Series Preview: Luck O' The Prowlers

The Battle of I-94 is renewed for the first time in nearly two months this weekend as the Port Huron Prowlers and Motor City Rockers meet for a home and home series on St. Patrick’s Day weekend. Port Huron is two wins away from winning the season series outright with six meetings to go.

Last weekend, the Prowlers had their only home three in three of the season, hosting the Watertown Wolves on Friday and Athens Rock Lobsters on Saturday and Sunday. Against the Wolves, Port Huron took a 3-0 lead less than six minutes into the second period. Watertown got within a goal with over nine minutes left in regulation, but Valtteri Nousiainen and the defense shut the door from there to secure the win. The next night against Athens, Lukas Lacny opened the scoring 1:36 into the contest and then tied the game at two past the midway point of the third to send it to a shootout. Austin Fetterly scored in the first round of the skills competition and Reid Cooper stopped all three Lobsters shooters to take the extra point for their team. Sunday featured some fisticuffs and in the end, Braidan Simmons-Fischer’s first pro goal early in the third was the difference in a 3-2 Prowlers victory. After taking eight of a possible nine points, Port Huron has shaved Watertown’s lead on third place in the Empire Division to one point. The Prowlers are 24-16-6 with 72 points and sitting in fourth.

The Rockers also welcomed in the Lobsters and Wolves last weekend, just on different nights. On Friday, Athens took a 3-0 lead with goals in the second and third. Motor City broke the shutout bid with under four to play but couldn’t get much else going and got outshot 49-22 in the 4-1 loss. The next night, a pair of former Monroe Moccasins in their second stint as Rockers chipped in against Watertown. Brad Reitter tied the score at two with the only goal of the third period and Chris Corgan won it just over three minutes into overtime. The Wolves got their revenge on Sunday, however, as Motor City let a 3-1 second-period lead slip away. Trevor Lord got the game winner with under four to play in regulation on the power play. After the 1-2-0 weekend, the Rockers are 14-27-3 with 40 points and still nine points ahead of HC Venom for the final play in spot in the Empire.

SEASON SERIES (PROWLERS LEAD 6-2)

Nov. 1 @ Port Huron: Prowlers 5, Rockers 1

Nov. 2 @ Motor City: Prowlers 3, Rockers 1

Nov. 27 @ Port Huron: Prowlers 2, Rockers 1

Dec. 13 @ Port Huron: Rockers 4, Prowlers 0

Dec. 14 @ Motor City: Prowlers 2, Rockers 1 (SO)

Dec. 31 @ Motor City: Prowlers 7, Rockers 3

Jan. 24 @ Motor City: Rockers 3, Prowlers 2 (OT)

Jan. 25 @ Port Huron: Prowlers 5, Rockers 3

LAST MEETING

After falling behind 2-1 early in the second period, Port Huron rattled off four unanswered goals between the end of the middle frame and start of the third to take control. Austin Fetterly and Alex Johnson had a goal and an assist apiece while Valtteri Nousiainen made 25 saves in the win. 

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Prowlers - Lukas Lacny (F) - Riding an eight-game point streak, Lacny meets Motor City for the first time since the beginning of November when he posted four points in two games including one of his two three-point games this season.

Rockers - Ricardo Gonzalez (G) - Motor City moved Trevor Babin at the trade deadline leaving Gonzalez as the unquestioned starter and, at the time of writing this, the only goaltender on the roster. 

STAT CENTRAL

Last weekend, Matt Graham (PHP) passed Dalton Jay for third in FPHL history with 516 career points and also passed Jay for the most points in Prowlers history with 441…Brad Reitter (MCR) scored the first goal in Rockers history and Monroe Moccasins history…Each of the Prowlers’ last seven games have been decided by one goal and six of them finished with a 3-2 final score…The Rockers have lost 10 of their last 11 and don’t have a regulation win since March 1

SERIES SCHEDULE

Mar. 14, 7:35 P.M. at Big Boy Arena (Fraser, MI)

Mar. 15, 7:05 P.M. at McMorran Place (Port Huron, MI)

Ticket to Saturday’s St. Patrick’s Day themed game are available at phprowlers.com/tickets.