Stuckless Wins Game 1 For Bobcats

Nick Stuckless was the overtime hero in Game 1 of the Commissioner’s Cup Quarterfinals as the Blue Ridge Bobcats downed the Port Huron Prowlers 4-3. Stuckless stuffed the winner home at the side of the net 12:59 into the extra session.

To even get to overtime, Port Huron had to battle back from multiple deficits. Nikita Kozyrev got the scoring starting with a rip 57 seconds into the game. Then in the second, Denver Craig took advantage of a turnover and made it 2-0.

“I thought they started quicker than us,” said Prowlers associate head coach Chris Paulin. “I thought [goaltender Reid Cooper] kept us in the game early. They started like they were playing at home in a playoff game. They were excited and hungry. I think we sat back a little bit and didn’t execute there.”

Past the midway point of the frame, Grayson Dietrich unloaded a power-play one timer that hit Reggie Millette in front and caromed in. Then, in the middle period’s final minute, Ryan Alexander centered the puck and it found Vincent Dekumbis who fired it home five-hole on Anthony Shrum.

Controversy arose in the third period of a 2-2 game. Ben Brockway rode Craig into the end wall and Craig went down and was on the ice for multiple minutes. Brockway was ejected and Craig briefly went to the Blue Ridge locker room before returning to participate in the five-minute man advantage.

“I’ll have to take a look at it again,” Paulin said of the Brockway penalty. “I know Brock, he was going to hit-and-pin there. I know the guy that went into the boards didn’t miss a shift, but he did lay on the ice. It doesn’t seem like he’s hurt because he continued to play the rest of the game.”

During the power play, Demid Podrezov put the Bobcats ahead seconds after being robbed by Cooper. Between the save and the goal, Justin Daly appeared to elbow Tim Organ away from the puck which opened up the lane for Podrezov to attack.

“The referees have a tough job out there,” Paulin said. “I think they wanted that one back when Timmy gets clipped with an elbow off the puck. He was shaken up but he battled, he was a warrior and we had to limit his minutes down the stretch. It happens quickly out there. The linesman saw it, he said it was a hit to the head. He talked to the referees and they said they had nothing on the ice.”

Port Huron tied it back up when Millette sent a seeing-eye shot from the blue line during a delayed penalty to send the game to overtime. Stuckless sent the Blue Ridge fans home happy in the first playoff overtime in Bobcats franchise history.

Millette led Port Huron with two goals while Cooper kept his team in the game with a 45-save performance. 

Podrezov added an assist to his goal and Shrum made 32 stops in his first career playoff start.

The Prowlers have their backs against the wall as they return home for Game 2 on Friday, April 17 at 7:05 P.M. Tickets are available at phprowlers.com/playoffs. 

What will the Prowlers look like with their backs against the wall? “We’re going to find out,” Paulin said.