Ice Flyers Towering Goaltender Makes Memorable Debut In Team’s OT Win

October 29, 2023

By Bill Vilona
Ice Flyers Correspondent

Earlier this month, Ice Flyers fans were informed about the likelihood of a 6-foot-8 goaltender making his debut at the Pensacola Bay Center.

Well, Stephen Mundinger’s first professional win Saturday certainly became memorable.

Mundinger, who waited last season for an opportunity that never happened, stopped all five shots in overtime as the Ice Flyers won a crowd-thrilling 3-2 win against the Huntsville Havoc and gaining a split of the teams’ home-and-home dual games this weekend.
“It was awesome,” said Mundinger, who played at the University of Maine, one of the nation’s top collegiate hockey programs. “Definitely has been a long time coming. I was happy to do it in front of these awesome fans here. And my teammates were great in front of me to make it very easy.
“They were dominating, so it was nice to have a shootout be the first one (win).”

Mundinger, 26, a Smithtown, New York native, actually celebrated twice Saturday. After stoning the Havoc’s fourth shooter, Doug Elgstram, who produced a hat trick in Friday’s 5-2 Huntsville win and the first goal Saturday, Mundinger reacted as if he had won the game.

So did the Ice Flyers teammates and the game announcer, causing a brief celebration as fans began exit.

Oops, hold on. Overtime shootouts are five shooters. So, the Ice Flyers, fifth shooter, Dante Zapata took his turn and was stopped. Then the Havoc’s Carter Cowlthorp was thwarted by Mundinger who this time was embraced in victory.

“It was a roller-coaster of emotions there,” said Mundinger, laughing. “I definitely got all hyped up there. But I had to focus back in. And what’s better than two (celebrations)?”

The Ice Flyers Brett Mecrones, who made his pro debut a week earlier in the Ice Flyers’ season-opening win, was the only goal-scorer in the shooter. He got a wrist shot past Huntsville’s Brian Wilson before all the drama ensued.

The win was gratifying for the Ice Flyers on a number of elements. They again fell behind 2-0 in their building in a quick set of second-period goals. They tied the game in the same period.

In the third period, they had a pair of power play chances and couldn’t get go-ahead goal. In the final 22 seconds of regulation play, three different Ice Flyers players had good shots that got stopped.

“It was exciting,” said Ice Flyers coach Gary Graham, whose team is now 2-1 after its first back-to-back games with travel involved. “Last week we got down 2-0 in our big home opener and showed resiliency and again you see it from the group (Saturday).
“The guys just stuck with it.”

After a scoreless first period, the teams combined on a four-goal flurry within an eight-minute span in the second period.
The Havoc took a 2-0 lead on goals only 63 seconds apart. The first was on a breakaway against Mundinger when Elgstram made a deke move and slipped a shot under a sprawling Mundinger. The second one came on a 2-on-1 and perfect pass that Brandon Osmundson buried.

“Boy is that an opportunistic Huntsville team,” Graham said. “I mean, we weren’t giving them much of anything and then, boom-boom!, all of sudden you are down 2-0. It was like were scratching and clawing and doing so much good stuff and before you know it, you’re blinking.”

The Ice Flyers then got the crowd energized when Ivan Bondarenko poked in a shot amid a scramble in the crease area with 12:14 left in the period.

Five minutes later, the Ice Flyers crashed the net with several players. The puck came lose and Dallas Comeau flicked it off his stick into the net, tying the game.

“We knew the only way you’re going to beat Huntsville is you got to win in the trenches,” Graham said. “You have to get in ugly, dirty areas, because those guys are so good defensively and they’ve shown that in the first three games they won.
“We talked about it, saying it can’t be about pretty plays, it can’t be about the perimeter, we got to get the nuts and bolts areas and we did a good job of it.”

Mundinger played four seasons for the Maine Bears, a 50-year history that includes two NCAA Division I national titles and eight appearances in the “Frozen Four” the major college hockey version of the Final Four.

