SPHL Pensacola Ice Flyers

Ice Flyers win 6-5 in 2OT, will face Peoria in President's Cup final

Published on April 24, 2016 under SPHL (SPHL)
Pensacola Ice Flyers News Release


SOUTHAVEN, Miss. - The Pensacola Ice Flyers (4-0) relied on the double overtime heroics of Brandon Zurn to secure a 6-5 win over the Mississippi RiverKings (2-2) on Saturday night inside the Landers Center.

Corey Banfield scored his first of the playoffs four minutes into the first period. Jeremy Gates had the only assist on the goal. Mississippi's Sam Higgins scored a power play goal with 3:42 left to tie the game but the tie didn't last long. Caveney skated in hard on the right side of the net and wrapped around the net. With Mississippi goalie Di Salvo caught out of the crease, Caveney passed the puck to Banfield who fired one into the empty net. Blair had the secondary assist of the goal scored just over a minute after Higgins' goal.

Holka got his third goal of the series when he put home a shot from the bottom of the right wing circle. Gates and Paul Rodrigues had the assists and the goal was scored 2:07 into the second period. The second power play goal of the game for the RiverKings was scored by Cullen Bradshaw 8:16 into the second after a crazy scramble left the Ice Flyers disoriented. The Ice Flyers regained the two-goal lead with a beautiful power play goal by Adam Pawlick from the left wing circle after a cross-ice feed from Banfield. Anthony Calabrese picked up the other assist with the goal scored with 3:16 left in the second period.

Todd Hosmer made it a one-goal game 4:55 into the third with a hard shot just inside the right wing circle that beat Matt Zenzola low blocker side. The Ice Flyers got the two-goal cushion once again with a wraparound backhander that when five hole on Di Salvo. Charlie Adams had the only assist on the goal with 7:54 left in the third. Devin Mantha made it a one-goal game once again with 2:30 left. Mantha then tied the game with a power play goal when Di Salvo was on the bench for an extra attacker and the 6-on-4 advantage.

After a scoreless first overtime, the Ice Flyers sealed the win when Zurn put the puck behind Di Salvo just 3:13 into the second overtime. Calabrese and Drew Baker assisted on Zurn's first goal of the playoffs.

Zenzola stopped 28 of the 33 shots he faced from the RiverKings. Banfield was the third star and Zurn was named first star.

The 2016 SPHL President's Cup Final will begin on Saturday, April 30 inside Carver Arena at the Peoria Civic Center. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. Game Two would be Sunday, May 1 in Carver Arena at 5:05 p.m. Game Three would be in the Pensacola Bay Center on Thursday, May 5 at 7:05 p.m. If necessary, Game Four would be played on Friday, May 6 in the Pensacola Bay Center with a 7:05 p.m. faceoff. Should Game Five be needed, the series would shift back to Carver Arena for the decisive game being played Monday, May 9 with a 7:05 p.m. start time.

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