Ice Flyers Drop Heartbreaker in Shootout Thriller
Published on March 28, 2026 under SPHL (SPHL)
Pensacola Ice Flyers News Release
PENSACOLA, FL - In front of a sold-out crowd on Military Appreciation Night presented by Navy Federal Credit Union, the Pensacola Ice Flyers battled until the very end but fell to the Quad City Storm in a shootout to close out the regular season home schedule at the Hangar.
The night was electric from the start, as Pensacola recorded its fifth sellout of the season and officially set a new franchise attendance record of 168,493 fans. A physical opening period set the tone, with both teams exchanging heavy hits and playing with playoff-like intensity. Pensacola broke through late in the first when Andrew Poulias found the back of the net to give the Ice Flyers a 1-0 lead heading into the intermission.
Quad City responded in the second period as Jesper Tarkiainen evened the score at 1-1. Despite Pensacola controlling much of the period and outshooting the Storm 14-7, the game remained tied heading into the final frame.
The third period delivered a tense, back-and-forth battle, with both teams generating chances but unable to capitalize. The physicality ramped up as the Hangar crowd stayed on its feet, but neither side could find the go-ahead goal, sending the game to overtime.
Overtime brought more of the same, with both teams trading opportunities but ultimately unable to break the deadlock, forcing a shootout to decide the outcome.
In the shootout, Quad City converted twice while Pensacola was unable to find the back of the net, resulting in a 2-0 shootout loss for the Ice Flyers.
Despite the result, the night marked a memorable sendoff for the home crowd, highlighted by record-setting attendance and a playoff-like atmosphere inside the Hangar.
The Ice Flyers now turn their attention to the final weekend of the regular season, as they hit the road for Evansville looking to build momentum heading into the postseason.
Fans can bid on autographed goal pucks from this weekend on DASH.
SPHL Stories from March 28, 2026
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