Series Preview: Prowlers Rock with Lobsters

For the first time ever, the Port Huron Prowlers will invade the newly constructed Akins Ford Arena to visit the Athens Rock Lobsters. The series will wrap up a four-game stretch against Continental Division competition for the Prowlers.

Port Huron was home last weekend and swept a shorthanded Mississippi Sea Wolves squad. The first night was a goaltending duel between Valtteri Nousiainen and Samuel Best. After giving up a goal in the first minute, Nousiainen stopped the remaining 26 shots he faced and Alex Johnson scored the OT winner to give the Prowlers the extra point. The next night, the home side was dominant. Much of the offense came when the teams combined for five goals in a span of 4:34 near the end of the second period. Port Huron came out of that stretch up by a pair and ended up winning 5-2. The Prowlers are 10-10-2 and sit third in the Empire Division, though they are tied with the fourth-place Danbury Hat Tricks who also have 28 points.

Athens played a home-and-home against its in-state rival, the Columbus River Dragons with both games going beyond regulation. On Friday in Columbus, the teams traded a goal apiece in the second and that was all the scoring before overtime. Ryan Hunter put home the game winner in the extra session to give the Dragons the extra point. The next night in Athens, Cody Wickline tied the game at three with the extra attacker out and under a minute to go in regulation. He then put home the only goal in the shootout to help Columbus once again take the extra point. Those were the first overtime and shootout losses in franchise history for the Rock Lobsters who sit sixth in the Continental at 10-2-2 with 27 points. They’ve played an FPHL-low 14 games.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Prowlers - Tucker Scantlebury (F) - Scantlebury scored in both games last weekend against Mississippi and showed off his laser wrist shot. He’s taken control of the team lead with 10 tallies this season.

Rock Lobsters - Garrett Milan (F) - The former Pensacola Ice Flyers captain is scoring at a nearly goal-per-game pace (13 goals in 14 games) and is tied for fifth in the FPHL at 1.8 points-per-game.

STAT CENTRAL

Reid Cooper (PHP) has won each of his last three starts…Carter Shinkaruk (ARL) and Alex Johnson (PHP) are tied for the most points by as defenseman in the FPHL this season (22)…The Prowlers are averaging 44.5 shots on goal per game over their last 4 games…The Rock Lobsters have the sixth-most points in the Continental but the third-best win percentage

SERIES SCHEDULE

Dec. 27, 7:05 P.M. at Akins Ford Arena (Athens, GA)

Dec. 28, 7:05 P.M. at Akins Ford Arena (Athens, GA)

Both games will be available live on the PHP Network YouTube channel.