His goaltender teammate was Jeremy Swayman, now in his fourth year with the Boston Bruins. Mundinger a year ago was in two ECHL camps and hoping for an opportunity, but it didn’t happen, so he sat out the entire season.
“He’s one of those rare gems,” Graham said. “He went to Cincinnati’s camp last year, didn’t make the team, decided not to go to an SPHL team. He thought he would be an ECHL goalie – he’s got a real good goalie coach– and that happens to a lot of guys coming out of college.

“So he chose to work with his goalie coach in Long Island and waiting for an ECHL team to call and never got a phone call.”

Earlier this month, Mundinger was back in Cincinnati’s camp, plays an exhibition game and he comes to us to develop and that’s what he is here to do.”

“So that was his first pro win (Saturday). He’s going to remember that one.”

For sure.

The game also included the Ice Flyers promotion as the “Small Dog Fright Night” with races between each period.

There was also post-game trick-or-treating with costumed fans on the upper concourse and autographs with Ice Flyers players.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under General, Sports

Late TD Gives No. 24 Valdosta State 31-28 Win Over No. 18 UWF

October 29, 2023

Never was the old axiom about winning everywhere but on the scoreboard more apparent than in No. 18 UWF’s heartbreaking 31-28 loss to Gulf South Conference rival No. 24 Valdosta State Saturday night.

By most measures, the Argos (6-3, 4-2 GSC) outperformed the Blazers (8-1, 5-1 GSC). Yet, in the final tally, both on the scoreboard and in the GSC standings, Valdosta State came out on top.

UWF held the Blazers to minus-3 yards rushing and 272 yards of total offense while racking up 444 yards of offense (248 rushing and 196 passing), but a series of miscues – a fumble inside their own 5, a pair of missed kicks, a handful of passes that were ever so slightly out of rhythm, a key missed fourth-down conversion, and a few defensive hiccups – added up to three points too few.

“We’ve got to clean up mistakes,” head coach Kaleb Nobles said. “I’m looking at the stats and we won a lot of stats and did some good things, but there are no moral victories. Our guys have got to know. We’ve got to execute on third downs better. We’ve got to get them off the field better. On defense, we can’t give up drive-extending plays, and we’ve got to be better on special teams.”

Early in the contest, the Argos seemed poised to run away with the game. They quickly went ahead with a 20-yard touchdown pass from Peewee Jarrett to John Jiles on UWF’s first drive and followed with a 14-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a Jamontez Woods 1-yard run and a 14-0 lead in the second quarter.

It was the first of two rushing touchdowns on the night for UWF as three players – Jarrett (120 yards), Woods (51), and CJ Wilson (70) – paced a strong ground attack.

Unfortunately, a second-quarter fumble on the UWF 3 resulted in a scoop-and-score for the Blazers and turned the game’s momentum.

“Those guys did a great job,” Nobles said. “I told the guys earlier in the week I wanted to run the football. We had good chances to run the ball. Peewee’s one of our best guys running the football. I gave him a lot of carries and he wants to do that. Best quarterback in the country in my opinion. He’s going to throw the ball well. He’s going to run the ball well.”

Nobles added, “I know everybody is going to focus on the fumble that flipped the momentum, but we are not in that game without CJ, Jamontez, Peewee, Jalen Bussey, those guys.”

In reality, the Argos shook off the fumble reasonably well. Indeed, after Valdosta State tied the game at 14, Jarrett connected with Jiles on a 33-yard pass to push to put UWF up 21-14.

The game would enter the break tied, though, after Blazers quarterback Sammy Edwards scored on a 6-yard run to cap a late-second-quarter drive that covered 77 yards.
Valdosta State didn’t hold a lead in the game until the 0:36 mark in the fourth quarter when Edwards connected on a 28-yard touchdown pass with Ted Hurst.
Jarrett guided the Argos to within field goal range with 1 second to play, but a 51-yard attempt by Griffin Cerra went wide right.

