Ice Flyers Kicking Off December With Two Home Games
November 27, 2023
The Ice Flyers are back at the Hangar after closing out the November schedule with a pair of road games. On Friday, the team played an uncharacteristic game against the Bulls, losing 8-1. On Sunday, the team bounced back with a 1-0 win against the Macon Mayhem with goaltender Stephen Mundinger getting another shut-out win under his belt.
The Ice Flyers sit at 2nd in the league standings with the visiting Peoria Rivermen (3rd) making a trip down for the weekend series.
Here’s a look at the team’s schedule for this week:
MONDAY – REST DAY
TUESDAY – TRAINING
WEDNESDAY – TRAINING
THURSDAY – TRAINING
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1 – TEDDY BEAR TOSS NIGHT
Peoria vs. Ice Flyers at 7:05 p.m. CT
Toss! Those! Bears! Join the Ice Flyers for their annual Teddy Bear Toss Night. Fans are encouraged to bring teddy bears and other stuffed animals to the game and throw them onto the ice after the first Ice Flyers goal is scored. All items collected will be donated to local non-profit organizations just in time for the holidays.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2 – RALLY FOUNDATION NIGHT
Peoria vs. Ice Flyers at 7:05 p.m. CT
Help the Ice Flyers end childhood cancer in support of Rally Gulf Coast with a night dedicated to fundraising and awarenes
Football Playoffs: Pensacola Catholic Wins Region 1-2S Over Florida High
November 25, 2023
Pensacola Catholic, the last remaining North Escambia area team in the playoffs defeated the Florida State University High School 17-10 Friday night in the Region 1-2S Championship game.
The No. 4 Crusaders faced No. 3 Florida High School at Mike Hickman Stadium in Tallahassee. Both teams entered the game with a 10-2 records.
Florida High had previously defeated Catholic in regionals four of the last five years.
Catholic travels to to face the Bradford Tornadoes next Friday night in the state semifinals.
Ice Flyers Give Thanks With Shutout Win, Gender Reveal, And Remain Unbeaten At Home
November 23, 2023
By Bill Vilona
After the team’s practice Tuesday, the Ice Flyers players went together on a grocery shopping mission for Thanksgiving dinner, where they were to all share all gather.
The Ice Flyers have now completed the first two months with an unbeaten (6-0) home record. It is such a turnaround from the past several seasons when home ice wasn’t such an advantage.
“Obviously, it’s fun to play at home,” said Ice Flyers veteran forward Ivan Bondarenko. “We have a great crowd behind us and we always get that that energy and you can tell by our record, we are playing very well at home.”
For more photos, click or tap here.
And though he didn’t factor into the scoring Wednesday, Bondarenko generated energy when he and his wife, along with their young son, stayed on the ice after the first period for a gender-reveal event.
Bondarenko swiped at an artificial puck that burst into blue, signifying another boy is on the way.
“Originally the plans were for him to just be with his wife and we said, no, we all want to be there,” said Ice Flyers coach Gary Graham. “That was a cool moment. All the years I coached, I have never been part of that.”
Added Bondarenko: “It was amazing. It was an incredible moment to do it around friends and family and all the fans. It was great.”
At the time, the Ice Flyers led 1-0. Dante Zapata, who had seven assists in his first 10 games with the Ice Flyers, scored his first goal Wednesday on a rebound wrister with 12:35 left in the first period.
The game stayed 1-0 through midpoint of the second period.
Birmingham kept much of the play in the Ice Flyers zone though the first 10 minutes until Meirs Moore got free along the boards on the right side. He swooped toward the goal cage and sent a wrist shot into the net with 6:58 left for his first goal this season.
The Ice Flyers then followed with two goals 69 seconds apart. Leading scorer Brett Mecrones scored a spectacular goal while falling backwards on the ice. He got off a good wrist shot on a rebound and set it into the net. Malik Johnson then scored his first goal on a shot through the goaltenders pads and just like that, the Ice Flyers went from 1-0 to 4-0 at second intermission.
“(Earlier) in the second period we weren’t very good,” Graham said. And Dinger (Mundinger) was just huge for us. He made some big saves for us.
