01/28/23 Game Notes: Mardi Gras Night
The Ice Flyers welcomed the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs to kick off a two-game home series and a two-game road series against the Dawgs. The Rail Yard Dawgs hang in the top of the standings anchored by their premier goal tender, Austyn Roudebush, who tops the league in goals-against average at 2.27 and has 16 wins on the season. He would be the challenge the Ice Flyers would have to overcome to keep their winning ways.
Friday’s game saw Roanoke jumping out with a slew of shots on goal. Midway through the first Dawgs forward, Jarrad Vroman, received a beautiful dropback pass and riffled it in the top corner past Ice Flyers net minder Riley Morris for a 1-0 lead. The remainder of the first saw both teams killing off several penalties. Midway through the second, Roanoke’s Josh Nenadal received a double minor for roughing and boarding. Garrett Milan would make Roanoke pay on the power play, blasting a shot between two defenders and beating Roudebush for an unassisted goal. The third period brought the action to a climax. Kolten Olynek put the Ice Flyers in the lead with his 12th goal of the season. From this point, the gloves came off. Six minutes into the third, Roanoke’s Spencer Kennedy received a match penalty for slew-footing Ice Flyers goalie Morris. That kicked off a brawl resulting in five penalties assessed. With the tensions, Roanoke’s Mac Jansen would beat Morris to equalize the game at two. In the game’s final two minutes, Roanoke’s Billy Vizzo crashed the net, falling into Morris. That kicked off another brawl, assessing five more penalties and putting the Ice Flyers on the power play. Regulation ended with the score still knotted up. Pensacola’s started overtime with a three-minute man advantage. It would take less than 30 seconds though. Garrett Milan ripped a one-timer fed from Jason Price to beat Roudebush and secure the game and 2 points for the Ice Flyers. The final Pensacola 3-2.
The Ice Flyers sport the best power play in the league, and it came through in crunch time to help lift the Ice Flyers to their fourth straight win. The Ice Flyers remain four points behind the sixth-place Evansville Thunderbolts. However, the Ice Flyers have shown they have what it takes to beat a top-tier team. The Ice Flyers will need to keep playing premier special teams to edge out the Rail Yard Dawgs. Quality goaltending from Pensacola has kept the Ice Flyers in striking distance, avoiding some of the blowouts from earlier in the year. Something to watch in tonight’s game is how these two teams respond to the physicality of Friday’s game. These teams will get to know one another facing off over the next 3 games. Plenty of opportunity for bad blood to rise.
Bring on the beads! It’s Mardi Gras night in the Hangar. The Ice Flyers will be wearing specialty sweaters, which can be bid on in both silent and live auctions. Fans will also see not one, but two Mardi Gras truck parades, one in each intermission.
