Ice Flyers Third Period Rally Falls Short Against Huntsville (With Gallery)

November 28, 2024

by Bill Vilona, Ice Flyers correspondent

Playing with a roster quickly rearranged and two players short, the Ice Flyers still gave themselves a chance Wednesday night against the league’s first-place team.

The effort in the Ice Flyers’ 3-2 loss against the Huntsville Havoc, amid a sellout crowd on $5 ticket night at the Pensacola Bay Center, provided encouragement for the immediate future.

“I really loved our effort and the total buy-in,” said Ice Flyers coach Gary Graham. “We had 14 skaters (Wednesday). A very difficult lineup to play against a veteran, seasoned, deep team like Huntsville. And I thought they all bought in and did a good job.

“We had three new forwards that literally just came in the last 24 hours, and we were playing with five defensemen. We generated a ton of scoring chances, enough to win the game.”

Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

After a scoreless first period, the Havoc scored the game’s first goal in the opening minute of the second period. The Ice Flyers answered with Cory Dennis scoring late in the period to make it 1-1 entering the final frame.

Huntsville took a 3-1 lead in the third period, but Ivan Bondarenko’s goal with 7:06 left re-energized the arena. The Ice Flyers pulled goaltender Kevin Resop with 1:38 remaining and had a scoring chance in the final minute that was thwarted by Havoc goaltender Brian Wilson, who stopped 33 shots in the game.

“Overall, I can’t believe I’m saying this (with the team) in dead last (in standings), but I actually really enjoyed watching (my team) Wednesday,” Graham said. “They competed. They bought in.”

Now, the challenge is to find success.

The Ice Flyers will spend Thanksgiving Day together in Pensacola before leaving early Friday morning for a five-to-six-hour bus trip to Macon, Georgia, to face the Macon Mayhem. The Mayhem are six points ahead of the Ice Flyers at the bottom of the SPHL standings.

After that game, it’s back to Pensacola for the second $5 night Saturday against the Birmingham Bulls, which promises another packed arena.

“What a great first impression for the three new guys to see how this place could be rocking,” Graham said. “It’s just disappointing for our fan base to not get a win. That falls on my shoulders first and foremost.

“But we’re doing everything we can behind the scenes to improve the roster, improve our team. Bailey (Walker) is working her tail off as (team) trainer to get these guys (on the injured list) back and healthy, so I am very optimistic about the future here, even though it looks pretty gloomy right now.

“But you don’t miss or make the playoffs in November. There’s a lot of season left. What we need to do is get this group healthy, come together, and start finding the right way to win hockey games. I think (Wednesday) was a step in the right direction.”

FIRST PERIOD
A scoreless first period was not without scoring chances. The Ice Flyers created more, aided by the only power play of the period, leading to a 16-10 edge in shots over the Havoc.

The Ice Flyers got their first shot on goal with just over four minutes expired. A minute later, Shane Bull got a close-range shot that Havoc goaltender Wilson thwarted.

Later, Greg Smith and Cayden Cahill had opportunities inside the faceoff circle but were turned away. The nearest goal occurred during a power play after Havoc enforcer Cole Reginato was whistled for slashing with 5:59 left.

Sam Dabrowski rifled a wrist shot that clanged off the crossbar, echoing through the arena, but no goal celebration followed.

SECOND PERIOD
The period began in a deflating way for the Ice Flyers but ended well.

Just 44 seconds in, Matt Allen scored for the Havoc, receiving a perfect pass from Jack Jaunich on a 2-on-1 rush. Allen skated across the crease, deked goaltender Kevin Resop, and flicked the puck into a wide-open net.

The Ice Flyers faced a two-man disadvantage after penalties to Tim Faulkner (hooking) and Cayden Cahill (slashing) left them in a 5-on-3 situation for over 90 seconds. However, the penalty-kill unit and Resop excelled, keeping the game at 1-0.

That defensive stand was followed by Cory Dennis tying the game with 3:02 remaining in the period. Dennis received a pass from Greg Smith on a 2-on-1 rush and rifled a wrister into the top corner of the net.

THIRD PERIOD
With Greg Smith in the penalty box, the Havoc nearly scored, hitting the post.

Huntsville took a 2-1 lead with 12:57 left when Jaunich scored the first of his two goals on a one-timer past Resop. Minutes later, Jaunich capitalized on a turnover, slipping past the Ice Flyers’ defense to extend the lead to 3-1.

The Ice Flyers cut the deficit to 3-2 when Bondarenko scored off a faceoff and pass from Dennis with 7:06 left.

WHAT’S NEXT?
WHO: Ice Flyers at Macon Mayhem
WHEN: Friday, 6 p.m. (CST)
WHERE: Macon Centreplex, Macon, Ga.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under FRONT FEATURE, Sports, TOP sports 

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