Intotheboards.net - IHL Playoffs 2008 - Port Huron vs Fort Wayne

Power Play	4th - 17.6
Penalty Killing	2nd - 85.0
*FORWARDS*
TAB LARDNER	39-42-81 (+20)
JAMIE CARROLL	30-40-70 (+6)
JEFF ZEHR	33-33-66 (-4)
*DEFENSEMEN*
JAMIE LOVELL	8-23-31 (+5)
JOE MARKUSEN	11-17-28 (+1)
MARK DeSANTIS	6-22-28 (-8)
*GOALTENDERS*
LARRY STERLING	24-13-2-1 (1 SO) 2.51 GA .912 PCT

MARTY MAGERS	14-11-0-3 (1 SO) 2.89 GA .904 PCT

	Port Huron vs Fort Wayne

	SCHEDULE
	1	MAY 2	PORT HURON 4 - FORT WAYNE 1
SEED 2	2	MAY 3	FORT WAYNE 2 - PORT HURON 3 (OT)	SEED 1
41-29-2-4 (88)	3	MAY 4	PORT HURON 1 - FORT WAYNE 5	56-12-6-2 (120)
	4	MAY 7	FORT WAYNE 1 - PORT HURON 5
	5	MAY 8	PORT HURON 2 - FORT WAYNE 4
	6	MAY 10	FORT WAYNE 4 - PORT HURON 3
	7	MAY 12	PORT HURON 2 - FORT WAYNE 3 (3OT)
*Fort Wayne Wins Series 4-3*

SERIES PREVIEW

by Tom Schettino - PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM

There is no question which team the oddsmakers would choose to win this series between the Fort Wayne Komets and the Port Huron Icehawks for the Turner Cup. After all the Komets finished with 120 points to the Icehawks 88 and defeated Port Huron the last ten times they played. History says this would be the biggest upset in IHL history if the Icehawks were to somehow manage to win.

Even though the Komets could pile stat upon stat upon the Icehawks to show why they should win, Port Huron has a few things going for themselves in this series. Port Huron did finish in second place in the league, they dispatched their higher-ranked first round opponent (Flint) faster than Fort Wayne defeated their lower-seeded opponent (Muskegon) and the club has a coach (Stan Drulia) who has won championships both as a player and a coach. Another key item to note is Port Huron has gone 18-4-4 since acquiring Don Margettie from the Bloomington PrairieThunder late in the season to solidify their third line.

Forwards
IHL Rookie of the Year Luciano Aquino is the Komets key scorer as he led the team in scoring during the regular season, in the playoffs and in head-to-head play against the Icehawks this year. David Hukalo, Mathieu Curadeau and late-season acquisition Justin Hodgman have provided most of the offensive spark during the postseason. In addition the club has veterans Colin Chaulk and P.C. Drouin who will provide leadership and scoring in the finals. Matt Reynolds, a hard-working, all-around player, the abrasive Mitch Woods and veteran Konstantin Shafranov will also see regular playing time. A lot was expected from Terry Marchant, but he has been splitting game action with Evgeny Saidachev.

Unlike the Komets who have Aquino, the Icehawks do not have one single go-to scorer on the club. Port Huron is very deep and has three lines which can play well and contribute. As a matter of fact the third line of Kris Vernarsky, Brent Hughes and Margettie were amongst the league’s top playoff scorers. Tab Lardner scored 81 points during the regular season and contributed five more in the first round against Flint. Jeremy Tucker, Josh Aspenlind, Jamie Carroll, Rich Hansen and Jeff Zehr also chipped in during the first round win. The club could get even deeper if Steve Hildenbrand can recover from an injury suffered in Game 1 of the series against the Generals. Kerry Bowman is available if the team needs to make a roster change.

Defenseman
Following the team theme of the Icehawks the club does not have flashy-lights out players, although Jamie Lovell can score with the best defenders in the league. They base their blueline on steady veterans like Mark DeSantis, Chris Bogas and B.J. Adams. Joe Markusen is solid on defense and he will be helped out by Jeremy Leroux, Derek Merlini and sometimes by Robert Cowan as Cowan also sees time on the forward lines.

Guy Dupuis might be the best defender at the AA-level and he leads a group which includes Sergei Durdin, Brent Henley, Kevin Bertram and Kevin Hanson—all very good defenders in their own rights. Brandon Warner and Jake Pence are the younger guys but have played well during the postseason.

