SPHL Pensacola Ice Flyers

Pensacola Junior Ice Flyers Win Nashville Shootout

Published on April 16, 2010 under SPHL (SPHL)
Pensacola Ice Flyers News Release


The Pensacola Junior Ice Flyers returned from Nashville TN, attending the 19th Annual Country and Western Youth Hockey showdown, one of the three premier Junior National Hockey Tournaments hosted in the USA. The Junior Ice Flyers placed first and won the Squirt Division by beating teams from Atlanta Georgia, Cincinnati Ohio, and local Nashville Tennessee teams to take the win and beat the much favored Nashville squad. Additionally, the Jr. Ice Flyers won the Bronze Medal in the Team Skills Competition events. Coach's Kevin Rudzski, Val Passerelli and Mark Sedgewick coached the kids and this is the 2nd First place finish in the past four years. Finishing First in the Mite Division in 2007 and now a first place finish in the 2010 Squirt Division level. Highlight of the Tournament was Zachary Kelley, a standout Gulf Breeze Elementary 5th grade student, is the Junior Ice Flyers Goalie, and helped his team record their first ever tournament Shutout, by beating Cincinnati 6-0. The Team rallied and each player played exceptional defense to help earn there first shutout victory of the year. In the Championship game, Hayden Watzka(Team Captain) provided the game wining shot with 2:27 left in the third period, as the Junior Ice Flyers defeated the Nashville squad 3-2 in what was an exceptional defensive game. Grant Peterson, and Tino Passerelli each had games that they scored two goals each. Players are Brock Rudzski, Corban Grant, Ryan Cocker, Brent Gorton, Mathew Sedgewick, Grant Peterson, Tino Passerelli, Zach Kelley, Hayden Watzka, Jacob Martin, Sonja Daldine, Frank Daldine, Michael Gauthier, Connor McIntosh, Dalton Aspholm, and Tyler Fulmer. Many of our Junior Hockey players travel to Pensacola and are from a broad spectrum of States and Cities to include Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Destin, Navarre, Pensacola, and Gulf Breeze Florida.

Having the Pensacola Ice Flyers and Ice available in the area not only supports the Junior Ice Flyers organization, but helps the growth of Hockey in the area, directly impacting Figure Skating, increased Civic/Community skates, and the robust Senior/Adult division abilities to grow. Growth means more capital (read: Tax Dollars) spent in the area, and continued Collaboration with local Adult & Ex-Professional players only helps increase Ice utilization by scheduling Hockey Clinics, Adult and Youth Tournaments, and possibly use of the civic center by SEC Colleges, which will be sanctioned to play Davison 1 NCAA Hockey in the near future, are just a few of the possibilities for using the Civic Center. This display by the Juniors culminates a strong relationship with Tim Kerr and the Ice Flyers, the Adult league and the community, which when working together can and have fostered unique out-of-town relationships. These folks state they love to come to Pensacola and play Hockey.... This is a Win-Win for the kids, the Adult programs, the Ice Flyers and Pensacola... The kids have made a statement, they want to play Hockey and it's obvious they have the desire to win, and win they did..

Written By Sam Kelley -- Hockey Dad and Hockey aficionado

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