Prowlers Thump Dashers in Bloodbath (2/1)

Topeka, KS - After a low scoring affair last night, a crowd of 3,630 couldn’t wait to see what was in store for the finale in Topeka. In a physical, tooth and nail battle, The Prowlers found an extra gear to pull away from the Dashers late en route to a 6-1 victory. 

The final battle in Topeka. A rowdy crowd. Physical hockey. Sound fun? That’s exactly what period one brought between the Port Huron Prowlers and the Dashers Hockey Club. Port came out hot once again, looking to make a statement after barely defeating the Dashers in the previous affair. They controlled the tempo through the front end of period 1, routing the Dashers in shots and doing everything they could to get under their skin after whistles. However, their aggressive effort would lead to a couple penalties, presenting the Dashers with over 3 minutes of man advantage time, including a brief stint with a 5 on 3. In the midst of all this, Trey Fischer and Austin Fetterly dropped the mitts. They had a rather brief exchange, with Fischer landing the majority of shots before Wrestlemania slamming Fetterly to the ice. The Dashers established the zone well on their power play, but couldn’t find anything to show for their efforts. Moments later, Bo Zinchenko challenged Bryan Parsons to a bout. Zinchenko fed Parsons a healthy diet of rights before the two got tangled up on the wall and were separated. The first period buzzer sounded with the shots 15-11 Port Huron, and still no one on the scoreboard. The final 40 would be a fun ride for all in attendance. 

Period 2 is where the scoring began, but in a lopsided manner. It took just 3:19 for a patient Reggie Millette to finish a beautiful 3 on 1 and make it 1-0 Port. On the same shift just 21 seconds later, Millette finished a 2 on 1 from Johnson and in the blink of an eye it was 2-0. The Dashers had their chance to get back in the game when Tucker Scantlebury took a 5 and 10 minute match penalty for a hit to the head. In response, Sean Goar challenged Scantlebury to fisticuffs, his fourth fight in Topeka. Neither man could get untangled, and on the way to the box Goar made a peace sign and was also assessed a game misconduct. The Dashers 5 minute man advantage was very lackluster, providing just 2 shots in the effort. As Port got back to even strength, Kenny Styles fed a perfect one timer to Ludwig Thellstrom who buried it and make the score 3-0. The Dashers were outshot 15-6 in the second 20.

Period 3 saw a flash of life for the Dashers before Port ran away with the game. Drawing an early power play, the Dashers went to work. Lucas Rothe took a slapshot that broke his stick but made it through for Blake Siewertsen to tip home for his first as a Dasher to make it 3-1. The rest of the way was all Port. Less than 3 minutes later, Kenny Styles buried a goal off a feed from Jamie Bucell and the lead was restored to 3. 6 minutes after this, Luke James scored a  nasty goal over Rutherford’s glove for his first of the season and it was 5-1. Justin Brausen took a late penalty that led to Tristan Simm hammering home a one timer to conclude the scoring at 6-1. The Dashers outshot the Prowlers 12-10 in period 3 but the total tally was 40-29 Port. 

The “Topeka Roadrunners” finish the neutral site games with a record of 4-0. The Dashers losing streak slides to 28 games, tying the Delaware Thunder for the longest losing streak ever in professional hockey. They will travel to Danbury, Connecticut next Friday and Saturday to take on the Hat Tricks while Port Huron will host the Carolina Thunderbirds for a set next weekend as well.