Ice Flyers Drop Weekend Opener To Quad Cities
February 17, 2024
By Bill Vilona, Ice Flyers correspondent
Garrett Milan tied the Ice Flyers franchise goal-scoring record Friday, but he wished the feat came with better satisfaction.
Instead, the Quad City Storm broke open a tight game with four goals in the final period, skating off with a 6-3 win against the Ice Flyers. It was the first of three consecutive games between the teams this weekend at the Pensacola Bay Center.
The Ice Flyers halved the lead to 2-1 in the final seconds of the second period and carried momentum into the intermission.
But that became short-lived.
Quad City scored just 36 seconds into the final period, got a pair more to pad a lead, then finished their scoring with empty net goal with 41 seconds remaining.
A crowd of 4,462 on Dino Race Night watched Milan get a historic goal with his one-time shot with 7:35 left in the game. It was his 85th goal for the Ice Flyers, matching the record set by former Ice Flyers great Adam Pawlick, who set the mark in three seasons (2013-2016).
The Storm (20-18, 40 points) began the weekend two points ahead of the Ice Flyers (17-19, 2 OT losses) for sixth place in the SPHL standings.
Ice Flyers goaltender Eric Dop made his first start at home after playing both games last week at Huntsville.
The game recap:
FIRST PERIOD
The Ice Flyers had a 12-5 edge in shots on goal, but Quad City scored the only goal of the period. It occurred with exactly 10 minutes left, just 11 seconds after the Storm killed off the Ice Flyers only power play chance.
The Storm caught the Ice Flyers in a 2-on-1 advantage at center ice and Quad City center, Leif Mattson, faked a pass and buried a wrist shot behind Dop in the top corner of the net.
Three minutes later, the Ice Flyers killed off a Quad City power play by limiting the Storm to one shot.
The best Ice Flyers scoring chance occurred when Garrett Milan was thwarted by Storm goaltender Brent Moran with 3:34 left. Then just 27 seconds later, Ivan Bondarenko and Malik Johnson had great chances in the crease area, but with Moran on the ice, a teammate got in the net to stop a loose puck.
SECOND PERIOD
After missing on a power-play chance in the final two minutes, the Ice Flyers broke through when Dale Deon scored on a rebound with just 28.8 seconds left. That goal halved the Storm lead and lifted up the crowd with the goal dance.
Reggie Millette created the opportunity with his wrist shot that forced a kick save by Moran and Deon was there to bang in the rebound while skating toward the crease. It was Deon’s second goal since joining the Ice Flyers last month, as part of an early January trade with the Peoria Rivermen.
Earlier in the period Millette was involved in a pair of scrums with Quad City players.
Quad City took a 2-0 lead less than four minutes into the period on a wrist shot by Logan Nelson between the faceoff circles. But that score could have been more if not for two big saves by the Ice Flyers’ Dop in this period that kept Pensacola within striking distance.
THIRD PERIOD
What a goal flurry ensured from the start of this period.
Nelson scored his second goal of the game for the Storm just 26 seconds into the period, after he rifled a screened shot past Dop.
It then became a 4-1 lead when Trevor Mount scored nine minutes later.
Milan’s goal was followed by the Storm’s Darren McCormick scoring two minutes later and that one became a back-breaker.
Millette scored the Ice Flyers third goal in unassisted fashion with 1:26 left in the game.
NOTABLES – There were three heats of the Dino costume races in the first intermission. That was followed by a consolation and championship race during the second intermission.
This was the Ice Flyers’ 19th home game. They will have seven home games left following the weekend series.
QUOTABLES:
Ice Flyers Coach Gary Graham: “I think the first two periods was a competitive game. We had a really good start to the game. We gave them (scoring) chances off the rush and that’s what happened. It’s a game of chances. Those first two goals, we didn’t give up much, but the chances we did give up, they capitalized on.
“I thought that goal we scored at the end of the second period was just what we needed at the right time. Unfortunately, we might of come out in the third period almost a little too high and they came out and were opportunistic again. They scored right away and you just could feel the air let out of our whole group. That was a tough goal. That goal summarized what happened in the third period. We just didn’t handle the moment well. The next 10 minutes we didn’t play good hockey at all.
Ice Flyers center/captain Garrett Milan: “Like I told the guys in the (locker) room… they congratulated me, it’s great, but honestly tying the record means nothing. I’ll trade that for wins right now. It’s all about wins right now.”
NEXT FACEOFF
WHO: Quad City Storm vs. Ice Flyers.
WHEN: Saturday, 7:05 p.m.
Tate’s Trevaris Edwards Signs Full Football Scholarship
February 16, 2024
Tate High School offensive lineman Trevaris Edwards signed a full football scholarship Thursday with Carson-Newman University in Jefferson City, Tennessee.
