Prowlers Stunned by Late Shorthanded Goal

For the second time this season, the Port Huron Prowlers got a five-on-three power play with under four minutes to go in a tie game. For the second time this season, that game didn’t go into overtime. Unfortunately for the Prowlers, they didn’t get the win. Filip Hlavac scored the game winner shorthanded in a 4-3 Bobcats win, the first shorthanded goal given up by Port Huron this season.

Blue Ridge never trailed and they got the scoring started in the first with a rip from Michael Mercurio walking down the middle of the ice. Lukas Lacny tied the score with his first of the season a few minutes later, finishing off a tic-tac-toe passing play.

“Finally,” Lacny said after the game. “But it would feel better if we won.”

Late in the frame, Kyle Heitzner put the Bobcats ahead as he potted the rebound off a shot he deflected. 

“It’s pretty cliche but, we can’t start 20 minutes and feel out the game,” said Prowlers associate head coach Chris Paulin. “Wings fell asleep, I thought their defensemen were better than our defensemen tonight, which I’m shocked about. I’m interested to see how our d-core, and the leaders on our d-core, respond because they have a lot more.”

After a scoreless second, the goals picked up in the third. Bobby Price, in his season debut, took advantage of some chaos in front to knot the score at two. Heitzner got his second from the low slot to put Blue Ridge back in front but Lacny responded with his second 34 seconds later.

Port Huron got opportunities on the five-on-three late but as the first penalty expired, Hlavac escaped from the sin bin, grabbed the cleared puck and beat Reid Cooper for the game winner.

“We had good looks,” Paulin said. “We ran what we were trying to run and their goalie and defense out-battled us. They were able to clear the puck and the guy coming out of the box got a jump.”

Matt Graham dished out a pair of assists for the Prowlers while Cooper made 29 saves in net.

Mercurio added an assist to his tally and Anthony Shrum made 50 saves to grab the win.

The teams rematch on November 8 at 7:30 P.M. in Wytheville, Virginia. The game will be available live on the PHP Network YouTube channel.