BIRMINGHAM, AL – The Havoc took a short road trip for their first game of the year against Birmingham and made short work of the Bulls, getting Huntsville’s first shutout of the season 4-0.
Smothering defense from the Havoc (4-2-0) supported strong play from goalkeeper Mike DeLaVergne, who made 26 saves on the night.
“I’m really happy to see the team respond so well defensively after a tough game last night,” said Havoc head coach Glenn Detulleo. “Mike definitely earned his first professional shutout. We had a good combination of timely scoring and big saves.”
Detulleo was referring to a rough night on home ice Thursday night when the Havoc lost to the Pensacola Ice Flyers 6-2. DeLaVergne came on in relief late in the second period against Pensacola, stopping 19 of 20 shots.
On Friday, the Havoc and Bulls set the tone early for what may be a great SPHL in-state rivalry. Birmingham’s Alexander Taulien and Huntsville’s Scott Trask were booked for fighting just two minutes into the game.
Huntsville got on the board first when Danny Smith scored his second goal of the season on a sharp assist from Sy Nutkevitch at 8:41 of the first period.
Christian Powers put the Havoc up by two less than 30 seconds into the second period when he scored an unassisted goal. Nutkevitch got in on the action exactly halfway through the middle framing when he took a feed from Kyle Sharkey and put it in the back of the net to put Huntsville up 3-0.
Nolan Kaiser finished the scoring for the Havoc 15 seconds into a powerplay late in the game. Shawn Bates, in his second game with the team after starting the season on IR, got his first point of the year with an assist on Kaiser’s goal.
Huntsville takes nearly a full week off before going back on the road for a game against the Pensacola Ice Flyers on Saturday, Nov. 18. Game starts at 7:05 p.m. CT.
The next home game will be against the Evansville Thunderbolts on Thanksgiving night, Nov. 23, at 7 p.m. It’s another Simple Helix “Hockey Night in Huntsville” where fans can enjoy food and drink specials all night, including $2 hot dogs, $2 soda and $2 beer. The Havoc skate a Black Friday matinee home game the following afternoon against Pensacola. Fans are invited to bring a wrapped plush toy to toss on the ice to benefit Toys for Tots. The puck drops at 3 p.m. Single-game tickets are on sale now at ticketmaster.com or at the Von Braun Center box office.
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