Goaltending
The ability of the netminders in this series is highlighted by the fact Kevin Reiter was named the IHL Goaltender of the Year and he might be the third-best goaltender in the series. Reiter has had a fantastic season in his own right, but he might be replaced in goal by Nick Boucher at any time. Boucher was 6-0 against the Icehawks this season and posted a 1.97 GAA. Reiter was hit-and-miss versus Port Huron this year as he posted multiple shutouts, but was also soundly defeated in some games.

Meanwhile Port Huron’s Larry Sterling is a talented goalie who has the potential to make the most impact of any player on either roster in this series. Sterling was 4-1 with a 2.43 GAA and .924 save percentage in the first round against Flint. Marty Magers is Sterling’s back-up, but he might see time in the series due to the fact he was terrific against the Komets during last season’s UHL playoffs.

What to expect
Port Huron must stay away from penalties and capitalize when Fort Wayne is assessed with them. The key for the Icehawks will be goaltending and hard-work as they, nor any other team in the IHL, matches up talent-wise with the Komets.

The Muskegon Fury did the Fort Wayne Komets a huge favor in the first round when they took the Komets to six games in the opening round. If the Komets learned from that lesson they might finish the series quickly, if they think they can just ease by the Icehawks they might find themselves watching a celebration rather than enjoying one of their own.

Game 1	Port Huron 4 - Fort Wayne 1
by Tom Schettino - PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM	*Port Huron Leads Series 1-0*
*Fort Wayne, IN* - Fort Wayne held a 10-game winning streak over Port Huron. The Komets had not lost at home in regulation in calendar year 2008, a span of 29 games. Their goaltender, Nick Boucher, had a personal six-game winning streak againt the Icehawks. The club also had a cheering contingency of 7,473 fans which is more than twice what the Icehawks home arena can even contain. What they don't have is a win in the Turner Cup Finals as the scrappy Icehawks took home a 4-1 win in Game 1 of the series. Stan Drulia's Port Huron club played a slowdown game to near perfection which is what will be required if they are to have further success in this series. The Icehawks limited the high-powered Komets to just 22 shots on goal and Port Huron netminder Larry Sterling stopped all but one of them. Port Huron only took 22 shots of their own against Boucher, but used them to maximum effect. Port Huron was masterful on the special teams in Game 1 as they shutdown the Komets six times on the penalty kill and even scored a shorthanded goal of their own. The Icehawks also scored twice on their own power play. Kris Vernarsky got the ball rolling when he stole the puck from Fort Wayne's J.C. Drouin at his own blueline while shorthanded and beat Nick Boucher with a backhander after skating the length of the ice. Kerry Bowman doubled the lead when he scored on a five-on-three power play. Bowman's first professional goal came when he collected a pass from a teammate which Fort Wayne's Kevin Bertram had blocked and fired it into the goal. The Komets scored a disputed goal when rookie Justin Hodgman outfought an Icehawks defender and crashed the net. Sterling and his Port Huron teammates insisted the puck had been kicked into the net, but were overuled by the officials. Port Huron had nothing to be too concerned about anyway as they doubled their lead on a Jeff Zehr goal. Jamie Carroll set up the play as he and Zehr broke away on a two-on-one. Carroll held the puck until both the defender and goaltender had commited to him before he fed it to Zehr for an easy score. Tab Lardner picked up the Icehawks fourth goal when he converted on yet another five-on-three power play. If Fort Wayne was not playing to their full capabilities they may wish to do so in Game 2 on Saturday in Michigan. Should they lose Game 2 they will have dug themselves a hole which will be difficult to get out of. Fort Wayne's Kevin Hansen played despite receiving 30 stitches in his ear during practice earlier in the week. The Komets did not dress Terry Marchant or junior-signee Ken Dufresne for the game. Port Huron placed Jeremy Tucker on the 10-day injured reserve list to facilitate Steve Hildenbrand's return to the lineup. In addition to Tucker, Derek Merlini was also held out of action by Drulia.

