SPHL Mississippi RiverKings

RiverKings Take Down Ice Flyers, 5-2

Published on March 27, 2018 under SPHL (SPHL)
Mississippi RiverKings News Release


PENSACOLA, Fla. - Dan Tedesco gets two goals and the RiverKings ride a three-goal first period to take down the Ice Flyers in the final road game of the regular season.

The scoring started early in the first when Derek Sutliffe put the RiverKings on top. Streaking up the left-wing side, Sutliffe found some daylight between the legs of Ice Flyers' goalie Brian Billiet and slid a sharp-angle through the pads and across the line. It didn't take long for the RiverKings to double their lead, 16 seconds in fact, before Dan Tedesco notched his first of the night making the game 2-0. After five minutes of back and forth play, Matt Harrington ripped a shot off the left-wing side that rocketed above the shoulders of Billet and the RiverKings took the 3-0 lead with 10:25 left to go in the first period. With the goal, Pensacola Head Coach Jeff Bes pulled Billet in favor of Jacob Caffrey, a goalie appearing in his first professional game.

The Ice Flyers responded to the pull, scoring a goal only eight seconds after the ensuing drop. Pensacola won the draw and dumped into the RiverKings defensive zone. Goalie Jared Rutledge mishandled the puck, and Jessyko Bernard buried a goal past an outstretched goalie.

The two teams headed to the first intermission with the RiverKings leading 3-1. Out of locker room, tempers began to flare in the second period with Vytal Cote squaring off with Pensacola's Trever Hertz, and Ralfs Grinbergs dropping the gloves with Ice Flyer forward Kyle Campbell. With the penalty boxes loaded, Dillan Fox moved through the RiverKings offense zone and drew a hooking penalty to David Mazurek. Fox would make Pensacola pay for the infraction when he shot top shelf and gave the RiverKings their first three-goal lead of the night at 11:26 of the second period, 4-1. Daniel Tedesco would score his second goal of the night and only four minutes later when he grabbed his own rebound off the pad of Caffrey and stuffed home a backhand on the wraparound chance. With the 5-1 lead and under a minute to go, Pensacola added their second goal of the game, this time by Charlie Adams who beat Rutledge with only 2.5 seconds left to go in the middle frame.

In the third, neither goaltender cracked despite both offenses having plenty of opportunities, namely a Garret Milan breakaway that was snared by Rutledge and stopping any momentum Pensacola had left in the game.

The win for the RiverKings moves them to 26-24-2 on the season. It was the black and gold's third win in five games, all on the road. Mississippi returns home to Planters Bank Ice at Landers Center this weekend with another Fresh Friday presented by Valpak. To get your tickets to Fresh Friday, visit riverkings.com/fresh or call the RiverKings front office at 662-342-1755.

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SPHL Stories from March 27, 2018


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