Ice Flyers Vye For Holiday Cheer In Busy Week Of Games
By Bill Vilona, Ice Flyers Correspondent
The holiday rush has arrived on the Ice Flyers schedule. So has the urgency.
Eight days. Five games.
It started last night against the Macon Mayhem and is followed by the first home game in three weeks tonight against Macon for the popular-themed Peanuts Night at the Pensacola Bay Center.
After three consecutive road losses entering Friday’s game in Macon, Georgia, there was no bigger focus for the Ice Flyers than the obvious one.
“We need points. That’s what we need,” said head coach Gary Graham. “We are falling in the standings. It doesn’t feel good.”
“Wherever we are playing the games at — road or home — we don’t care. It’s just as important. We need to get a lot of points over these next five games.”
The Ice Flyers made several roster moves this week in effort to boost that quest. They acquired two players from the Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL), right wingers Sam Dabrowski and Houston Wilson.
Dabrowski, a Wisconsin native who played at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minn. scored seven goals and produced six assists in his rookie pro season this year with the Danbury (Conn.) Hat Tricks.
Wilson, a Philadelphia native, now in his third pro season in three different pro leagues, has tallied eight goals and two assists with the Elmira (NY) River Sharks.
The Ice Flyers also added goaltender Riley Morris, who played 11 games last year for the Ice Flyers and was in the higher-level ECHL the rest of last season.
The changes are part of what Graham hopes can shake the Ice Flyers from this recent slide. They are in fourth place in the SPHL standings. The Mayhem (4-11, 4 OT losses) are in last place after four consecutive losses.
“It’s on the group to respond,” he said, after a practice earlier this week. “We have to start getting back on the right track. We are on the schneid right now. It doesn’t feel good. Guys aren’t happy. There have been some tough video sessions.
“But some guys have to elevate. We need some elevation of players to play harder, play heavier, and to do a job right now. You have a hungry Macon team that hasn’t been playing good, just like we’re not playing good. So you have two hungry teams that are looking for a win in back to back games.”
The Ice Flyers will be home for the holidays, where they have been flawless so far with an 8-0 home record.
After Saturday’s game, they will celebrate Christmas in Pensacola, then face the Birmingham Bulls on Tuesday (Dec. 26) on Youth Jersey Giveaway Night. The Bulls enter Saturday night in first place in the SPHL standings.
The Ice Flyers will then play at Birmingham on Dec. 29, then back home Dec. 30 against the Bulls to ring in the New Year.
“They (Bulls) have been a very difficult opponent for us. Nothing comes easy against those guys. It’s not getting any easier on our schedule and that’s the beauty of the game,” Graham said.
The Ice Flyers will have a special Christmas atmosphere at Saturday’s home game. It will feature an appearance by Santa Claus and Peanuts characters. The team will wear attractive, custom-made Peanuts-theme jerseys that will be auctioned after the game.
There will also be jerseys for purchase, along with other activities during Saturday’s festive setting.
“We have a great atmosphere in this building,” Graham said. “The guys have done a great job getting two points at home, but we also have to do it on the road. It’s like that old cliché about it being just about the process. We’ve got to get points on the road.”
The Ice Flyers have struggled in scoring during these past three losses. They’ve scored just four goals combined. That was an emphasis this week in practice.
“We are just not getting the job done offensively. We have been working on it for two straight weeks. At the end of the day, you can only say so much as a coach, it’s up to the guys on the ice.
“We like our forward group… for whatever reason we are not shooting the puck when we need to shoot, then other times when we should be patient with the puck, we’re rushing.
“And that’s what happens sometimes when you are fighting it a little bit. You are in your own head. And I told the guys we have to get out of heads and just play hockey.”
ICE FLYERS HOLIDAY TRIO
WHO: Macon vs. Ice Flyers (Dec. 23), Birmingham vs. Ice Flyers (Dec. 26 and 30).
WHERE: Pensacola Bay Center
WHEN: Game times each night are 7:05 p.m.
TICKETS: www.iceflyers.com/tickets.
RADIO: Fox Sports Pensacola (101.1 FM)
ONLINE: www.thesphl.com.
PROMOTIONS: Dec. 23 is Peanuts Night with team wearing specialty jerseys, Peanuts characters and Santa Claus in attendance. Dec. 26 is Youth Jersey Night with the first 1,000 children ages 12-under receiving a replica Ice Flyers youth jersey. Dec. 30 is Military Appreciation Night presented by Navy Federal Credit Union with all active and retired military and families receiving a 50-percent discount on tickets when purchased at the Bay Center Box Office.
