Mistakes Prove Costly In Ice Flyers’ Season-Opening Loss
By Bill Vilona
Ice Flyers Correspondent
A lengthy team meeting followed the Ice Flyers season-opening, 6-4 loss Thursday night against the Huntsville Havoc at the Pensacola Bay Center.
But the assessment was quick to the point.
“We just made way too many mistakes,” said Ice Flyers coach Rod Aldoff. “We played hard, but we didn’t play smart. Four of their goals, we had the puck on our tape (stick blade). Three goals were just off the wall.
“At the end of the day, as much as we want to win the game, it’s a great learning experience for the young guys and for the returning guys, because we handed them six goals. We handed them the hockey game.”
An opening night crowd of 2,861 watched a narrative repeat itself.
The Havoc won nine of the 10 meetings against the Ice Flyers last year. Two of their veteran returning players, Sy Nutkevitch and Tyler Placentini, came up big again Thursday with two goals apiece. Nutkevich, in his seventh year with the Havoc, got both of his goals in the third period, including a short-handed goal with 5:20 left that staked the Havoc to a 5-3 lead.
Placentini, who is in his sixth season, gave Huntsville a 3-1 lead in the second period, then sealed the game with an empty-net goal, following a faceoff in the Havoc end with 2:09 left. The Ice Flyers had just pulled goaltender Christian Pavlas nine seconds earlier.
“(Huntsville) older guys out there that are smart, played smart, and it showed our youth,” Aldoff said. “Some of our older guys make mistakes, mishandled pucks. We worked hard and we’ll clean it up. We have a good team.”
The Ice Flyers will have a practice day Friday before facing the Macon Mayhem on Saturday at the Bay Center in the annual “Pink In The Rink” night where players will wear specialty, pink colored jerseys to be auctioned, as well as replica jerseys sold that night with proceeds to benefit Pensacola’s chapter of Making Strides Against Breast Cancer.
The game started off in a festive way. The Ice Flyers had “Ranger,” their service-dog-in-training, delight the crowd by dropping the puck for the ceremonial opening faceoff on the pup’s first birthday.
A whole new pregame production was shown off, including brilliant, clear video images on all of the arena videoboards. The Ice Flyers honored their military hero of the night, Ed Glass, during the first play stoppage and team owner Greg Harris presented him a jersey in the tunnel entrance to the home locker room.
Newcomer Kolten Olynek, who played his first pro season a year ago for the Allen (Texas) Americans in the ECHL, took a perfect backhand pass from returning Ice Flyers player Ivan Bodenrenko for the first goal, less than four minutes into the game.
But the Havoc tied the game eight minutes later on a defensive turnover inside the faceoff circle, which was among the miscues Aldoff referenced.
“We were just soft six times and a couple more,” Aldoff said. “It is learning. We had the puck in those situations and give up a goal. It is tough to swallow.
Garrett Milan, named team captain before the game, got a breakaway pass from Weiland Parrish to cut the deficit in the final two minutes of the second period. The Ice Flyers got a power play goal from Olynek in the third period to tie the game at 3-3.
It was part of a solid night on specialty teams for the Ice Flyers with exception of the shorthanded goal allowe.d
“I felt overall it was good and saw guys were moving around well,” Aldoff said. “We did well on penalty kill. For the amount of time we worked on it with some new people, I thought it was okay.”
WANT TO GO?
WHAT: Ice Flyers Season-Opening Weekend
WHO: Macon Mayhem vs. Ice Flyers.
WHEN: Saturday, 7:05 p.m.
WHERE: Pensacola Bay Center
PROMOTIONS: Pink In the Rink Night with all fans encouraged to wear pink, custom pink-decorated jerseys worn by players to be auctioned, along with replica jerseys for sale.
TICKETS: Prices range from $15 to $28 with discounts applied for military and student tickets, provided those seats are purchased at the Bay Center box office.
RADIO: Fox Sports Pensacola (101.1 FM, 1450 AM).