“And when Meirsey had that goal and we had the chance to build momentum we really seized it and you could see bang, bang, bang we scored three goals.
The Ice Flyers generated only 20 shots through two periods. But they scored four goals. That kind of efficiency decided the game before final period began.
“We got secondary scoring from guys that frankly we haven’t gotten it from this year,” Graham said. “Whenever you see three players in the classic goal celebration where they take the (imaginary) monkey off the back and (pretend) throw it into the stands… you usually see that once a game, but you had three guys who scored and could say, been waiting awhile for this to come.”
Mundinger, 28, a Smithtown, New York native, played four seasons as a backup goaltender with the University of Maine, one of the top collegiate programs in the country. He has been a special addition to this year’s team.
Earlier Wednesday, Ice Flyers goaltender Kaden Fulcher received a callup to the ECHL with the Savannah (Ga.) Ghost Pirates.
“For Dinger it was about just getting into the net and playing games this year,” Graham said. “We are just ecstatic to have him. We love Kaden, we love Dinger.”
It was the fourth meeting with Birmingham this season. Both teams entered tied for third in the standings with 14 points. The Ice Flyers will travel on Friday for a rematch against the Bulls in Birmingham.
Following that game, the Ice Flyers will then travel to Macon, Georgia for a game on Sunday at 4 p.m. against the Macon Mayhem.
“Bulls activated two really good forwards in their lineup and they had lot more firepower than last two times we played them,” Graham said. “Knowing that, we talked about trying to win the game defensively tonight and really be stingy, trying to get more physical on them.”
Following that game, the Ice Flyers will then travel to Macon, Georgia for a game on Sunday at 4 p.m. against the Macon Mayhem.
“Bulls activated two really good forwards in their lineup and they had lot more firepower than last two times we played them,” Graham said. “Knowing that, we talked about trying to win the game defensively tonight and really be stingy, trying to get more physical on them.”
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
WHAT’S NEXT?
WHO: Ice Flyers vs. Birmingham Bulls
WHEN: Friday, 7:05 p.m.
WHERE: Pelham Civic Complex, Pelham, Alabama.
Herrmann’s Dramatic Game Winner Provides Ice Flyers Thrilling OT Win On Star Wars Night
November 20, 2023
by Bill Vilona
The Ice Flyers had the force with them for most of Star Wars Night.
Finally, as time waned in overtime, they got the fortune, too.
For more photos, click or tap here.
Defenseman Zac Herrmann made a nifty deke move on a Macon player, then lifted a backhand shot into the net with 1:58 left in the extra period as the Ice Flyers gained a hard-earned 3-2 win Saturday night against the Macon Mayhem.
The deciding moment came in a game where the Ice Flyers outshot Macon 53-18 in one of the biggest shot differentials imaginable.
“I kinda lost (puck) a bit and got lucky, pulled it through and I knew the goalie was fighting to get across (the crease) so I had to go up with it,” said Herrmann, who scored his fourth goal this season. “I did a quick look and he was still kind of moving side to side, so it’s just an instinct thing.
“It was one of those games where we were fighting our sticks a little bit and not burying our chances.”
The win completed another festive night with 5,520 delighted fans at the Pensacola Bay Center and kept the Ice Flyers (7-4) unbeaten (5-0) on home ice through the first month of the season. The Ice Flyers will have their next home game on Wednesday, the night before Thanksgiving Day.
After Brett Mecrones flicked a wrist shot into the net with 13:23 remaining to give the Ice Flyers a 2-1 lead, the game continued to be played in Macon’s defensive zone
But just as Macon pulled goaltender Josh Boyko, who had been brilliant the entire game, for an extra attacker, the Mayhem’s Tommy Munichiello tied the game with 1:19 left. The arena when from excited to deflated.
“I’ve been on both sides of it and when you are on this side of it, when you are really outplaying the other team, out-chancing them, they are very challenging game to coach,” said Ice Flyers coach Gary Graham. “Because that team was just waiting for a break. They started getting behind us and hoping for an opportunity.”
