This Week In The IHL - Nov. 5

IHL PRESS RELEASE --

The third week of action caused a shake-up in the IHL standings as the Flint Generals have taken over first place with nine points (4-1-0-1). Flint won both games they played this weekend, the first coming Friday (11/2) with a 2-1 victory over Kalamazoo at Wings Stadium. The Generals then returned home to Flint to hand out a 5-2 loss to Bloomington .

This weekend was eventful for Port Huron as their season-high four game winning streak was snapped on home ice Saturday (11/3) after the K-Wings defeated the Icehawks. Kalamazoo scored a league-high six goals in the 6-3 victory, with Nick Bootland and Mike Manley each scoring two goals a piece. The Icehawks have dropped to second place with eight points (4-4-0-0).

Fort Wayne rookie Luciano Aquino scored the IHL’s first hat trick of the 2007-08 season. Aquino’s three goals were scored vs. Muskegon Saturday (11/3) in front of the home crowd of 7,923 in Fort Wayne . Aquino scored three different ways as he scored a goal shorthanded, one on the power play and one at even strength. The third tally turned out to be the game winner as the Komets shut down the Fury to earn the 5-2 victory.

AROUND THE “I”

Bloomington PrairieThunder - (2-1-0-0) – Of its four wins this season, the PrairieThunder has had to rally from behind to earn the victories and only twice this season has the PrairieThunder scored the first goal of the game. Goalie Loic Lacasse registered his first professional victory with a 3-2 win over Port Huron on Sunday. He stopped all 15 shots in faced in the first period and halted 25 of 27 for the game. Don Parsons had a five-game scoring streak stopped in Flint on Saturday. Jason Ralph leads the team, scoring in six of seven, followed by Parsons and Cory Laylin with five each. The PrairieThunder has scored one power play goal in each of its seven games, while limiting the opponent to power play goals in only three of seven games.

Flint Generals - (2-0-0-0) – The Flint Generals are alone in first place in the IHL heading into week four. The Generals will have a first place showdown with Port Huron on Friday night. The Ice Hawks are second. Specialty teams have been outstanding lately for the Flint Generals as they are first overall on the power play and second overall on the penalty kill. It took a while but the Generals finally have some company atop the shorthanded goal department. It took three weeks before Fort Wayne fired a shorthanded goal. Prior to that, the Generals owned the IHL’s lone goal. The Flint Generals have gone two straight games without allowing a third period goal. The team had been outscored 8-2 in the third period but has erased that with no goals against in the third period the last two.

Fort Wayne Komets - (1-1-1-0) – After six games, the third place Komets (3-2-1-0, 7 pts.) are two points behind league leader Flint (4-1-0-1, 9 pts.). Saturday's 5-2 home win vs. Muskegon extends Fort Wayne 's home win streak to three games while extending road winless streak to three games. Komets have outscored opponents at home 12-3 (5-11 on the road). Rookie winger Luciano Aquino scored the Komet's first hat trick (and the only hat trick in the IHL) of the season Saturday in 5-2 win over visiting Muskegon . Aquino leads Komets with four goals. Rookie center Mathieu Curadeau had points in each of the first five games of the season (3g, 2a) before having his point-streak snapped Sunday at Kalamazoo. Rookie defenseman Jake Pence leads IHL with +7 and Guy Dupuis (D) leads IHL defensemen with 27 shots.

Kalamazoo Wings - (2-1-0-0) – Kory Karlander is one game shy of 700 in his career. Kalamazoo ’s head coach Brian Curran is one game shy of 500 in his coaching career. Goaltender Jeremy Symington stopped a combined 85 shots in two wins this weekend. Nick Bootland, Kory Karlander and Jamie Vanderveeken are all on three-game point streaks. Kalamazoo started a four-game home stand yesterday with a victory against Fort Wayne . After lighting the lamp nine times in its first four games of the season, Kalamazoo offense has exploded, scoring nine goals over the last two games. Kalamazoo is 3-0-0-0 when leading after two periods. After dropping three straight, the K-Wings are on a two-game winning streak. Florian Iberer has recorded four points in his last two games. The defenseman also scored two goals in Sunday’s win, including the overtime game-winner. Nick Bootland is tied with Robin Bouchard for the league lead in power-play goals with three.

Muskegon Fury - (0-1-1-0) – The Fury completed their three game road trip with a 1-1-1-0 record, earning three of possible six points available. The Fury have scored at least one power play goal in each of their first five games thus far this season. The Fury continued as the league’s premiere penalty killing cast, operating at 91.3% (21 of 23), surrendering only two power play goals so far this young sesason. Including the pre-season, goaltender Issac Reichmuth has made six straight starts in the Fury goal. Defenseman Russ Moyer earned his first-ever professional point Saturday night in Fort Wayne through an assist on a Robin Bouchard game-tying power play goal.

Port Huron Icehawks - (1-2-0-0) – Friday’s victory over the Komets took the Icehawks to a four game win streak and a 3-0 record on home ice. The win streak was broken Saturday when the Icehawks were defeated by the K-Wings 6-3. The loss was Port Huron ’s first loss at home this season. Port Huron leads the league for goals scored (22) and shots on goal (291). Icehawks RW Jamie Carroll continues to lead Port Huron and the league for goals scored, after tallying three goals over the weekend. The IHL Rookie of the Month for October now has six goals on the season. He is among the league leaders for points with seven, is second in the league for shots on goal with 37, and second in the league in the plus/minus category at +6.