01/14/23 Game Notes: Wiener Dog Race Night

January 14, 2023

01/14/23 Game Notes: Wiener Dog Race Night

The Ice Flyers came into Friday’s matchup against the Huntsville Havoc with a four-game losing streak hanging over their head. Pensacola spent the week making a flurry of changes to the roster. Defenseman Preston Kugler was traded to the Macon Mayhem and Goalie Christian Pavlas was waived. Pensacola brought in net minder Brad Arvanitis who carried a .904 save percentage over four games with the Tulsa Oilers of the ECHL. The other addition is a familiar face. Veteran defenseman Jason Price returns to Pensacola. Price signed with the floundering Ice Flyers mid-way through the 2018-19 season and helped save the year by going 19-6-3 down the stretch. This is in his 15th season in the league and the Ice Flyers are looking to recapture some of that magic. The big-bodied D-man played in Knoxville last season scoring 46 points on 11 goals and 35 assists.

Huntsville has gotten the better of Pensacola this year leading the series 5-2-0. Huntsville came out swinging jumping to an early 2-0 lead on a pair of Jamie Bucell power play goals. The Ice Flyers would respond in the second period with Branden Makara netting his fourth and fifth goals of the year. With the game knotted at 2 in the third period, Garrett Milan would head to the penalty box for cross-checking. This opened the door for a beautiful one-timer by Rob Darrar to put the Havoc back in control. But that didn’t sit right with Milan, who would equalize the game with his own power play one-timer just 3 minutes later. The remainder of the third frame saw spectacular goaltending by both Pensacola’s Brad Arvanitis and Huntsville’s Mike Robinson. This continued past regulation and ultimately saw the Ice Flyers and the Havoc square off in a shootout. Branden Makara picked up the game-winner on the Ice Flyers first attempt as Arvanitis denied all four Havoc shooters. The final 4-3 Pensacola.

With the losing streak snapped and the comeback in Huntsville complete, the Ice Flyers turn their attention back to a familiar foe, the Birmingham Bulls. The Bulls return to the Hangar on a three-game winning streak and sole possession of second place in the standings. The Bulls sport a scorching 108 goals scored this season a full 10 goals better than the runner-up. Pensacola’s goalies will have to deal with Michael Gillespie who is tied for second in the league for points with Ice Flyer Garrett Millan (38 Points). The Ice Flyers are looking to build off the moment generated in Huntsville last night and change the trajectory of the season. The opportunity is there as the Ice Flyers begin a six-game homestand that will take them to February.

Saturday’s game will also see the triumphant return of the Wiener Dog Races. A record-breaking amount of dogs are participating in this years annual intermission races. Stay glued to your seats to catch all the action during the break. The first intermission will sport 3 heats with the top three “Wieners” from each race moving on to the championship race in the second period. But if you love bedlam and mayhem, the consolation race will see every remaining dog facing off for a wild card spot in the championship race. All this, plus more, on another great night for hockey in Pensacola!