In the overtime, Ice Flyers goaltender Stephen Mundinger stopped a breakaway chance for Macon, which then triggered the Ice Flyers’ rush the other way. Herrmann got the puck, made the move and won the game.
“That was kind of the epitome of three on three (overtime hockey),” Herrmann said. “I gotta a little lucky, I think I made a bad read on that and ‘Dinger (Mundinger) bailed us out and obviously the puck went the other way and made nice play and scored.”
“Zach’s move… if you know how bad the ice is in overtime… to be able to pull that to his backhand on that ice and tuck it up underneath the bar is an extremely difficult thing to do. He is playing some outstanding hockey for us right now.”
After dropping Friday night’s game at Birmingham 5-3, Graham was anxious to see how his team would respond in a quick turnaround with a different opponent.
Macon scored just 1:18 into the game. The Ice Flyers had numerous changes in the ensuing minutes to tie the game and it finally happened with 2:36 left before intermission when Dallas Comeau took a pass from Garrett Millan between the faceoff circles and produced the goal.
“It was close,” Graham said.
But that is how the game stayed until the third period.
“We did a lot better job of getting to the goalie and making it uncomfortable,” Graham said. “You have to tip your hat to (Boyko). He played spectacular. He was out of this world. He really gave them a chance and that’s what you need some nights when you’re not at your best.
“I thought it was a good hockey game for the fans, because we played extremely hard. And after a loss, I think that is what you want to see from your group. Every time we have lost a game this year, we’ve had a response.”
The night began with Star Wars characters in costumes from the 501st Legion greeting fans outside the Bay Center, then inside the arena on the concourse level
WHAT’S NEXT?
WHO: Birmingham Bulls vs. Ice Flyers
WHEN: Wednesday, 7:05 p.m.
WHERE: Pensacola Bay Center
UWF’s Season Ends With NCAA Playoff Loss At Delta State
November 19, 2023
After so many special moments and mind-blowing wins in its post-season history, UWF’s football team endured an opposite experience this time.
by Bill Vilona
The Argos were blown out from the outset, committing a variety of self-destructive mistakes in a 49-14 rematch loss Saturday against Delta State in the NCAA Division II Super Region 2 first-round playoffs at McCool Stadium.
Only four weeks ago on this field, the Argos (8-4) exited with their season’s biggest win – a 24-21 win against the Statesmen. That ultimately earned UWF an unseeded, at-large spot in the seven-team, region playoff field and the Argos’ fifth playoff trip in their seven-year existence.
But what ensued Saturday was unlike the Argos previous 15 playoff games. They were 4-0 in postseason rematches against Gulf South Conference opponents, including last year’s playoff win at Delta State, plus 12-3 overall with 11 of those playoff wins away from UWF.
All of that good mojo, however, quickly dissolved when the Statesmen produced five touchdowns in the first half for a 35-0 halftime lead that made the second half a formality on the outcome.
“Yeah, it definitely is (difficult to overcome) and to me, that’s all on me as a head coach,” said UWF coach Kaleb Nobles, who completed his first season at the helm. “I didn’t put our guys in the best chance to win the game and turnovers obviously raise the chances for the other team to win the game.
“I thought we had a good chance to come in here and play well. We just didn’t do enough on both sides of the ball to get a win. We know there’s a lot of things we need to improve on next year coming back.”
It was UWF’s worst playoff loss in terms of points allowed and margin of defeat.
Senior quarterback Peewee Jarrett, who played such a big part of the past two years of success, went through his toughest game in a UWF uniform.
He committed four turnovers, fumbling three times in the first half and throwing a third-quarter interception that was returned for a touchdown.
Jarrett finished completing 15 of 27 passes for 287 yards and two touchdowns, but most of his positive stats came in the second half.
“I gave (Delta State) opportunities myself by putting the ball on the ground,” Jarrett said.
Both of UWF’s star receivers, seniors John Jiles and Caden Leggett, did not have a touchdown reception. Jiles was held to five catches for 46 yards; Leggett had only two grabs for 35 yards.
