Prowlers Win Barn Burner in Biloxi

The Port Huron Prowlers took down the Mississippi Sea Wolves 9-6 at Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Mississippi on Dec. 16. For the second night in a row, the two teams combined for 15 goals. 

The scoring started early but this time, it was the Prowlers getting the opening goal. Tucker Scantlebury found Austin Fetterly on a two-on-one rush under four minutes into the game. Joe Deveny doubled the advantage later in the first after dangling around Michael Haskins. Yaroslav Yevdokimov got one back for Mississippi before the period was over.

Yevdokimov struck again early in the second to tie the game up at two but Port Huron quickly responded. 51 seconds after the game was tied, Matt Graham found Dalton Jay all by himself in the slot and he made no mistake to regain the Prowlers’ lead. Just 27 seconds after that, Port Huron found itself on the penalty kill but Jay took the puck from Chuck Costello and chipped it around Vinnie Susi to start a break. His backhander hit the post but Sam Marit followed it up and scored the Prowlers’ second shorthanded goal of the season.

Less than two minutes later, Deveny notched his second of the game and two minutes after that, Liam Freeborn cleaned up his own rebound and the lead ballooned to 6-2. Philip Wong and Matt Caranci responded for the Sea Wolves before the intermission and it was 6-4 heading into the third.

Port Huron restored their four-goal lead early in the third. Larri Vartiainen picked the corner on Blake Weyrick, who replaced Ian Wallace after the fifth Prowlers goal. Graham got the last touch on a bouncing puck in the crease to make it 8-4 less than three minutes into the final frame. Yevdokimov completed the hat trick and Justin Barr added a tally but that's as close as Mississippi got. Marit hit the empty net with six seconds left.

After four fights the night before the gloves dropped twice, both coming as a result of hits. Wong hit Evan Foley from behind and had to answer the bell from Vartiainen while Graham put down Lucas Helland before fighting Jake Raleigh. 

Freeborn, Deveny, Jay and Marit finished with three points apiece. Freeborn was the game’s third star and Deveny was the second star. Fetterly, Vartiainen and Graham each contributed a goal and an assist. Joe Noonan picked up his second win of the season with a 50-save performance.

Yevdokimov added an assist to his hat trick and was the game’s first star. Susi picked up four helpers while Barr and Caranci had a goal and an assist each. Wallace made 13 saves on 18 shots before being relieved by Weyrick who stopped 11 of 14 shots sent his way. The latter ended up with the loss.

The teams finish their three-game set on Dec. 17 at Mississippi Coast Coliseum with puck drop set for 8:05 P.M. eastern.

Photo courtesy of Tammy Morosko