Edwards is an honors student who is a member of the Tate High School Agriscience Academy and student council. He is also a member of the weightlifting and track and field teams.
“Tre excelled on the field his senior year and became one of the area’s most dominating lineman,” said Aggies head coach Rhett Summerford. “He did this all while maintaining a 3.6 gpa. We’re all looking forward to what his college career will bring. He’s going to do great things at Carson-Newman.”
Photos by Tate Yearbook for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate Tennis: Boys Defeated Pace; Girls Fall Short
February 9, 2024
Tate High School tennis opened their season Thursday with a boys 4-3 win over Pace, while the girls fell short in a 4-3 loss.
Up next, Tate will host Northview on Monday.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate Senior Clay Philley Signs With Birmingham-Southern College
February 7, 2024
Tate senior Clay Philley signed with Birmingham-Southern College Tuesday afternoon. Philley played outside linebacker for the Tate Aggies and is a member of the Tate tennis team. He also plays French horn for the Tate High School Showband of the South, and is a member of the Class of 2024 Hall of Fame.
“Clay is an outstanding student,” said Tate football head coach Rhett Summerford. “He’s very well-liked by not only his peers and teammates, but among faculty as well.”
Photos courtesy Tate Yearbook for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Ice Flyers Get 4-2 Win Saturday Against Macon Mayhem
February 4, 2024
by Bill Vilona, Ice Flyers correspondent
The Ice Flyers’ Malik Johnson skated back to center ice, after chosen as the game’s No. 1 star, tapping his heart to acknowledge the supportive crowd.
This was the desired capper to the weekend, the kind of celebratory scene with former stars and the current team that followed the Ice Flyers 4-2 win Saturday against the Macon Mayhem, thus delighting a sellout crowd of 8,049 at the Pensacola Bay Center.
With two memorable nights on the Ice Flyers 15th anniversary weekend, which was paired with the $5 ticket weekend, the Ice Flyers filled the building from floor to ceiling and honored former players who helped forge the franchise legacy that includes four championships.
But most importantly to this team, a win ensued that was much needed.
“It was cool, it was an awesome weekend,” said Ice Flyers coach Gary Graham referring to the experience presented by back-to-back sellouts. “The (former players) came in (locker room) before the game and got ‘em pumped up. We made them more a part of it (Saturday), behind closed doors, more of an intimate setting with our team.”
After Macon scored the game’s first goal with 11:01 left in the first period, the Ice Flyers tied it less than two minutes later when team captain Garrett Milan scored off a faceoff from an in-traffic assist from Houston Wilson.
This was more than just a tying goal. It was Milan’s first goal in 11 games. And it set a tone for what followed.
“It was great to see Garrett score that first goal,” Graham said. “He’s needed that bad. He has been working his tail off, he’s been battling through some nagging injuries, and he’s been a warrior.
“He puts a lot of pressure on himself… that’s what a captain does when times aren’t going good. I know I’ve been hard on him, too. So to see him finally get that monkey off his back and go to the net hard and get rewarded…. I think it was good for our team to see our captain doing that.
“He was out there finishing checks. He led with his actions on the ice, and I thought the rest of the team really followed his lead.”
Yes, they did.
Four minutes after Milan’s goal, fellow Ice Flyers veteran Ivan Bondarenko finished a perfect pass from Taylor Egan in the slot to give the Ice Flyers a 2-1 intermission lead. Bondarenko then bowed in salute of Egan as the players embraced.
The Ice Flyers almost had a 3-1 lead before the period ended. With 3:41 remaining and a timeout that followed what first appeared on the videoboard replay of a rebound goal, the officials looked extensively at their replay available in the penalty box area. And it was affirmed just as ruled in real time on the ice that it wasn’t a goal.
“When you look at the camera view — and a lot of times you see this in the NHL too — it looks like (puck) is crossing the line, but it’s a depth issue. (The puck) wasn’t across and (officials) had another view they used, and I knew it wasn’t a goal.”
What was a clear goal, however, scored in dramatic fashion by Johnson, occurred early in the second period.
He won a race to the puck on a breakaway against Macon’s diving goaltender who was well out of the crease. Johnson then gained control and with a trailing defender easily tapped the puck into the net for a 3-1 lead.
“He’s one of the fastest guys in the league and it was a good anticipation read on his part,” Graham said. “He read the chip that was happening, and he just beat the goalie to it.”
After the Mayhem added suspense with a shorthanded goal early in the third period, the game stayed 3-2 until the Ice Flyers Nick Leitner fired into an empty net with two seconds remaining.
Macon gained a 6 on 4 situation with their goaltender pulled, after the Ice Flyers were whistled for too many men of the ice with 50.6 seconds later. But the Ice Flyers didn’t allow Macon a clean shot and sealed the game.