“Unfortunately, kicking is the toughest job on the team … because everybody’s watching you and everybody knows when you mess up,” Nobles said. “You can get covered up at other positions. Griff is going to know, because I am going to tell him enough this week, ‘Hey, it doesn’t change anything. You are our guy. You are the guy I trust, and you are the person we are going to put out there to go make plays … We trust Griff and we know he’s going to help us win games down the stretch.”

POSITIVE TAKEAWAYS NOT HARD TO FIND

Despite the disappointing outcome, there were plenty of positives for the Argos.
The defense, under first-year coordinator Kavell Conner, continued to impress, holding the Blazers to abysmal rushing numbers while keeping Edwards under duress most of the contest.

All told, the Argos sacked Edwards five times and registered seven quarterback hurries.

Junior defensive end Byron Puryear was a constant presence in the VSU backfield and ended the game with two-and-a-half sacks and four hurries to go along with six tackles.

“Get to the quarterback, that’s my job,” Puryear said. “Especially on third down. They brought me here to pass rush and that’s what I was trying to do.”

Senior linebacker Gael Laurent was the team leader in tackles with eight. Defensive tackles John McMullen (1½ sacks) Collin Shaw (1) accounted for the other tackles-for-loss on the Blazer quarterback.
Offensively, Jiles continued to rack up yards and touchdowns. His five receptions for 92 yards and two scores was a team-best and bumped his season tally to 49 catches for 1,017 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Senior wide receiver Caden Leggett was again solid, hauling in three passes for 50 yards.

STILL MUCH TO PLAY FOR

After the game, Argos players and coaches expressed a mixture of emotions – frustration about a game that slipped away, but also optimism for a season in which a postseason berth is still within reach, although no longer a given.

“We literally don’t know what the future holds for the playoffs, so the best thing you can really do is win out,” Jarrett said. “If you win out, you put the ball in the NCAA’s hands.”

Puryear added, “We’ve still got to play two games for the rest of the season. Nobody is going to quit on each other. We are just going to try to win out and see what it holds.”

For UWF, whatever the future holds will be decided on what the Argos do on the road next week against Mississippi College, where a 2 p.m. Saturday showdown with the 3-5 Choctaws awaits.

Although he said he wanted his team to let the loss “sting”, Nobles stressed that the team putting the Blazers in their rearview mirror quickly would be key as would maintaining the strong character they’ve displayed all season.

“Coaching in the good moments is easy, but coaching in these moments is when you really find out who you are as coaches and as men,” Nobles said. “I told those guys, don’t lose your belief. Don’t lose the heart that you’ve got. Don’t change who you are just because we lose a game. We’ve still got a chance.”

UWF returns home on Nov. 11 for the regular-season finale, a Senior Day contest against Chowan.

by UWF/photo Emily Miller/UWF

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under General, News, Sports, TOP sports

Friday Night Football Scoreboard

October 27, 2023

Here are Friday night football scores from across the North Escambia area:

FLORIDA

Escambia 52, Tate 19
Pine Forest 42, Washington 6
Walton 46, Pensacola 0
Jay 35, Wewahitchka 22
Gulf Breeze at Navarre
Pace 27, Milton 7
Pensacola Catholic 56,West Florida 35
Baker 32, Pike Liberal Ars 24
BYE: Northvew

—

Flomaton 41, Monroe County 28
Fort Dale Academy35, Escambia Academy 22
Escambia County 28, at Orange Beach 15
T.R. Miller 47, St. Michael Catholic 44
Excel 39, W.S. Neal 46

NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News, Sports, TOP sports

Friday Night Football Schedule

October 26, 2023

Here is the schedule of high school football games from around the North Escambia area Friday night.

