Series Preview: Cats and Dogs, Again

Four regular season home games remain for the Port Huron Prowlers, all against the Watertown Wolves. The teams will battle twice this weekend at McMorran Place.

Last week, Port Huron played its fourth three-in-three in five weeks starting with a re-scheduled game in Indiana on Thursday. Corey Cunningham broke a 1-1 tie in the second and Max Marek-Tortorella added some insurance early in the third as the Sentinels won the finale of the 15-game season series. The Prowlers returned home to take on the Topeka Scarecrows for the rest of the weekend. On Friday, Jamie Bucell gave Port Huron a 2-1 lead in the middle period which held until his team tacked on two more late in the third for a 4-1 win. The next night, Connor Lind put Topeka up 3-1 early in the third, but the Prowlers roared back with two power play goals to force overtime. Austin Fetterly put home Port Huron’s third man advantage goal in a row to help grab the extra point. The Prowlers are 33-16-1 with 94 points and sit second in the Empire Division. Their magic number to clinch that spot and home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs is six points.

Watertown’s slide has continued since they were officially eliminated from playoff contention a week and a half ago. They hosted the Danbury Hat Tricks on Friday and trailed by a goal heading into the third. In the final frame, Danbury got three goals, including two from Grady Friedman in a 33-second span, to blow it open and take the win 5-1. The Wolves and Hat Tricks then traveled to Mennen Arena in Morristown, New Jersey for a neutral site game on Saturday. Marquis Grant-Mentis scored the first FPHL goal in New Jersey in 14 years but that’s all the offense Watertown got. Eli Rivers had a hand in all three Danbury goals as his team took it 3-1. The Wolves are sixth in the Empire at 14-30-6 with 45 points

PORT HURON LEADS 3-1

Oct. 17 @ Port Huron: Wolves 6, Prowlers 2

Oct. 18 @ Port Huron: Prowlers 2, Wolves 1

Jan. 30 @ Watertown: Prowlers 3, Wolves 2

Jan. 31 @ Watertown: Prowlers 3, Wolves 2 (OT)

Mar. 14 @ Watertown: Prowlers 5, Wolves 4 (SO)

Mar. 15 @ Watertown: Prowlers 7, Wolves 1

LAST MEETING

Blake Anderson came a point shy of tying the Prowlers’ single-game franchise record with six points as Port Huron scored five times in the third period to blow the game open. The Prowlers matched their season-high goal total and Bailey Huber got the win with 21 saves.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Prowlers - John Larkin (D) - The collegiate defenseman from Mercyhurst University will make his pro debut less than two hours from where he grew up in Northville, Michigan. Port Huron’s defense has been banged up in recent weeks so expect him to step into a big role.

Wolves - Marquis Grant-Mentis (F) - Grant-Mentis was one of the four players thrown out two Fridays ago after an incident against the Prowlers that resulted in a suspension for Quinn Chevers. Grant-Mentis did not play the series finale that weekend while the two Prowlers involved, Bryan Parsons and Bobby Price, did.

STAT CENTRAL

Former Wolf Bryan Parsons (PHP) is 1 point away from 100 in his FPHL career and former Watertown Privateer Matt Graham is 2 assists away from 400 in the FPHL … Egor Filippov (WAT) has recorded a point in 10 of his last 11 games. His only game without one in that span was the last meeting between these teams on March 15 … The Prowlers can clinch home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs with two regulation wins this weekend … The Wolves have lost 12 of their last 13 games

SERIES SCHEDULE

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

Mar. 28, 6:05 P.M. at McMorran Place (Port Huron, MI)

Friday is Faith and Family Night and Saturday is Pucks and Pups Night featuring Paw Patrol. Tickets to both games are available at phprowlers.com/tickets and dog tickets for Saturday’s game can be bought at the door with updated vaccination records.

Photo courtesy of Delta Imaging