Ice Flyers Bounce Back With OT Win On Big Brothers Big Sisters Night
By Bill Vilona, Ice Flyers Correspondent
There have been some moments this season when Jay Powell has tested the patience of Ice Flyers coach Rod Aldoff.
But when it mattered most Saturday, Aldoff had great reason to sing his praises.
Powell, 25, a towering, 6-foot-7 defenseman from Nashville, buried a perfect wrist shot with 2:46 left in overtime to give the Ice Flyers a dramatic 6-5 victory against the Birmingham Bulls and bounce-back experience at the Pensacola Bay Center on Big Brothers Big Sisters Night.
“His size is a God-given talent and you have use it in the right way,” Aldoff said. “Use your reach, use your stick well and those are tough guys to get around. He’s growing, he’s learning.
“It’s nice to see, especially for his confidence, to get a big goal like that.”
After dropping a 7-4 game Friday against the Huntsville Havoc, the Ice Flyers came out with a crowd of 3,875 at the Bay Center Saturday like a different team in their first matchup this season against Birmingham.
They scored two power play goals on the same extended penalty in the first four minutes. The led 3-0 with less than four minutes elapsed. They were up 4-1 at the first intermission with four different players – Garrett Milan, Weiland Parish, Dallas Comeau and Steven Leonard – scoring goals.
But Birmingham chipped its way back with a pair of second period goals, then took the lead with 9:39 left in the game.
It stayed that way until Ivan Bondarenko scored on a whirl-around shot near the crease with 1:55 left.
In the overtime, the Ice Flyers got a 3-2 rush. Comeau, who had a hat trick Friday, made the play by stopping outside the right faceoff circle, spotting Powell as he froze a defender and delivered a perfect pass to the other side. With a wide-open look, Powell rifled a shot past Bulls goaltender Austin Lotz to end the game.
“Dallas did a nice job pushing (defender) back and curled up and hit (Powell) late in the high slot,” Aldoff said. “It’s just execution and playing with your head up. Dallas made the right play.
Kolton (Olynek) drove the other (defenseman) to the net. They executed that perfectly. That’s exactly what you want to do on a 3 on 2 so it was nice to finish it off and it was nice for the fans.”
Also rewarding, the Ice Flyers played two games for charitable causes during the weekend that will impact the community. On Friday, hundreds of stuffed teddy bears were collected on Teddy Bear Toss Night. Saturday, thousands of dollars was raised on Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida.
The Ice Flyers held both an online auction before the game and post-game auction with the actual game-worn jerseys worn by players.
“We play hockey, obviously, but we’re also humans and we know the importance of these things,” Aldoff said. “And it’s fun for us to wear those jerseys and be part of this.
And obviously the donation to Big Brothers Big Sisters is a great cause, just like a lot of the charities we do. They mean a lot to people and they are helping people and so anything we can do to help out we will gladly do.”
Just as they’ve done a couple times this year, the Ice Flyers turned around performance in less than 24 hours. They got improved goaltending from Chistian Pavlas, who made 27 saves after not lasting through the first period Friday.
They had less breakdowns on defense and fought back when Birmingham took the 5-4 lead.
“The effort was great. We played a full game,” Aldoff said. “We had a couple bad penalties that we should not have taken, and I think they capitalized on one of them. It’s just a mindset, that’s all it is. “
When this team plays focused like the first period with our power play sharp, our five on five was sharp, we are very capable of doing that (4-1 lead). It’s just doing that for 60 minutes.
He is hoping his players on attain a better consistency that won’t need angry words or a rough loss to change.
“It is a two-edged sword,” Aldoff said. “There is no reason not to be ready to play on Friday. The other team is, so why aren’t we? And come out Saturday and play a heck of a hockey game.
“During the week we practice hard and try to keep things positive going into the weekend, so unfortunately after some games I have to light them up and the next day.
“I don’t want to be that guy every night. I want the guys to feel comfortable and play like they can. It’s all mental thing and you have to be prepared. Some guys are still learning what it means to be a professional.”
An interference penalty on Powell with 6:12 was one that Aldoff said “did not need to happen.” But Powell made amends on the game-winner.
“Jay can be as good as he wants to be. A guy with that size and that reach,” Aldoff said. “He’s got a great shot and with his stick, he’s got a lot of torque there. He can shoot the puck. It’s about growing and managing his game. Understanding his strengths, which is his size, his reach and utilizing those things.
“He can be a great defensive player and at same time, he can get lost a little bit. But he’s got a great shot. I was happy for him. He needed that as a player and that will build some confidence for him.”
The Ice Flyers will now be on the road for a pair of games before coming back Dec. 16 for another rematch against Huntsville, which has a 4-1 edge in the season series.
“We’ll get there. I believe in this team,” Aldoff said. “We will get a lot of guys back.
WEEKEND GAME NOTABLES
Both the online auction before Saturday’s puck drop and the post-game auction had proceeds going to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida. Followed by player jersey auction following the game.
Friday’s game was sponsored by CPC Office Technologies.
Saturday’s game presented by Levin Papantonio Rafferty. Last year’s game provided $23,386 for the charity.
Jerseys were green and dark blue with ice Flyers logo on front and the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida logo on the bottom back of the jersey.
Ice Flyers owner Greg Harris donated $1 for every ticket sold to the organization.
WHAT’S NEXT?
WHO: Ice Flyers vs. Birmingham Bulls
WHERE: Pelham Civic Center, Pelham, Ala.
WHEN: Friday (Dec. 9), 7:00 p.m.
STREAM TV: MyHockeyTV.com.
ONLINE: www.thesphl.com.
NEXT GAME: Saturday, Dec. 10. Ice Flyers at Macon Mayhem
NEXT HOME GAME: Dec. 16: Huntsville Havoc at Ice Flyers, 7:05 p.m. PROMOTION: Peanuts Night (Dec. 16), Players will wear special edition Peanuts theme jerseys that will be auctioned following the game. Plus, a limited supply of replica jerseys will be available for fans to purchase at merchandise booths or online.