The three players were among 16 seniors on UWF’s team and their impact before Saturday’s loss weighed heavily on Nobles as he reflected upon the season.
“I think about our players, our seniors and everything they have given to this program,” said Nobles, fighting back emotions after the game. “Um, I get emotional about them, just because I hate to see them go out like this.
“It doesn’t matter about me, I’m going to hopefully be here for a long time, but our seniors don’t get a chance to do this again. I’m proud our seniors, proud of the guys on how they played (in careers) and we’ll be back, I can promise that.”
Said Jarrett: “I had never really played in an atmosphere like this (in UWF career) where winning was the standard, winning big. So being at this program has been great. I’m glad I had an opportunity to play around a lot of guys here who have been here for four years and brought me into their brotherhood.”
UWF entered the game with the best playoff-winning percentage in NCAA D-2 history. The Argos had won this region three times, including last year’s run to the national semifinals. They were 4-1 in games played at Delta State, which entered Saturday ranked No. 8 nationally and No. 2 in the region.
On their first offensive play, the Argos got a 44-yard completion from Jarrett to Zac Offord, which was Offord’s biggest play this season and it served immediate notice of the Argos being back in their road playoff comfort zone. Offord, a junior, finished with three catches for 68 yards.
But an offsides penalty and Jarrett getting stuffed on a scramble run led to a punt and Delta State began its scoring explosion.
The Statesmen started at their own 8 and stunned with a 63-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Shegog to Nathan Howard on a wide-receiver screen.
This began a performance from Shegog, a fifth-year senior, which included six touchdown passes in completing 19 of 25 throws. He also rushed for 22 yards and did not commit a turnover.
On the ensuing possession following the game’s first touchdown, Jarrett lost the ball on a first-down run from UWF’s 45. A Delta State lineman returned the ball to the 8. On 3rd-and-goal from the 4, Shegog connected with tight end Tycen Gray for the second touchdown.
Jarrett’s second fumble ensued three plays later, giving Delta State the ball at the Argos 37. This time the UWF defense forced a stop.
When the Statesmen got the ball again, they drove 73 yards in five plays to take a 21-0 lead.
UWF answered with a drive that resulted in a first down at the Statesmen 5. But a throw to Jiles was incomplete, a running play was stopped and Jarrett was sacked on third down. Placekicker Griffin Cerra’s 24-yard field goal attempt bounced off the left upright and fell away.
It was this kind of day.
Jarrett’s third fumble led to another DSU touchdown with 2:31 left. And then a final dagger was applied when the Statesmen went 80 yards in five players against UWF’s defense. When an Argo defender slipped in coverage, Shegog’s 37-yard touchdown was caught by Jaylen Green with one second remaining in the half.
“It’s a bittersweet moment,” said UWF senior linebacker Gael Laurent, who was a freshman and part of UWF’s 2019 national title season, then last year’s run to the national semifinals while being a part of a playoff team in all four of his seasons.
In his final game Saturday, Laurent led UWF’s defense with nine tackles including five solo stops.
“I never thought my career would end like this,” he said. “But I had a lot of fun. I enjoyed every ride along the way. I’m really happy to be an Argo. Unfortunately, we came up short (Saturday), because we didn’t execute how we were supposed to as a team, but my career has been phenomenal. I love being an Argo.”
In the second half, UWF scored a pair of touchdowns, highlighted by Jackson Blalock’s 71-yard TD on a double-reverse, flea-flicker and Jarrett’s throw midway through the third quarter.
Anthony Ballard caught a 46-yard TD pass from Jarrett in the fourth quarter.
“Our character and our resiliency is what shows up in a game like that,” Nobles said. “Just our guys fighting and we never feel like we’re out of it until the last second and that is kind of how our program has been built off the ground. You come from that underdog mentality and our guys did that (Saturday).”
Northview’s Playoff Hopes End With Loss On The Road To The Undefeated Bozeman Bucks
November 18, 2023
The Northview Chief’s state championship hopes came to an end Friday night on the road in a 37-31 loss to the undefeated Bozeman Bucks in 1-Rural regional semi-final action Panama City.