Game 2	Fort Wayne 2 - Port Huron 3 (OT)
by Tom Schettino - PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM	*Port Huron Leads Series 2-0*
*Port Huron, MI* - The little engine that might kept climbing the hill thanks to a blistering shot by Jamie Lovell from the slot with 4:53 expired in overtime. Meanwhile the Komets were bitter about an opportunity wasted to tie the series after not one, but two goals were waved off in the scoreless third period. But disagree with the officials as they might neither Colin Chaulk’s nor Konstantin Shafranov’s disputed goals were allowed to count. Shafranov did pick up a goal that counted early in the second period as he slid a dribbler through Larry Sterling’s pads to give the Komets a 1-0 lead. The two clubs would then trade goals with Joe Markusen picking up his first goal and point of the playoffs when the Icehawks defender blasted one from the slot. Chaulk also picked up a goal that counted to give the Komets a lead when he tucked in a rebound of a P.C Drouin shot. Jeff Zehr picked up the last goal of regulation when he deflected Markusen’s shot past Fort Wayne netminder Kevin Reiter. Fort Wayne had something to take out of the game as they carried play for most of the contest even though the shots on goal were even with 33 apiece. Komets coach Al Sims decided to start Reiter in goal which would give his club a fresh goaltender no matter who plays for Sunday’s game, the third in three days. Sterling has started each game of the series and Icehawks coach Stan Drulia will need to decide whether he wants to go with his hot hand in Sterling or insert Marty Magers in for his first game of the postseason. Port Huron placed Derek Merlini in the lineup in place of Robert Cowan while the Komets get their lineup static for Game 2. The series will return to Indiana for Game 3 of the series which is scheduled for Sunday, May 4.

Game 3	Port Huron 1 - Fort Wayne 5
*PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM*	*Port Huron Leads Series 2-1*
*Fort Wayne, IN* - They did not come right out and say it--at least publicly--but the Fort Wayne Komets felt they deserved a better fate in Game 2 after not one, but two, third period goals were waved off. As a unit Fort Wayne also said they were outplaying Port Huron and on Sunday they sent a message. Matt Reynolds and Justin Hodgman scored first period goals and the Komets outshot the Icehawks by a 20-6 margin in the first period never looking back to the delight of the 6,204 in attendance. Although Tab Lardner potted a goal off a rebound in the second period for the Icehawks to narrow the score, the Komets routed the Icehawks in the third period with three unanswered goals. Hodgman, along with netminder Nick Boucher and Luciano Aquino were the stars of the game for Fort Wayne. Boucher was only touched by Lardner as he came up with 25 stops. Hodgman notched two goals and picked up an assist while Aquino had a trio of helpers. Terry Marchant, seeing his first action of the series, started the Komets rampage in the third period. Hodgman fired a one-timer past Larry Sterling to continue it and Colin Chaulk finished the scoring late in the period. Port Huron is not eliminated by any means and still controls this series as Game 4 will be played at their home arena. However, should they lose that contest they will have lost their grip on the matter. At that point Fort Wayne will have the momentum and two of the three remaining contests would be slated for their home ice.

Game 4	Fort Wayne 1 - Port Huron 5
by Tom Schettino - PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM	*Port Huron Leads Series 3-1*
*Port Huron, MI* - All of the experts who predicted the Fort Wayne Komets would sweep right through the Port Huron Icehawks better hope they start sweeping...right now. Thank to a tremendous game by goaltender Larry Sterling, a horrible defensive game by Fort Wayne and an opportunistic offense which had five players score multiple points the Icehawks are one win away from the biggest upset in IHL history. Fort Wayne poured pressure on their opponents by outshooting the Icehawks by a 39-23 margin, but at times they forgot to watch their own zone as Port Huron put them away with odd-man rushes. The Komets actually took a lead in the contest when Konstantin Shafranov fired a bullet from the top of the left circle but lost the lead in a five-goal barrage from the upstart Icehawks. Josh Aspenlind knotted the game when he poked home a rebound of Jamie Lovell's shot and then Jeff Zehr went to work. Zehr, who has been sporting a facemask from a first round injury, killed the Komets with the game's next two scores. The winger's first goal came when Aspenlind found him for an open shot from above the circle. Port Huron used two Komets breakdowns to pick up the next goals as Zehr finished a two-on-one by deking Fort Wayne netminder Kevin Reiter out of his crease and knocking the puck home. Joe Markusen finished the next odd-man rush when he capped off a three-on-two rush and Jamie Carroll finished the scoring when his weak shot eluded Reiter. Meanwhile Sterling was outstanding as he was in perfect position on most of his 38 saves, 11 of which came during the final period when Fort Wayne was trying to penetrate the Icehawks defensive cordon. Fort Wayne will attempt to start their long way back with a home game tonight. Should they keep the Turner Cup out of the hands of the Icehawks in Game 5 the clubs will play Saturday in Port Huron and if necessary, Game 7 will take place next Monday night back in Indiana.