FLORIDA

Tate at Escambia
Pine Forest at Washington
Walton at Pensacola,
Jay at Wewahitchka
Gulf Breeze at Navarre
Milton at Pace
West Florida at Pensacola Catholic
BYE: Northvew

—

Monroe County at Flomaton
Fort Dale Academy at Escambia Academy
Escambia County (Atmore) at Orange Beach
T.R. Miller at St. Michael Catholic
Excel at W.S. Neal

NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under General, News, Sports, TOP sports

Northview Boys Golf Advances To Regionals

October 24, 2023

The Northview High School Boys golf team placed third out of 15 teams at districts to advance to regionals. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under General, News, Sports, TOP sports

Molino Lady Bugs Win 8U Monster Bash Tourney

October 24, 2023

Coach Jonathan Weaver’s Molino Lady Bugs won the two-day 8U Monster Bash Tournament in Robertsdale, AL last weekend. The tournament consisted of 19 teams in the 8U Division alone.

Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News, Sports, TOP sports

Northview Girls Golf Takes Second At Districts, Headed To Regionals

October 23, 2023

The Northview High School Girls Golf Team placed second at districts Monday. Anna Kunkel placed second place overall.

The team will travel to regionals in Jacksonville on Friday, and they are in need of sponsors to help cover costs. For more information, contact coach Amy Holland at the school

Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge,

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News, Sports, TOP sports

No. 16 UWF Stuns No. 5 Delta State

October 22, 2023

Since the start of summer, UWF knew Saturday’s game at Delta State would be a defining one for the entire football season.

After another remarkable, second-half comeback at DSU’s McCool Stadium, the Argos now have a signature win they needed.

Trailing 21-10 at halftime and struggling from their own mistakes, the 18th ranked Argos rallied with a pair of touchdowns and had their defense play lights out in the second half to pull off a stunning 24-21 upset of the No. 5 ranked, previously unbeaten Statesmen.

Another magic act at this stadium, another big-time comeback in UWF’s impressive road history, and a win that first-year coach Kaleb Nobles can cherish in his new role.

“I challenged them at halftime and told them, ‘Hey it’s a 60-minute game, okay? We have every reason to believe in ourselves and play at a high level.’ And I am proud of these guys because they answered the call. I am really proud of them,” said Nobles, who was part of some of UWF’s big upsets as a player, then assistant coach.

Think about this: In their last three games at Delta State, the Argos trailed 30-10 in 2021, 24-10 in last year’s NCAA Division II playoffs, then Saturday’s 11-point deficit.

And UWF won them all.

“That is testament to our players and how well they have played in these games and how well they played (Saturday),” Nobles said.

The comeback, pressure-packed win Saturday put the Argos (6-2, 4-1 in Gulf South Conference) in a position to control their destiny in the conference championship race. They can win the league by winning out in the final three games, beginning with next Saturday’s showdown with rival Valdosta State (7-1, 4-1) in Pensacola at Pen Air Field.

UWF would own the tiebreaker against Delta State (7-1, 5-1) if both win out. The same holds true against West Georgia (5-2, 4-1). That could also bring a home-field playoff game in mid-November.

UWF’s defense, which entered ranked No. 8 nationally in D-2 in scoring defense, 18th in total defense, held a Delta State team averaging 46.6 points to less than half of that output.

That is what essentially won the game, after the Argos followed a late third quarter touchdown with the go-ahead score on their next possession early in the fourth quarter.

Five of Delta State’s six offensive possessions in the second half either resulted in a punt or stop on downs.

“Our defense played well in the first half,” Nobles said. “I don’t know how many plays we played on offense, but a lot of this was testament to our defense and how well they played.”

The Argos overcame 15 penalties for153 yards, along with a fumbled punt in the first half that contributed to Delta State’s lead.

UWF quarterback Peewee Jarrett, who was sacked four times and under duress on other plays, completed 13 of 21 passes for 205 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed an astonishing 27 times for a net 63 yards.

C.J. Wilson led UWF with 70 yards on 19 carries as Nobles crafted a gameplan that was heavy on ball-control and knowing Delta State’s defense was set on trying to prevent big plays from UWF star receiver John Jiles.

But in the second half, Jiles made a terrific catch on a 19-yard TD pass from Jarett with 1:18 left in the third quarter that completed a 56-yard drive and trimmed the Statesmen lead to 21-17.

