[truebluefan]

Jackals Pound Hounds 6-2

Hoffman Estates, IL - The Elmira Jackals snapped a 6-game losing streak as they clobbered the Chicago Hounds 6-2 Saturday night at the Sears Centre.

The Jackals struggled through suspensions and injuries and found themselves on a 6-game losing streak as they rolled into Chicago for their final game before the Christmas break. With four days off on the horizon the Jackals came out flying in the first period. Erik Anderson put Elmira on the board when he scored a power play goal at 5:30 assisted by Brent Cullaton and Scott Drevitch. Anderson then doubled the Jackals lead when he ripped in a slap shot from the left face off circle for a short-handed goal, his second goal of the game, at 11:09 assisted by R.C. Lyke. The goal was Anderson's 10th of the season and the Jackals UHL leading 16th short-handed goal.

But the Chicago Hounds would not roll over as they battled back in the second period. Mike Brolsma tipped in a Darryl McArthur shot for a power play goal at 11:11. Then the Hounds tied the game when Greg Koehler got his own rebound and scored at 13:00, leveling the score 2-2. But the Jackals captain Brent Cullaton wasted little time responding. Cullaton took a pass from Yevgeny Lazarev behind the net and roofed a wrist shot over the glove of goaltender Marty Magers at 14:45, giving Elmira a 3-2 lead after two periods of play.

In the third period the Jackals pulled away from the tired Hounds. First Scott Wray blasted a one-timer into the net from a perfect feed from Brent Cullaton for a short-handed goal at 4:50, Wray's 14th goal of the season and Elmira's 2nd short-handed goal of the game. Then Frank Littlejohn blasted in the Jackals 5th goal at 12:11, assisted by Chris Mann. Cullaton finished off the scoring at 15:46, assisted by David Morelli, Cullaton's 2nd goal of the game, capping off a 6-2 win.

Dave Lemanowicz earned his first win of the season for Elmira as he stopped 29-of-31 shots in goal, pulling Elmira to 14-14-0 on the year. Marty Magers took the loss; making 17 saves on 21 shots. Backup goalie Andrew Joy relieved Magers for the final 7:49 of the game, allowing one goal on the only shot he faced. The Jackals finished 1-for-4 on the power play, while Chicago was 1-for-8.

The Jackals now have 4-days off for the Christmas holiday. Elmira returns to First Arena on Friday, December 29th as they host the Port Huron Flags at 7:35 pm.

 

[truebluefan]

Flags Soar Past Wings in 4-3 Shootout

KALAMAZOO, MI - The Port Huron Flags made a comeback to send the game into a shootout, where Colt King netted the winning goal to defeat the Kalamazoo Wings, 4-3, in Wings Stadium.

Prior to the contest, Port Huron had not been triumphant in Kalamazoo since February of 2004 and had won just one game against the Wings this season. In the first period it looked as if the Flags would skate to an easy victory as they took a 2-0 lead. Garett Cameron capitalized on a hooking penalty to Matt Johnson. Assisted by Steve Hildenbrand and Mark Cadotte, Cameron drew first blood at 3:10. The teams traded penalties through the rest of the first period, but as soon as Greg Bullock stepped back on the ice after a holding call, he caught a pass from Cameron and put the Flags up by two at 16:10. Despite being outshot 17-12 in the first, it looked like Port Huron was going make it a very long night for Wings Goaltender Ryan Nie.

However, Kalamazoo would not be intimidated on home ice, as they tied the game at deuces in the second. Rob Snowball and Cameron were sent to the penalty box just 21 seconds apart, for tripping and high-sticking, respectively. Noah Ruden and the Flags defense stayed sharp, killing off the 5-on-3, but with just seconds left in Cameron's penalty, Nick Bootland found the net at 4:35, with assists credited to Glenn Detulleo and Casey Handrahan. Feeding off a frenzied home crowd, the Wings continued to pound away, and Scott Dobben's goal at 8:39, assisted by Handrahan and Lucas Drake, evened the match for Kalamazoo. Kalamazoo's 14 shots on goal paid off dividends, especially compared to Port Huron's four.

Dobben struck gold again, early in the third, with assists coming from Justin Cross and Joe Markusen. The majority of the third period did not work in the Flags favor, and it looked like Kalamazoo would take home the win again, until Bobby Kukulka stepped in. With less than two minutes on the clock, Kukulka extended his 5-game scoring streak to 6, working off assists from Hildenbrand and Bullock. A stunned home crowd of 2,595 watched as both teams went into consecutive shootouts on the weekend. The night before, Kalamazoo had dropped 5-4 to the Muskegon Fury, while Port Huron edged out the Bloomington PrairieThunder, 4-3.

