saturday, the Havoc will head to Virginia to play back-to-back games against the Rail Yard Dawgs.

Week Recap

This past weekend, the Havoc played two games against the undefeated Birmingham Bulls, resulting in a pair of difficult losses.

Friday Night vs. Birmingham

The Havoc played a tough game against the Bulls on PharmacyFirst Ice at the VBC, but unfortunately could not give Birmingham their first loss of the season.

Friday night's match was a game of catch-up with the in-state rivals. The Bulls scored twice in the first period, giving an ominous start to the game. But late in the first period, Christian Powers came through for the Havoc and put one on the board.

The intermission gave the Havoc time to regroup and the Havoc opened up the second period strong. Three minutes into the second, Ryan Salked took a shot which slipped past the goalie's glove to tie up the game. But the Bulls quickly broke the tie three minutes later with a goal of their own.

Later in the period, the Havoc were awarded a power play and Kyle Sharkey ripped one over the goaltender's left shoulder and into the net to tie the game at three going into the third period.

Five minutes into the third, the Bulls once again took the lead. The battle continued between the two Alabama teams and Nolan Kaiser scored a goal from the right circle. With only five minutes left in the game, the Bulls put the final nail in the coffin to win 5-4.

The Havoc played a strong game but mistakes ultimately cost them the win. The Havoc outshot the Bulls 43 to 25.

Saturday Night vs. Birmingham

The Havoc traveled to Birmingham to play the Bulls again on Saturday night and ended up with their worst loss of the season. Huntsville let the Bulls get a quick lead on them and scored two goals on the Havoc within the first six minutes of the game. In the first period alone, the Havoc gave up three power play goals.

The second period saw only one goal from the home team but no scoring from the good guys until the Havoc finally put one on the board during the third period. Ryan Salked scored a goal on a power play on a redirected shot from Trevor Gerling. Ten minutes later, Christian Powers scored to make it 4-2. However, Birmingham quickly shut down any hopes of a comeback, scoring two goals in two minutes. The final score was 6-2 and the Havoc outshot the Bulls 33-31.

Vs. Knoxville

On Thanksgiving night, the Havoc will host the Knoxville Ice Bears. The Havoc have yet to face the Ice bears this year, but last season the Havoc only won one out of the seven games they played against the Ice Bears.

This season, Knoxville (3-4-2) have yet to play the Pensacola Ice Flyers or the Birmingham Bulls, the two teams that gave the Havoc the trouble this season. However, the Ice Bears and the Havoc both have played SPHL standing leaders, Macon Mayhem, this season. The Havoc fell to the Mayhem 3-2 on Nov. 11. But this past Saturday, the Ice Bears gave the Mayhem their first loss of the season. The Ice Bears played the Mayhem a total of four times this season but only won once.

Knoxville leads the SPHL in penalty kills at 88.89% while the Havoc's percentage currently reads 72.41%.

Vs. Roanoke

On Friday night, the Havoc will host the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs for the first time of the season. The Yard Dawgs (4-0-0) and the Havoc both have a record of .500. Last season, the Havoc played the Yard Dawgs a total of four times and only won one game out of the four.

The Yard Dawgs have yet to play the Bulls or the Ice Flyers this season, but did face the Mayhem. The Yard Dawgs also lost against the Mayhem in a 3-0 game.

By the Numbers

The Havoc's current point leader is Nolan Kaiser with eight. Kaiser had a two-point game on Nov. 16 against the Bulls and picked up one point on an assist during the Saturday night game against the Bulls.

There is a three-way tie for lead goal scorer on the Havoc, with Ryan Salked, Rob Darrar and Connor Schmidt all with four goals apiece.

During Friday night's game against the Bulls, Sy Nutkevitch had a three-point game with three assists.

Salked currently has a six-game scoring streak, picking up one point the past six games. He also scored one goal the past three games.

Thursday Thanksgiving Day

After your stomachs are full and dishes are put away, come celebrate Thanksgiving evening with the Havoc. On the slight chance that you'll still be hungry after your Thanksgiving feast, you can enjoy $2 hotdogs, $2 soda and $2 beer.

Friday Stuart Stefan Night

The team will retire the jersey of the SPHL All-Star, Havoc record-holder, and current Havoc assistant coach, Stuart Stefan. Stefan bobble head ticket packages are available on the Havoc website.

Check out the Huntsville Havoc Statistics

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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.

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