Game Preview: Battle of I-94 Sets Thanksgiving Table

Before families around the country gather for Thanksgiving, the Port Huron Prowlers and Motor City Rockers get together for another installment of the Battle of the I-94. Both teams are trying to work their way out of a slump.

The Prowlers snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in three-straight games last week as they traveled to Louisiana. On Thursday in Baton Rouge, Port Huron took a 2-0 lead through 20 minutes but the Zydeco power play got one in the second and one in the third to tie. Tyler Larwood scored the game winner shortly after the game was leveled. The next night, the Prowlers rallied from 1-0 down to take the lead thanks to two man-advantage strikes early in the third. Elijah Wilson tied it with 1:15 left, however and the game went to a shootout where Dmitry Kuznetsov was the only shooter to find the back of the net. The team began the trek home but made a stop in Monroe on Saturday for their first ever meeting with the Moccasins. Port Huron took a 2-1 lead into the third that was quickly erased before former Rocker Brad Reitter put home the game winner. After dropping three-straight 3-2 games and picking up one point, the Prowlers are 5-6-2 with 15 points but they are still third in the Empire Division.

The Rockers didn’t even have a chance in their only game last weekend on Friday against the Watertown Wolves. The road side went up 3-0 early in the second and never looked back as Michael Mercurio’s five points paced the Wolves to their sixth-straight win. Saturday’s game was postponed due to technical difficulties related to the scoreboard at Big Boy Arena. Since last seeing Port Huron on Nov. 2, Motor City officially promoted Jameson Milam to head coach and hired former Rocker and Prowler Zack Zulkanycz as an assistant. This came in the wake of Steve Shannon being dismissed in the middle of the last Battle of I-94 series. Milam is Motor City’s third head coach since the start of training camp. His team is 3-8-0 with eight points and sits sixth in the Empire.

SEASON SERIES (PROWLERS LEAD 2-0)

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

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

LAST MEETING

Port Huron scored in the final minute of each period, including the empty netter shorthanded to seal the deal, and earn its first series sweep of the season. Valtteri Nousiainen finished a strong weekend in which he stopped 57 of 59 shots in a pair of victories.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Prowlers - Austin Fetterly (F) - With two goals on Saturday, Fetterly took the team lead with seven this season. He is one point away from 200 in his FPHL career.

Rockers - Tristen Wells (F) - Wells returned to the Motor City lineup two weeks ago with a bang, scoring a hat trick in Hudson Valley. Three of his six goals all of last season came against Port Huron.

STAT CENTRAL

The Prowlers are on a three-game losing skid while the Rockers have lost 6 of their last 7 games…Matt Graham (PHP) is tied with Hudson Valley’s Davide Gaeta for FPHL’s assists lead (15)…The Rockers have the worst goal differential among FPHL teams with multiple wins this season (-21)

GAME SCHEDULE

Nov. 27, 7:05 P.M. at McMorran Place (Port Huron, MI)

Tickets are available at phprowlers.com/tickets.