Game 5	Port Huron 2 - Fort Wayne 4
by Tom Schettino - PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM	*Port Huron Leads Series 3-2*
*Fort Wayne, IN* - Down to their last game of the season the Fort Wayne used two power play goals to stave off elimination and set up a game in Port Huron on Saturday. The Komets rebounded from a lackluster Game 5 by jumping out to a 2-0 lead after the first two periods. Mathieu Curadeau started the scoring when he handled a behind-the-net pass from Konstantin Shafranov in the slot and defeated Port Huron netminder Larry Sterling. P.C. Drouin raised the ante when his slap shot late in the second period widened the lead. Fort Wayne defender Sergei Durdin sent Drouin away for the goal with a nice breakout pass, but he returned the favor to the Icehawks when he lost the puck during a power play to the Icehawks Kris Vernarsky. After a tense, but scoreless third period, an interference penalty to Port Huron's Brent Hughes opened the floodgates. While trying to score on the Hughes power play, Durdin gave the puck up and Vernarsky set up Tab Lardner for a short-handed goal. But Fort Wayne-local Brandon Warner completed the power play with a hard shot past Sterling, who might have still been shaken up from being hit with a stick by teammate Chris Bogas shortly before the Komets eventual game-winning goal. Port Huron put on a furious rally and surged back to within a score when Jeff Zehr finished off a nice cross-crease pass from Jamie Carroll. The game would stay close until Colin Chaulk knocked in an empty-net insurance goal for the Komets. Fort Wayne played a simpler game than usual as they focused on defense and the club received a solid game in goal from Nick Boucher who stopped 27 shots on the evening. On the other hand the Icehawks came out slowly and had to lean on Sterling, who made several unbelievable stops during a futile attempt to steal the game and the IHL championship. The loss throws pressure on the Icehawks who have been able to take a lead while flying under the radar in a series almost everyone said would be a walk for the Komets. Should Port Huron lose Game 6 at home on Saturday they will have to go to enemy territory for a deciding Game 7 on Monday night. Fort Wayne has to continue to play the way they did in Game 6 as any slacking off could give the Icehawks the room they need to finish the series. Port Huron coach Stan Drulia will need to ensure his charges are ready for the next game right from the get-go or their chances for a historical upset could go down the drain.

Game 6	Fort Wayne 4 - Port Huron 3
by Tom Schettino - PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM	*Series Tied 3-3*
*Port Huron, MI* - With the exception of the tremendous amount of respect gained by the Port Huron Icehawks in this series the Icehawks and Komets are back to where they started. For the first time since the early minutes of Game 1 the heavily-favored Komets are back in control and are riding a two-game winning streak heading into Game 7 on Monday night in Indiana. The Komets got just what they needed early in Game 6 as they turned an early negative into a positive. When Luciano Aquino went to the box due to a hooking call just 1:10 into the contest it opened the door for the Icehawks to gain early control. However just the opposite happened when the Komets' Matt Reynolds picked Jamie Carroll's pocket and broke in alone on Port Huron netminder Larry Sterling. Reynolds beat Sterling with a wrist shot to succesfully complete his breakaway and the tide in the series had turned. After a tightly-played defensive contest for most of two periods both teams had an offensive explosion that in the end won the game for Fort Wayne. Terry Marchant, who was a healthy scratch earlier in the series, continued his surge with a shot from the right side at the 15:38 mark. Less than two minutes later Komets coach Al Sims called a timeout to revitalize his troops and the move paid off with a Aquino goal off a rebound of a Justin Hodgman shot. Port Huron's Tab Lardner interjected the Icehawks into the scoring parade when he scored his first of two goals on the night by re-directing a Kris Vernarsky shot. Lardner's score would stand for just mere seconds when Colin Chaulk answered by scoring the eventual game-winning goal through a partial screen just 15 seconds later. The third period featured a desperate Icehawks team trying to tie the game on their home ice, but they never could. They did manage to get close when Don Margettie potted a rebound and Lardner finished off a two-on-one shorthanded break, but they were unable to come up with the game-tying score. Earlier in the series Fort Wayne struggled to find a winning goaltender before deciding on Nick Boucher who came up with 27 saves in Game 6 while Port Huron rested their hopes on Sterling. The tables have turned on the Icehawks who took Sterling out after two periods and gave Marty Magers a chance to make 13 saves over the final 20 minutes of play. Despite Magers' fine play, published reports have quoted Port Huron head coach Stan Drulia stating Sterling would get the nod for Game 7. While the result on the ice was not good for the Port Huron players, Icehawks ownership has to be delighted with the fact they were able to sell out McMorran Arena as 3,129 fans filed into the contest. Too be sure some of the fans were Komets backers, but the Port Huron fans were entertained by a good game, even if they did not get the results they wanted. Those fans should be back for more next season. So after six intense games the series will conclude on Monday night in Indiana. Fort Wayne has everything going for it, momentum, home ice, a better record--but isn't that where we all were prior to Game 1 when the Icehawks turned the Komets world upside-down?