Flags Coach Stan Drulia made the decision to put Dustin Traylen in front of the net for the shootout. Traylen stopped four of Bloomington's five shooters in the previous night's victory. Kukulka opened up the scoring first for the Flags, while Dobben fanned on the puck in front of the net. Shayne Tomlinson's slap shot gave the Flags a 2-0 lead, until Bootland beat Traylen on the next shot. T.J. Sakaluk and Kory Karlander were both unsuccessful in round three, as were Ryan Markham and Drake in the fourth. Bullock had a chance to put the game away, but Nie made a beautiful save to keep the Wings alive. Glenn Detulleo then took advantage of his opportunity to send the game to extra shots.

Mike Olynyk came out for the Flags, but was stopped short by Nie. Traylen returned the favor on Cross' attempt. At that point, King took matters into his own hands, faked out Nie and used his backhand to secure the score. Adam Elzinga was faced with a do-or-die situation, but Traylen was not about to let the Flags' winning streak end on his watch. He calmly stuffed Elzinga's shot and ended the Flags' 34 month drought in Wings Stadium.

Not surprisingly, King was named First Star of the Game. Second and Third honors went to Dobben and Handrahan, respectively. On Wednesday, Dec. 27, Kalamazoo and Port Huron face off again, this time at McMorran Arena, with the game starting at 7 p.m.

WILD WINTER WEDNESDAY - While everyone recovers from the holidays, the Port Huron Flags are extending a special break for next Wednesday's ticket prices. All seats are being sold for $8! Call McMorran Arena or the Flags office to cash in on this special deal and watch our boys lace up their skates against Kalamazoo!

BUY 2 GAME TICKETS, GET THE 3rd FREE! Now through the end of January, the Flags are offering a special deal to ensure that fans don't miss a minute of the action. With the purchase of 2 game tickets, the 3rd is free, when purchased in advance through the Flags office. Call (810) 982-FLAG to reserve yours today!

The Port Huron Flags are a community owned, nonprofit member club of the United Hockey League. For more information on the 2006-07 season, contact the front office at (810) 982-3524 or visit the website at porthuronflags.net: Home

 

[truebluefan]

Hogs get back on track with win over Generals

Rockford, Ill.- After a disappointing defeat on Friday night, the Rockford IceHogs rebounded with a solid 4-2 win over the Flint Generals on Saturday night in front of 3,883 at the Rockford MetroCentre. Goaltender Jake Moreland made his IceHogs debut and earned the win making 29 saves, including a highlight film block in the third period.

The scoring started at 7:41 of the opening period when Flint goalie Bryan Worosz failed to cover a Kaleb Betts shot and winger Nicolas Corbeil slid in his 11th goal of the season for the 1-0 lead. Rockford increased its lead to 2-0 in the second period while skating on a 5-on-3 power play. Defenseman Nathan Lutz one-timed his first goal of the season past Worosz at 12:06.

Flint responded, cutting the lead in half at 15:23. Winger Jan Eriksson pounced on a Moreland rebound and flipped it in to make the score 2-1. With a slim one-goal advantage, the IceHogs tacked on two more for insurance. The Hogs found themselves on another two-man power play and this time it was Lutz setting up center Preston Mizzi for the power-play blast at 14:30 of the final frame.

Then, moments after another Hogs power play expired, center Bryce Cockburn ripped home his first of the season at 16:32 making the score 4-1. The Generals didn't roll over there, however, as they would pressure Moreland and the Hogs until the final horn. A goal from winger Jeff Zehr after a perfect set-up from Mike Zbriger at 19:10 made the score 4-2.

That was all for the Generals as the Hogs held them off the board. Rockford outshot Flint 44-31 and converted on two of its seven power-play opportunities. Flint finished 1-for-4 on the advantage and dropped its third straight contest.

Next Homestand: Friday, Dec. 29 vs. Chicago Hounds. The puck drops at 7:30 p.m. The Hounds make another trip to the MetroCentre to face-off against Rockford. Friday night is Rally Towel Night with the IceHogs, Belvidere Physical Therapy and BOB 95.3 FM for the first 1,000 fans who come to the game.