“We knew we had to come out and execute and that’s what we had to do in the second half,” Jiles said. “The offense did give an internal (halftime) speech, because we knew our backs were against the wall.”

When UWF got its next chance, the Argos drove 65 yards on 10 plays, capped by another 19-yard pass from Jarrett to Jiles into the corner of the end zone.

“I really just wanted the ball,” Jiles said. “I saw (Delta State) was in a cover two (defensive formation) and Peewee and I just did what we have done all season – make plays.”

The game-sealing sequence came when UWF got the ball at its own 33 with 3:49 left. The Argos had a pivotal third-down conversion pass from Jarett to Caden Leggett near midfield and were able to run out all but the final six seconds of the clock following a punt.

The Argos trailed 21-10 at halftime, after a first half where penalties and a fumbled punt led to 14 of Delta State’s points.

This first quarter began well for the Argos.

After going three plays and punt on their first possession, the Argos’ offense had its best sequence and finish the next time the group got the ball.

An 80-yard, 8-play drive ended with Leggett catching a short throw from Peewee Jarrett, breaking a tackle and diving into the end zone on a 26-yard scoring pass. It gave UWF a 7-0 lead midway through the quarter.

But from that point, the Argos had self-inflicted mistakes that proved costly.

On a Delta State punt that Virgil Lemons chose to try and catch inside his 10, the ball bounced off his shoulder pads and right into a diving Delta State defender at the Argos 8.

Two plays later, Statesmen quarterback Patrick Shegog connected with Jaylen Green on a 7-yard score with 1:06 left in the quarter.

That emotion turning moment led into another. On a third-down Delta State play that would have been an incompletion, the Argos were flagged for rouging Shegog on the pass.

With new life, Shegog then hit Jaylen May in stride on a deep route and with a UWF defender trailing, May finished a 56-yard touchdown play.

The Argos missed a chance to tie the game late in the quarter. Jarrett connected with Jiles for a 29-yard gain to the Statesmen 10. But on a second down play, the Argos committed a holding penalty. That led to Griffin Cerra’s 34-yard field goal, cutting the deficit to 14-10 with 3:43 left.

Both teams exchanged possessions. After failing to convert, UWF punted. Delta State took over at its 20 with 1:14 left.

In less than 60 seconds, Delta State was in the end zone. A 44-yard completion from Shegog to Green set up a play where tight end Tycen Gray was left wide open in the end zone for 4-yard touchdown pass with 22 seconds left.

At that point, all of the emotion, all the game’s future seemed in Delta State’s favor. The Statesmen got the ball to start the second half, but UWF’s defense produced one of its many stops.

That was a moment that helped changed the game’s direction.

“A lot of self-inflicted wounds and that’s a really good team we just played,” Nobles said. “There was a reason they were undefeated.

“We know we have a lot of work left to do…a lot of football left… and we still haven’t’ played our best. But I know if it’s in our heart we can do it.”

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News, Sports, TOP sports

Blountstown Tops Northview 18-7

October 21, 2023

The Northview Chiefs fell to the Blountstown Tigers 18-7 Friday night at Tommy Weaver Memorial Stadium in Bratt.

While it was a loss. Northview head coach Wes Summerford said he was proud of his team’s effort.

For a photo gallery, click or tap here.

” I thought we had numerous opportunities, gave them some short fields, The defense played a great game tonight,” Summerford said. We had some injuries that got in the way, and I think it sputtered our offense.. I think it sputtered our team at a bad time in the game.

The Chiefs forr the Chies was a a 25-yard touchdown run from Devin Kelley for a 7-6 lead with 6:21 to to in the first quarter

“Extremely proud ofof the guys, I felt like they fought hard, it ain’t on the kids, you know, they fought their tails off and played good, played good,” He said, “I thought we played well enough to win. I’m just proud of them and for four quarter they gave me effort, so I”m really proud of hat.

The Northview Chiefs will sit out next week with a bye before traveling to Walton on November 3.

For a photo gallery, click or tap here.

NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.