Delaney's Hat-Trick Powers Rockers Past Prowlers 5-2, Back-To-Back I-94 Rivalry Season Series

Fraser, MI — On Saturday Motor City clinched a playoff spot for the second consecutive season and on Sunday the Rockers clinched the I-94 Rivalry for the second straight year over Port Huron with a 5-2 win. 

All weekend long the Rockers were the first team to score goals, but on Sunday it was the Prowlers who jumped out to an early 2-0 lead through the first 20-minutes. 

Port Huron had a power play and cycled the puck from the point to the far side wall. Rocker defender Mike Winn lost his stick making a play which opened up a scoring chance when Liam Freeborn centered the puck to Evan Foley who pushed it through Trevor Babin for a 1-0 lead.

Five minutes later Mitch Jones once again scored on a one-timer from set up from Freeborn for his third goal of the weekend and a 2-0 lead. 

That’s all the goals the Prowlers would receive as Motor City scored the next five in the second and third periods. 

Roman Gaudet earned his second of the weekend for the Rockers when Avery Smith won the face off draw, and Gaudet collected the win. As he skated into a scoring position from far side to nearside, he fired a back-handed shot to a screened Tucker Tynan that went through the five-hole for a 1-0 lead. 

A minute and 49-seconds later, TJ Delaney sniped the top right corner for his first of three of the night that tied the score at 2-2 with 16:01 to play in the second period.

Smith, who is playing in his second game as a college signee from Indiana Tech, recorded his first goal, and first multipoint game of his young professional career when he followed up his own shot with 9:43 remaining in the period for a 3-2 lead. 

On the weekend, Smith has a goal and two assists in two games. 

Delaney capped the scoring in the second period a minute later when he again sniped the top right corner on Tynan for a 4-2 lead when he walked the puck into the offensive zone and fired another shot from the near circle. 

He earned his second career hat-trick when Lane King offered a stretch pass through the neutral zone that hit Delaney’s stick perfectly allowing him to slip past the defense. He then fired the puck to the top-shelf again for his third of the night and capped the scoring at 5-2. 

His three goal performance now puts him second on the team in goals with 23 just two behind Scott Coash who leads the team with 25. 

The Rockers will now prepare for a three game series against the Columbus RiverDragons in Georgia next weekend where the Rockers look to earn its first win on the road in the Civic Arena as a franchise.