Saturday, Dec. 30 vs. Muskegon Fury. The showdown starts at 7:05 p.m. The Hogs and Fury meet up for the second time this season and first at the Rockford MetroCentre. The IceHogs welcome back the fan favorite Zooperstars to the MetroCentre for the Hogs final home game of 2006.

 

[truebluefan]

Two-game split sends Hogs to brief holiday break

The Rockford IceHogs split a two-game week during Week 11, rebounding to knock off the Flint Generals on Saturday night after a loss in the club's first ever visit to Chicago. After a brief Christmas break, Rockford will pick things up with a four-game week beginning on Tuesday in Fort Wayne.

Friday, December 22: Rockford IceHogs 0 at Chicago Hounds 2

Saturday, December 23: Flint Generals 2 vs. Rockford IceHogs 4

Transactions

-Rockford signed and activated goaltender Jake Moreland on Saturday, Dec. 23.

-Rockford winger Robin Big Snake was activated from team suspension on Friday, Dec. 22.

-Rockford winger Bryce Cockburn was activated from team suspension on Friday, Dec. 22.

-Rockford winger Jesse Bennefield was placed on team suspension on Wednesday, Dec. 20.

Bacon Bits:

The IceHogs will play its first four-game week of the season this week.

Beginning Tuesday, Rockford will play seven games in 12 days.

Goalie Jake Moreland made his IceHogs and UHL debut of Saturday night against Flint at the MetroCentre and picked up the 4-2 win making 29 saves.

Winger Bryce Cockburn also made his IceHogs and UHL debut this week. The winger suited up on Friday night for the first time this season against the Hounds.

Cockburn netted his first goal in an IceHogs uniform on Saturday against Flint.

Center Preston Mizzi ended his personal goal-scoring drought on Saturday, netting his first goal in seven games.

Rockford has a record of 3-7-1 on Friday nights this season but an exact opposite mark of 7-3-1 on Saturday nights.

Rookie defenseman Mike Letizia leads the Hogs with a plus/minus rating of +8.

17 of the IceHogs 27 games thus far this season have been decided by two goals or less.

Hot Hog Week 11:

IceHogs defenseman Nathan Lutz is the IceHogs Player of the Week nominee once again for his solid effort in Week 11. After a sound game on Friday against the Hounds, Lutz blasted home his first goal of the season on Saturday against Flint and chipped in an assist to help lead the IceHogs to the 4-2 win.

Upcoming Games:

Tuesday, Dec. 26 at Fort Wayne Komets. The game is slated to start at 6:30 p.m. A post-Christmas Western Conference showdown between the IceHogs and Komets. Rockford returns to the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum for the third time to battle first place Fort Wayne.

Friday, Dec. 29 vs. Chicago Hounds. The puck drops at 7:30 p.m. The Hounds make another trip to the MetroCentre to face-off against Rockford. Friday night is Rally Towel Night with the IceHogs, Belvidere Physical Therapy and BOB 95.3 FM for the first 1,000 fans who come to the game.

Saturday, Dec. 30 vs. Muskegon Fury. The showdown starts at 7:05 p.m. The Hogs and Fury meet up for the second time this season and first at the Rockford MetroCentre. The IceHogs welcome back the fan favorite Zooperstars to the MetroCentre for the Hogs final home game of 2006.

Sunday, Dec. 31 at Bloomington PrairieThunder. The New Year's Eve Bash begins at 6:05 p.m. The IceHogs close out its 2006 portion of the schedule against the Western Conference rival PrairieThunder. The game also marks the end of the Hogs first four-game week.

The IceHogs Broadcasting Network:

Rockford IceHogs fans can catch all IceHogs Regular and Post Season games on Rockford's Voice, WNTA-AM 1330. Fans can also watch and listen to the Hogs on the World Wide Web with the B2 Networks! Log on to the IceHogs Web site (icehogs.com) and click on the "click here to watch the game live" icon, and for just $6 you can catch all of the IceHogs action on your computer. Once again this season, ESPN"ˆRadio "The Jock" 1380 AM will broadcast 20 Hogs games during the regular season. Check your local listings for game times and dates. Also, fans with Insight Cable television can tune in to Channel 57 for all the IceHogs hockey action this season. The broadcast begins with the Pregame Show 30 minutes before the puck drops. Make sure to give your opinion during the Post-Game Call-In Show following each home game at (815) 874-8255.

No HogTalk This Week At Shooter's North:

There will be no Bud Light HogTalk this week at Shooter's North. The show, which is hosted by WXRX's Jim Stone and Double T will resume on Monday, Jan. 8. The show runs from 7-8 p.m. and features IceHogs Head Coach Steve Martinson and a pair of IceHogs players.