The 10-0 Bucks were ranked No. 5. in 1-Rural.
Quarterback Wyatt Scruggs was in from 55 yards the for the touchdown to the pu the Chiefs on the board first, 7-0.
Joe Wright added a Northview TD from 22-yards out in the second quarter to give NHS a 14-6 lead. Bozeman scored on the kickoff to tie it 14-14.
Northview went up 21-14 with a 7-yard touchdown from Tyler Ragan.
Bozeman (11-0) will take on Holmes County next Friday night after Holmes defeated Chipley 26-7.
Northview’s season endeda at 4-7.
NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Area Teams In Playoff Action Friday Night
November 16, 2023
Here is Friday night’s North Escambia area playoff schedule:
Class 1R
Northview at Bozeman (Panama City) 7 p.m.
Class 2S
Pensacola Catholic at Walton, 7 p.m.
Class 3S
Escambia at St. Augustine 7:30 p.m.
Class 4S
Bartram Trail @ Niceville, 7 p.m.
ALABAMA
T.R. Miller at Montgomery Catholic
Trinity Presbyterian at Flomaton
NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Tate High Swimmer Jacobs Signs With Inaugural William Carey University Swim Team
November 15, 2023
Tate Aggie senior swimmer Braedan Jacobs has accepted a roster spot on the inaugural William Carey University Swim Team for the 2024-25 season. Jacobs officially accepted his offer during a signing ceremony at Tate High School this week.
William Carey University, an NAIA athletic institution, green-lighted its co-ed swimming and diving program in May 2023, and Jacobs will be one of the founding members of the team. Braedan is a three-time FHSAA 3A State Qualifier, multi-year Southeastern Swimming championship qualifier, and was the SES champion in the 500-yd freestyle in 2021. He is also a three-time Sectional qualifier and was a member of the Greater Pensacola Aquatic Club (GPAC) NCSA national team in 2023.
As one of the first recruits for the new team, Jacobs should add great function to the team’s freestyle corps, as he is competitive in the 50 all the way up to the 1650-yd freestyle. He also has a solid secondary stroke in the 100-yd and 200-yd butterfly races. His current times would already earn points and qualify within the top eight of the Sun Conference Championships.
“We are delighted Braedan has found a great fit in William Carey University,” said GPAC head coach Greg Johnson. “I think the school will offer him what he needs academically, and that should be the main focus for student-athletes. But this opportunity also offers him a chance to be part of a brand-new team, and that is very unique. I know he will be very successful at WCU.”
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Ice Flyers Produce A Night To Remember With Blue Angels, Special Uniforms, Shutout Win
November 12, 2023
by Bill Vilona
If this were possible, the Ice Flyers’ much-anticipated Blue Angels Night on Veterans Day exceeded its own lofty expectations.
The uniforms wowed. So did the crowd. The arena was loud. And the team’s dominating performance made a Pensacola treasure proud.
For more photos, click or tap here.
In an almost too-great-to-be-true experience inside the Pensacola Bay Center, the Ice Flyers started the game with two goals in the first 90 seconds, added two more in a 25-second span later in the first period and went on to a 6-0 victory against the Knoxville Ice Bear amid a crowd of 6,017 in the arena.
“An event like this, the front office with (team owner) Greg (Harris) and his crew have been working on this event for a year,” said Ice Flyers coach Gary Graham. “You put in a lot of work behind the scenes to get to this point, then you get the crowd in the building and then it’s up to the boys (players) to go ahead and put on the effort and put on the performance and they took care of business.
“What a special night. With the Blue Angels pilots in, with it being Veterans Day, the environment was unreal. The uniforms, creativity from Greg and his team about how good we looked. And it’s look good, play good, right? And that is kinda the type of night it was.”
From the Ice Flyers pregame entrance, it was followed by the ceremonial puck drop featuring Commander Alexander “Boss” Armatas, the commanding office of the Blue Angels, the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron based at Naval Air Station-Pensacola
When the game ended, the Ice Flyers players were joined in a center-ice salute with the Blue Angels and support staff and a photo was taken that will be a keepsake memory.
