Weekend Preview: Raining Cats and Dogs

The Port Huron Prowlers will get their first taste of the Blue Ridge Bobcats on March 8-9 and then finish their season series with the Watertown Wolves on March 10. This weekend will feature the first in-division games for the Prowlers since Jan. 6.

The Prowlers went to Danbury and picked up three points in three one-goal games. In the first game, Port Huron erased a 5-3 deficit in the final 2:02 to send it beyond regulation, but Jacob Ratcliffe scored in the fifth round of the shootout to get the extra point for the Hat Tricks. The next night, Danbury once again took a two-goal lead in the third but the Prowlers only got one back and fell in regulation 4-3. Port Huron finally got over the hump in the third meeting thanks to Matt Graham’s overtime winner. The Prowlers are 20-15-6 with 62 points, good for third in the Continental.

The Bobcats spent last weekend down the road from McMorran Place and grabbed a point against Motor City. Blue Ridge came back from 2-0 down with a goal in the second and a goal in the third, but TJ Sneath scored the only goal of the shootout in the fourth round to win it for the Rockers. The next night, Motor City stayed two steps ahead and came away with a 6-2 victory. After being swept, the Bobcats are 12-24-6 with 38 points, good for fifth in the Continental and 15 points behind Mississippi for the final playoff spot.

The Wolves only played one game last weekend but it was a big one against the team they’re chasing for the last playoff spot in the Empire; the Elmira River Sharks. Watertown jumped out to a 2-0 lead early in the second and didn’t look back en route to a 5-3 victory that pulled them within seven points of that final playoff start. They are 13-24-5 with 42 points.

SEASON SERIES VS WATERTOWN (PORT HURON LEADS 4-1)

Jan. 12 @ Port Huron: Prowlers 5, Wolves 1

Jan. 13 @ Port Huron: Prowlers 6, Wolves 2

Jan. 14 @ Port Huron: Wolves 5, Prowlers 3

Feb. 9 @ Port Huron: Prowlers 4, Wolves 3

Feb. 10 @ Port Huron: Prowlers 4, Wolves 3 (OT)

LAST MEETING WITH WATERTOWN

The Wolves mounted a two-goal comeback in the third to send the game to overtime but 15 seconds into the extra session, Liam Freeborn one-handed the puck on net where it barely crossed the goal line to give Port Huron the extra point. Dalton Jay scored twice and Tucker Tynan made 38 saves for the Prowlers.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Prowlers - Liam Freeborn (F) - Freeborn is riding a 16-game point streak including six points against Danbury last weekend. His line with Matt Graham and Austin Fetterly has been dominant.

Bobcats - Nikita Ivashkin (F) - Ivashkin has become a leader offensively since joining the Bobcats from Binghamton with 4 goals and 6 points in 5 games. His 22 goals, 16 assists and 38 points lead or tie for the team lead for the year.

Wolves - Dakota Seaman (F) - The last time Seaman was at McMorran Place, he received a match penalty for clipping Tucker Scantlebury. We’ll see if he’s forced to drop the mitts for his actions on Sunday.

STAT CENTRAL

The Prowlers are 5-1-0 this year against teams in their inaugural season…The Bobcats have lost 5-straight road games and 12 of their last 13 away from Apex Center…Egor Dolkart (BRB) is tied with Motor City’s Lane King for most assists without a goal this season (14)…Spencer Kozlowski (WAT) is on a personal 5-appearance losing streak. His last win came in relief against the Prowlers on Jan. 14

WEEKEND SCHEDULE

Mar. 8, 7:05 P.M. vs BRB at McMorran Place (Port Huron, MI)

Mar. 9, 7:05 P.M. vs BRB at McMorran Place (Port Huron, MI)

Mar. 10, 3:05 P.M. vs WAT at McMorran Place (Port Huron, MI)

Tickets to all three games are available at phprowlers.com/tickets or by calling the McMorran box office at 810-985-6166.