The King's Table Cafe Offers Special Pregame Menu:

The King's Table Cafe, located at 308 West State St. in Stewert Square, is offering IceHogs fans Game Night specials. Fans that stop by The King's Table Cafe can take advantage of an All You Can Eat Chili Bar for $5.95 ($2.50 for kids), All You Can Eat"ˆHot Dog Bar for $5.95 ($2.50 for kids), All You Can Eat Taco Bar for $5.95 ($2.50 for kids) and "Mallard" Chicken Tender Night for just $5.95 ($2.50 for Kids). The King's Table Cafe is open before IceHogs games from 6-7:30 p.m. For more information, contact The King's Table Cafe at (815) 986-0874.

 

[truebluefan]

Muskegon Fury notes

The Fury's Latest Win Streak Has Reached 7-in A Row; 7(7-0-0), Outscoring The Opposition, 27-14 For A Gaa In That Span Of 2.00.

--muskegon In Its Last 11-games, Is 11(10-1-0), Outscoring The Opposition, 41-21 For A Gaa Of 1.91.

--the Fury Have Now Won A Club Record 10-consecutive Games On The Road; 10(10-0-0) With Their Last Loss And Their Lone Road Loss This Season Coming Back On November 4th In Elmira. The Fury Road Record For The Season Stands At 15(14-1-0).

--muskegon Is Still Perfect Against Western Division Competition This Season With A Mark Of 12(12-0-0) Overall; 7(7-0-0) At Home And 5(5-0-0) On The Road.

--with Their 5-4 Otso Win Friday Night At Kalamazoo, The Fury Are Still Undefeated On Fridays This Year With A Record Of 11(11-0-0) Overall And 6(6-0-0) On The Road.

--thus Far In December, The Fury Have Compiled A Record Of 9(8-1-0), Outscoring The Opposition, 32-18.

--the Fury's Current Total Of 26-victories Are 9-more Than All Other Teams In The Uhl.

--muskegon's 14-road Wins Are 6-more Than All Of The Uhl.

--the Fury Also Have The Best Home Record In The Uhl At 14(12-2-0); They Have Won 3-consecutively On Home Ice.

--muskegon Has Been Perfect In The Otso Thus Far This Season With A 3(3-0-0) At This Point Of The Season.

--in Defeating Bloomington In All 4-meetings This Season, The Fury Have Outscored The Prairie Thunder In The First Period, 8-0.

--the Uhl's 2nd Leading Scorer, Mike Watt Is Currently On A 10-game Scoring Streak With 10(7-11-18) In That Span.

--the League's Leading Scorer Todd Robinson Is Currently On A 7-game Point Streak With 7(5-9-14) In That Span.

--todd Robinson Set A Uhl Single Game Season High With 14-shots On Goal Saturday Night In The Fury's 3-2 Otso Triumph Over Bloomington.

--goaltender Clayton Pool Is Undefeated On The Road At 12(12-0-0) With A 1.78 Gaa.

--with Their 5-4 Otso Triumph Friday In Kalamazoo, The Fury Are 4(4-0-0) In Their Last 4-games Dating Back To Last Season At Wings Stadium.

--muskegon Has Earned At Least One Road Win In Every Uhl City Thus Far This Season With The Exception Being Rockford Where They Have Yet To Play So Far This Season.

--with The Fury Beset With 6-players Injured And 2-on Recall To The Ahl, Fury Defenseman Josh Chase's Identical Twin Brother, Jeremy Chase Signed With Muskegon And Saw Action In Both Games The Past Weekend. The Chase Twins Were Teammates For The Past 4-years At Bentley College.

 

[truebluefan]

Shootout Success Gives Flags Sixth Straight Win

Game Recaps

Friday, Dec. 22 Bloomington 3 vs. Port Huron 4 (SO)

In the teams' third meeting of the season, Bloomington got off to an early lead, scoring two goals in the first four minutes. The Flags battled back in the second period, tying up the score on goals from Bobby Kukulka and Colt King. Although two PrairieThunder players were ejected from the game in the third, a shorthanded goal by Alex Goupil gave the visitors a late lead. Less than a minute later, Garett Cameron evened the score, sending the Flags to their fifth shootout of the season. Having been unsuccessful in all previous shootouts, the Flags kept their winning streak alive when TJ Sakaluk and Greg Bullock scored in the fourth and fifth rounds, respectively. Dustin Traylen stopped all but one of Bloomington's shots to seal the deal. All honors went to Port Huron, as King, Traylen and Cameron were named First, Second and Third Stars of the Game.