Game 7	Port Huron 2 - Fort Wayne 3 (3OT)
by Tom Schettino - PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM	*Fort Wayne Wins Series 4-3*
*Fort Wayne, IN* - By all indications 19-year-old Justin Hodgman is going to have a terrific career in professional hockey after he finishes his junior career next year. The thing is there is a superb chance the Fort Wayne forward will never score a goal so important or satisfying in his life again. The experts who picked the Fort Wayne Komets to win the Turner Cup were correct after all, but it took all seven games, including over 100 minutes of hockey in the final game for them to knock off Port Huron club which nearly stunned the entire league. It was the fifth Turner Cup for the Komets and the second for Coach Al Sims, who also won one in 1993 with the club. In addition to pushing the Komets to the brink, Stan Drulia’s Icehawks club provided the IHL with a huge boost as the last two games of the series, one in Port Huron and the final in Fort Wayne were complete sellouts. Some fans were left outside in Fort Wayne for the final game as the entire Allen County War Memorial Coliseum was filled to capacity. Fort Wayne appeared as if they were going to run away with this game as they took a two goal lead and apparently had Port Huron stymied and spent. But the Icehawks battled back to tie the game and force the marathon overtime. Hodgman led all IHL scorers in the playoffs with 14 points and was named as the Playoff MVP by the league after the contest, although goaltender Nick Boucher who won all four games in the finals for the Komets would have been an excellent choice too. The two clubs battled through a scoreless first period and a portion of the second frame until Hodgman began the scoring just after six minutes into the period. Hodgman skated up the ice on a two-on-one and used his teammate as a decoy before firing a hard shot past Port Huron netminder Larry Sterling. Komets captain Guy Dupuis, who later had a portion of the Turner Cup fall apart when he lifted it during the post game celebration, opened the lead to two when he blasted a pass from Konstantin Shafranov past Sterling from the slot with the Komets on the man advantage. Port Huron began their comeback with a score from Jeff Zehr. Zehr handled a pass from behind the net by Rich Hansen and sneaked it past Boucher for the score. The lead would last until the final minute when in dramatic fashion the Icehawks sucked the air out of the building. Just when it appeared the Komets would win in regulation Port Huron pulled Sterling for an extra attacker and tied the game when Tab Lardner’s shot hit not one, but two, Komets player’s skates and went past Boucher. Lardner’s tally would stand for two periods of overtime action as both teams had their opportunities to claim the championship. Perhaps the best opportunity belonged to the Icehawks who nearly scored into an open net only to see the cage come off the moorings at the last second. The winning sequence was set up by an unfortunate penalty by the Icehawks who were called for too many men on the ice at the 18:17 mark of the second overtime. Port Huron killed the penalty, but just six seconds after the penalty expired Hodgman tucked in a rebound of a Guy Dupuis shot for the winner. The goal spoiled a fine effort in this game, and the entire playoffs, from Sterling who made 57 saves over the course of the evening and set off a wild celebration by a Komets club who had to come back from a 3-1 deficit in this series in order to win.

Power Play	1st - 19.8
Penalty Killing	1st - 85.0
*FORWARDS*
LUCIANO AQUINO	41-50-6-91 (+27)
COLIN CHAULK	24-50-74 (+14)
PC DROUIN	23-51-74 (+25)
*DEFENSEMEN*
GUY DUPUIS	15-43-58 (+41)
SERGEI DURDIN	7-19-26 (+31)
BRANDON WARNER	6-13-19 (+8)
*GOALTENDERS*
KEVIN REITER	32-10-4-0 (8 SO) 2.34 GA .910 PCT

NICK BOUCHER	24-2-2-2 (0 SO) 2.32 GA .913 PCT