Prowlers Hang 10 on Sea Wolves in Baton Rouge

The Port Huron Prowlers trounced the Mississippi Sea Wolves 10-5 in a neutral site game at Raising Cane’s River Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Dec. 15. The game also featured four fights with three coming in the third period. 

The first period began innocently enough with Timothy Payne opening the scoring just over eight minutes in on a shot from the point. It was the third time in three meetings the Sea Wolves have scored first against the Prowlers. Port Huron had an answer, however.

Evan Foley tied things up with his eighth of the year just past the midway mark of the period. Larri Vartiainen backhanded home a goal to give the Prowlers the lead later in the frame. Alex Johnson one-timed a power-play goal to give Port Huron a 3-1 lead heading into the locker room.

Johnson scored again early in the second but Mississippi showed some fight. Matt Caranci and Michael Haskins scored 35 seconds apart to pull their team within one. The Prowlers pulled away again before the period expired with goals from Adam Heinzl and Austin Fetterly. Lucas Helland and Bryan Parsons dropped the gloves as well during the frame. It was 6-3 as the game headed to the third. 

Liam Freeborn extended the Port Huron lead to four just 58 seconds into the final period. Just past five minutes in, Dustin Henning dropped the gloves with Haskins in a fight that resulted in Henning going to the penalty box and Haskins to the dressing room for repairs. A few minutes later, Sam Williams took exception to Helland working over Frank Schumacher in the corner and started another fight. 

The Sea Wolves got some life with a goal from former Prowler Dakota Ulmer and an own goal as Parsons tried to control a puck in the crease. That made it a 7-5 game before Port Huron pulled away for good. Dalton Jay scored two of the last three and Foley had the other as the Prowlers scored a season-high 10 goals. Johnson and Marvin Powell squared off for the third fight of the final period as well.

Freeborn and Vartiainen finished with a goal and two assists each. Jay, Foley and Johnson each lit the lamp twice. They were among the eight Prowlers that finished with multi-point games. Wyatt Hoflin made 30 saves in net.

Ulmer led the Sea Wolves with three points while Caranci had two. Another former Prowler, Ian Wallace, was between the pipes and made 28 stops. This is the third time this season Mississippi has given up double-digit goals.

The second of three matchups this week between these teams comes Dec. 16 in Biloxi with puck drop scheduled for 8:05 P.M. eastern.