Saturday, Dec. 23 Port Huron 4 vs. Kalamazoo 3 (SO)
The Flags' reversed the order of things on Saturday night when they scored twice in the first period, once by Garett Cameron and another from Greg Bullock. The Wings played catch-up in the second, netting their own pair of goals to equalize the match. Early in the third, another Kalamazoo score put the Wings up 3-2, but Bobby Kukulka changed the game when he tied it with less than 2 minutes on the clock. Kukulka and Shayne Tomlinson's shootout scores were matched by Nick Bootland and Glenn Detulleo, sending the game to further rounds. Mike Olynyk and Justin Cross both missed in the sixth set, and Colt King faked out Ryan Nie to secure the game-winner for the Flags, followed by Dustin Traylen's textbook stop on Adam Elzinga.

Player of the Week: Colt King
DATE Vs. G A PTS PIM +/-
12/22 Bloomington 1 2 3 2 -1
12/23 Kalamazoo 0 0 0 2 -1
TOTALS 2 1 2 3 4 -2

Colt's outstanding performance lifted the Flags to their fifth and sixth consecutive victories, moving them into a tie for 3rd in the Eastern Conference and a 3-way tie for fourth overall in the league. King snagged the second of the Flags' three goals on Friday, and assisted on the other two, sending the team to a shootout, where they would lock up the win.
On Saturday, he didn't score in regulations, but made a beautiful play in the 7th round of the shootout, netting the game-winner for the Flags, which ended a near 3-year draught against the Wings in Kalamazoo. In both games, he was named 1st Star of the Game.
Colt has collected 16 points in 19 games and is the Flags third leading score, even after missing a month of the season due to injury. This is his second time earning these honors in 3 weeks.

Goaltender of the Week: Dustin Traylen
DATE Vs. W/L/SOL MIN GA SAVES SPCT.
12/22 Bloomington 1/0/0 60:00 3 26 .897
12/23 Kalamazoo 1/0/0 00:01 0 0 N/A
TOTALS 2 2/0/0 60:01 3 26 .897

Dustin has now recorded 4 straight wins, a personal career best. On Friday he stopped 26 shots from Bloomington, and then allowed just one goal from 5 shooters for the victory. He was awarded 2nd Star of the Game in the contest.
While he did not play in regulation on Saturday, he was put in goal for the shootout against seven Kalamazoo scorers that have a combined 134 points on the season. In the initial round, he came up with 3 huge saves against Scott Dobben, Kory Karlander and Lucas Drake. With the game on the line in the sixth set of shooters, he stopped Justin Cross to keep the Flags alive. After Colt King scored on Kalamazoo, Traylen effortlessly stopped Adam Elzinga's shot, improving Port Huron's winning streak to 6 consecutive games and giving the Flags their first win in Wings Stadium since February 2004.


Team Notes


- The Flags have now won a franchise record 6 in a row, and is second in the league in current streaks.
- Their 4 straight wins at McMorran leads the league in current home winning streaks
- Bobby Kukulka is on a 6-game scoring streak, recording at least one goal in each of the team's past victories, since Dec. 13. It is the league leading current streak and is tied for season streak with Muskegon's Todd Robinson, who scored 7 points in 6 games from Oct. 14-Oct. 28.
- The win in Wings Stadium was the first for the team since February 2004.
- The Flags had lost all previous shootouts before Friday night. They are now 2-4 in overtime competition and lead the league in number of shootout matches played.
- Dustin Traylen has recorded his best career streak with the Flags, winning 4 in a row for Port Huron.
- The Flags remain perfect at home against Bloomington
- After multiple weeks at 5th place in the Eastern Conference, the Flags now move ahead of Flint and are tied for 3rd with Elmira, with 28 points each. They share a 3-way tie with Elmira and Rockford for 4th place in the league
- Kukulka, King & Bullock all have 11 points in the month of December. Every Flag who has played in 3 or more games in December has recorded a point in regulation.
- Traylen and Ruden share the #4 spot in the league, with a SPCT of .913
- Traylen's 2 shootout wins are tied for second best in the league with Clayton Pool and Kevin St. Pierre
- Traylen's 5 shootout saves against Kalamazoo are a league high (tie)
- Markham continues to lead the league in shorthanded rookie goals (4)