“Those guys are obviously very talented at what they do and I’m sure they had a great time coming out and seeing us and seeing those jerseys,” said Ice Flyers defenseman Zac Herrmann, who scored two goals in the game. “Pretty cool tribute for us. Yeah, it was a super fun night.”
The Ice Flyers wore specially-crafted uniforms, made by OT Sports and approved by the Blue Angels, were complimented by yellow gloves and helmets, made by Warrior Hockey to complete the look.
The game-worn jerseys were then part on auction that will conclude Monday.
The Ice Flyers pulled off the rarest feat in working with the Blue Angels and their legal team to make a night like Saturday possible. It became something unique in professional
sports and happened just one week from the Blue Air Angels homecoming air show at Naval Air Station-Pensacola to close out their 2023 national schedule.
“It’s the most fun I’ve ever had playing hockey,” said Ice Flyers goaltender Kaden Fulcher, 25, an Ontario native, who played a game in 2019 in net for the Detroit Red Wings and has played on a several different American Hockey League teams – the next highest level to the NHL – during his career.
He stopped all 29 shots Saturday to record his second shutout in three days, his first at the Bay Center and reacted with visible emotion afterward.
“These guys are probably the best group of guys I have met in my life, so I am really excited to spend this year with them,” Fulcher said.
The win Saturday enabled the Ice Flyers (6-3) to record their third win in three nights, beginning with the 4-0 road shutout win at
Birmingham on Thursday, followed by Friday’s 5-4 win against Knoxville.
This latest one left no doubt.
Just 1-minute, 10-seconds into the game, Cooper Jones scored on an assist from team captain Garrett Milan. Hermann, who is playing with his younger brother, Lucas, an Ice Flyers center, for the first time in a long while, scored the game’s second goal 10 seconds later.
“Me and Coops were talking after that shift and we have never, ever had that happen before where two d (defensemen) scored on the first shift,” Herrmann said. “So obviously that creates a lot of momentum for the team and the crowd and it’s easy to build off that kind of stuff.”
Six minutes later, Mitch Atkins scored on a power play goal. Jordan Henderson followed 25 seconds later to find the back of the net and suddenly it’s 4-0 with more than 13 minutes left in the first period.
“It was great,” Graham said. “We talked about having a great start. That is very important for us on home ice to make sure we can kind of get the crowd involved in it right away.
“I have been on the other side of it, too, (down 4-0), so I try to enjoy while I can, because the way that hockey is have been on the other side too, so you try and enjoy it while you can.”
At that point, Knoxville pulled its goaltender Cody Karpinski and put in Kristian Stead. In the second period, Herrmann got his second goal, then Ivan Bondarenko broke free in the third period and made a nifty move to get the puck past Stead for a 6-0 lead.
It all led into an unforgettable night for the players and the Ice Flyers franchise, which is celebrating its 15th season and attracted more than 11,000 fans in two weekend games against Knoxville.
“It’s really hard to find words to describe it, to be honest,” Fulcher said. “The guys opened up out there, four quick ones in the first (period). We
knew going in how special this night was, how special it was for the community. And just to see the support from the fans for the Navy and for us, it was unbelievable.
“I think when I look back at the end of my career, this is going to be one of those games that is going to be very hard to beat.”
WHAT’S NEXT?
WHO: Ice Flyers vs. Birmingham Bulls
WHEN: Nov. 17-18
WHERE: Friday’s game in Birmingham at 7:05 p.m.. Saturday at Bay Center, 7:05 p.m.
Tate Cheerleaders Win At UCA Regionals, Earn Bids To Nationals
November 12, 2023
The Tate High Cheerleading program earned several awards in the UCA National Championships competition in Mobile over the weekend.
Varsity
-Traditional: 1st place and a bid to Nationals
-Game Day: 3rd place and a bid to Nationals
JV
-Traditional: 1st place
-Game Day: 1st place and a bid to Nationals
Freshmen:
-Game Day: 2nd place and a bid to Nationals (in an all JV division)
Photos for NorthEscambai.com, click to enlarge.
