Prowlers Blanked in Danbury

The Port Huron Prowlers were shut out by the Danbury Hat Tricks 4-0 on Dec. 22 in Danbury. Connor McCollum made 24 saves for his first professional shutout.

“Terrible game, I thought that was our probably worst effort in some time,” said Prowlers assistant coach Chris Paulin. “I thought the first 10 minutes were great until they scored a goal, we got hit in the mouth and I think the energy went out the window and we never got it back.”

Jonny Ruiz got the scoring started in the first when a bouncing puck found him at the side of the cage midway through the first. 

Early in the second, a Xavier Abdella shot tipped off of Ian Wallace’s glove and dropped in front of Connor Woolley who tapped it home to make it 2-0. 

That score held until the third when Ruiz scored a breakaway goal 19 seconds in to extend the Danbury lead to three. Chase Harwell scored a wraparound for his first in the FPHL to put the final nail in the Prowlers’ coffin.

“They like to chuck the puck a lot and they have guys leaking behind us,” Paulin said. “You saw it with all the odd-man rushes they got, that’s unacceptable. It starts with the offensive zone play and the defensemen being disciplined and not getting too far up into the play. Defensive zone, we had a couple of laps, not just the defense, the forwards had a couple of lapses as well.”

Ruiz had two goals and an assist while Woolley had a goal and two helpers. Their linemate Jacob Ratcliffe chipped in two assists as did Abdella.

Wallace made 28 saves in the loss for Port Huron who got shut out for the first time this season.

The teams will meet again in Danbury on Dec. 23 with puck drop at Danbury Ice Arena scheduled for 7:00 P.M.