A three-time Stanley Cup champion will be in the house this weekend at U.S. Cellular Coliseum, but don't expect the Bloomington PrairieThunder to lay out a welcome mat.

Former Detroit Red Wings standout Darren McCarty, who is attempting to rejuvenate his injury-stalled NHL career with Flint of the International Hockey League, and the Generals will meet the Thunder in back-to-back 7:05 p.m. games Friday and Saturday.

"It's pretty exciting to play against a guy that's scored some goals in the National Hockey League, but I don't think anybody is getting caught up with it," Thunder forward Jon Booras said. "We're on a winning streak here.

"We've got a lot of excitement coming to the rink, and we want to win these two games."

The 35-year-old McCarty helped lead the Red Wings to Stanley Cup titles in 1997, 1998 and 2002. He was a member of Detroit's famed Grind Line with center Kris Draper and winger Kirk Maltby, which was often paired against the opponent's top offensive line.

Draper, who co-owns the Generals, was instrumental in persuading McCarty to begin his comeback in Flint. McCarty, coming off two injury-riddled seasons with Calgary, had two goals and two assists in his first four games with the Generals.

"It's pretty neat to have a Stanley Cup champion out on the ice and to coach against him," Thunder coach Derek Booth said. "It's a situation where you have to treat him as the same player. You have to find out weaknesses that he has and isolate him.

"He's going to be a force to be reckoned with. He's a banger and a grinder, plus he scores goals, so he's a complete player. He's going to make a big difference out there. We just have to compete hard against him and finish our checks against him. But it's not one guy over there. It's the whole team we have to worry about."

The second-place Generals (19-6-9) have won six straight against the last-place Thunder (14-19-3) since suffering a season-opening 5-1 home loss to Bloomington. Flint has outscored the Thunder 29-10 during that stretch.

"Our biggest thing is we have to work down low in the offensive zone," Booth said. "We have to work their D-men, and we need to get a ton of shots on these guys. Their No. 1 (goaltender Chad Alban) is out, and we have to take advantage of that.

"We're coming up against one of the best teams in the league, so we have to be prepared, come out energized and outwork them. If we do that, we have a great shot to win this weekend."

The Thunder is riding a season-best three-game winning streak that has been fueled by the hot goaltending of rookie Loic Lacasse and some much-needed offensive production.

"We haven't played very good at all against Flint since the first game of the year," Booras said. "We want to take four points this weekend, and that's what we're concentrating on."

Thunder claps

The Thunder scored a season-high six goals in Friday's win over Kalamazoo, one short of the franchise record set last season. … Bloomington recorded back-to-back four-goal third periods against Fort Wayne and Kalamazoo. … After being knocked out in the third period of last week's loss to the Thunder, Fort Wayne goalie Kevin Reiter posted three straight shutouts to earn IHL Goaltender of the Week honors. … Booras and Leo Thomas combined for five goals and six assists last week. … The Thunder has averaged only 18 minutes of penalties (24 for 54 minutes) over its last three games … Patrick Mannelly, the long snapper for the Chicago Bears, will sign autographs before Saturday's game beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the U.S. Cellular Retail Store. There also will be a postgame concert featuring the Parrots of the Caribbean, a Jimmy Buffet-style band.

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Stats

Thunder leaders

Points

1. Don Parsons…37…

2. Jon Booras…25

3. Leo Thomas…23

Goals

1. Don Parsons…17

2. Jon Booras…12

3. Leo Thomas…8…

Assists

1. Don Parsons…20

2. Leo Thomas…15

3. Brett Holmberg…13

3. Donnie Margettie…13

3. Jon Booras…13

Penalty minutes

1. Sam Miller…135

2. Donnie Margettie…134

3. Jeff Ewasko…107

Goals against average

1. Loic Lacasse…3.38

2. Derek Dolson…3.42

Save percentage

1. Loic Lacasse….903

2. Derek Dolson….891

IHL leaders

Through Jan. 15

Points

1. Karlander (KAL)…47

2. Lardner (PH)…46

3. Aquino (FTW)…44

Goals

1. Lardner (PH)…24

2. Bootland (KAL)…22

3. Four tied with 19

Assists

1. Karlander (KAL)…28

2. Chaulk (FTW)…27

2. Cirone (FLT)…27

Penalty minutes

1. Woods (FTW)…162

2. Bertram (FTW)…159

3. Miller (BLM)…135

Goals against average

1. Reiter (FTW)…2.44

2. Sterling (PH)…2.82

3. Symington (KAL)…2.88

Save percentage

1. Reiter (FTW)….908

2. Symington (KAL)….907

3. Lacasse (BLM)….903

Wins

1. Reiter (FTW)…15

2. Symington (KAL)…12

3. Marvin (FLT)…12

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Thunder this week

Thunder vs. Generals

When: 7:05 p.m. Friday

Where: U.S. Cellular Coliseum

Radio: WTRX-FM (93.7)

FYI: Flint has won six straight against the Thunder since dropping a 5-1 home decision to Bloomington in the season opener.

Thunder vs. Generals

When: 7:05 p.m. Saturday

Where: U.S. Cellular Coliseum

Radio: WTRX-FM (93.7)

FYI: This will be the second of five home games in six outings for the Thunder, which has a 7-7-2 record at U.S. Cellular Coliseum.