Ice Flyers, IceGators Battle for the 11th time
March 23, 2012 - SPHL (SPHL)
Pensacola Ice Flyers News Release
This game means nothing for the season series between the Ice Flyers and the Louisiana IceGators as Pensacola holds a 6-4 advantage in the previous 10 meetings. However, with this game the Ice Flyers can lock up 4th place with a win. The last time these two teams faced off, the Ice Flyers came out with a brutal 9-1 romp over the Gators. Seven different players scored for the Ice Flyers with Andrew Harrison, Dan Buccella, Ryan Ramage, Chris Wilson, Jordan Chong, and Ryan Salvis all scoring once with Matt Robertson getting his first hat trick of the season. Tonight's game will be Florida Lottery Fan Appreciation Night with tons of giveaways for fans and the Ice Flyers will be wearing their St. Patrick's Day themed jerseys. The team will also wear them tomorrow night and the jerseys will be auctioned off after tomorrow night's game.
The Ice Flyers are holding onto 4th in the SPHL standings right now with 60 points, just one point behind the Mississippi Surge. The IceGators are in 6th and have 53 points. The Ice Flyers home record stands at 15-10-1 while the IceGators are 10-14-2 on the road.
Where to Watch, Where to Listen:
Ice Flyers fans that are not able to make it down to The Hangar can listen to the game on 1450 ESPN Pensacola or streaming online. Fans can also watch the game at home online.
Team Scope:
PENSACOLA - The Ice Flyers can clinch 4th place tonight with a win thanks to the Huntsville Havoc's 3-0 win over the Mississippi Surge. The Surge only have one game remaining while the Ice Flyers have two including tonight. This season Corey Milan has faced Louisiana 6 times this season and stands at 4-2-0 against the Ice Gators. In those 6 games he has allowed 18 goals for a 3.00 goals against average while posting a 0.904 save percentage. Jesse Kallechy has played the Gators twice and has posted a 1-0-0 record. In those two appearances he posted a 3.29 GAA and a 0.907 SV%. The Ice Flyers' leading scorers against Louisiana have been Chris Wilson with 8 goals, Matt Robertson with 6, and Jordan Chong with 5 tallies.
The Ice Flyers' power play only had one opportunity in Tuesday's 4-3 win and wasn't able to cash in. The PP unit sits 4th in the SPHL at 18.36%. The Flyers have scored 47 times with the man power advantage. Pensacola's penalty kill did stop both of the RiverKings' chances on Tuesday yet still sits 5th at 82.76%. Pensacola has given up only 35 power play goals while scoring 7 shorthanded goals.
The Ice Flyers will close out the regular season tomorrow night when the Mississippi River Kings return to the Hangar. It will be St. Baldrick's Night and fans still wishing to donate can do so by click HERE to check out the event page or they can donate at the game.
The Ice Flyers playoff dates and locations for the first two games are locked in. The Ice Flyers will host the Mississippi Surge next Friday March 30th at 7:05 PM. The Flyers will travel to Biloxi on Saturday the 31st at 7:05 PM for game 2. Game 3, if necessary, will be on Sunday April 1 in the home arena of the 4th place team.
LOUISIANA - The IceGators should be fresh since their last game was a 5-1 win over the Huntsville Havoc a week ago. are coming off a 3-2 win on St. Patrick's Day over the Knoxville Ice Bears. Dan Earles has only played 3 times against Pensacola this season and he has lost all of them. Along with the 0-3-0 record against Pensacola he has 5.42 GAA and a 0.787 SV%. Former Ice Flyer Jeff Rose is Louisiana's current #2 and hasn't played against Pensacola this season. Some of the leading scorers for the IceGators when they've played Pensacola have been familiar faces to Flyers fans. Former Ice Flyers Robert Short (9 goals) and Tyler Lyon (5) have helped lead the way. August Aiken and Josh Boyd have also netted 5 goals against Pensacola.
Louisiana's power play sits in the middle of the road in 5th place at 17.99% but they have scored a league leading 50 power play goals. Like the Ice Flyers, they have given up 7 shorthanded goals. Their penalty kill is 6th in the SPHL at 81.82%, giving up 42 power play goals against. The IceGators have only managed to score 3 times shorthanded.
After tonight's game the IceGators will head west on I-10 but before they return home they'll close out the regular season with a game against the Mississippi Surge Saturday night.
SPHL Stories from March 23, 2012
- RiverHawks Fall to Ice Bears 5-1 - Augusta RiverHawks
- Power Play Success, Robertson's Two Lead to Win; Flyers Clinch 4th Place - Pensacola Ice Flyers
- IceFlyers Shoot Down IceGators 5-3 - Louisiana IceGators
- Surge First Round Playoff Schedule Set - Mississippi Surge
- Surge First Round Playoff Schedule Set - Mississippi Surge
- Ducks Unlimited Mississippi Volunteers Aim for Fun with Hockey Fundraiser - Mississippi RiverKings
- Ice Flyers, IceGators Battle for the 11th time - Pensacola Ice Flyers
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