“The main thing was Garrett and (Joseph) Widmar did a good job on the (penalty kill) holding the blue line. We just didn’t let (Macon) get into the zone,” Graham said.
Overall, Graham was pleased with his team’s response that followed a deflating 1-0 loss Friday night against first-place Birmingham.
“I thought we came right out of the gate and started putting more pucks at the net,” he said. “I thought the first goal (by Milan) symbolized what we wanted to start doing more and that is just crashing the net.”
When the final horn sounded, 10 former Ice Flyers players came onto the ice with wives and girlfriends for a team photo with the current players. They locked arms in a poignant scene that ended the special weekend.
The Ice Flyers will now be on the road next weekend at Huntsville, while Pensacola celebrates its Mardi Gras weekend of parades. They finished Saturday, however, with their own good times rolling.
“It was rocking. It was exciting,” Graham said. “Obviously, we couldn’t blow the lid off it (Friday night). You don’t want to get shut out on Teddy Bear toss night and you don’t want to get shut out in front of 8,000 fans, but unfortunately that happened. It was disappointing for the guys.”
But the response Saturday became a gratifying end.
WHAT’S NEXT?
WHO: Ice Flyers vs. Huntsville Havoc
WHEN: Friday-Saturday (Feb. 9-10) 7 p.m. both games.
WHERE: Propst Arena, Huntsville, Ala.
Tate Cheerleaders Win FHSAA State Championship; Jay Places Fourth
February 4, 2024
The Tate High School Cheerleaders won the FHSAA Small State Championship Saturday in Lakeland. This was their third state title.
The Jay High School Cheerleaders tied for fourth place in their division.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com.
Ice Flyers Fill Arena, Fall To Birmingham
February 3, 2024
By Bill Vilona, Ice Flyers Correspondent
For more photos, click or tap here.
The Ice Flyers had a filled arena Friday on their special 15th anniversary weekend, created plenty of scoring chances, had strong goaltending and evoked crowd reaction from several hard checks.
But a too-familiar, empty feeling, became the final narrative.
The Birmingham Bulls got a deflected goal midway through the second period and made it stand in a 1-0 victory against the Ice Flyers before a sellout crowd of 8,049 at the Pensacola Bay Center.
“(Bulls) made one more play than we did and that’s what the game came down to,” said Ice Flyers coach Gary Graham. “Tip your hat to Birmingham, they’re the top defensive team in the league for a reason. They are very structured. They defended very well.”
It was the Bulls sixth consecutive win against the Ice Flyers, further burnishing their position atop the SPHL standings. Birmingham backup goaltender, Drennan Atherton, a Winter Haven native, who played a game earlier this season for the Ice Flyers, earned his first shutout by stopping all 34 Ice Flyers shots.
His performance included several big stops in the first period and kept the packed arena from having a goal dance celebration to start the annual $5 ticket weekend. The Ice Flyers will get another opportunity Saturday in a sold-out game against the Macon Mayhem to complete back-to-back discount games.
“I’m disappointed for the guys, because again, I know how badly they wanted to get a win for the big crowd,” Graham said. “But I told them (afterward), we get back here, we’ll have a big crowd (Saturday), we have to get points.
“The urgency of this group, they have to start playing with a desperate, killer instinct. And will it happen? That’s the million-dollar question.”
The Ice Flyers (15-17, 2 OT losses, 32 points) had three power play chances in the game. They were only whistled for one penalty. They were able to pull goaltender Stephen Mundinger with 2:46 remaining and a timeout with a faceoff in the Bulls zone.
But even with chances in that final sequence, they could not get a shot into the net and Birmingham (24-6, 6 OT losses, 54 points) improved to 7-3 in the series with Pensacola this season.
“I go back to the first period all the scoring chances, Grade-As, that we had in the slot and we don’t bear down,” Graham said. “We missed the net a lot. And didn’t create enough second chances, greasy goals around the net. That is the issue for our team. We’ve talked about it this year, we have a forward group that we want it the easy way.
“We’ve gone through this in this season about crashing the net, getting positioning around the net front and scratching and clawing for goals.”
The game’s only goal came on what started as a pass. Birmingham’s Dillon Radin was created for a goal when his play in the goal crease area led to the puck bouncing off a skate and into the net.
“Unfortunately, bounces didn’t go our way,” Mundinger said. “We’re right there. One of those things where we ran into a hot goalie, he played well, but I think if a couple bounces go our way, that game is 5-0. It’s frustrating, but we’re playing good hockey.”
Mundinger was awed by scene in the arena where people were literally sitting in the final row near the Bay Center roof. From ice level to rafter left, the seats were filled. And it will occur again Saturday.
“I feel like every week here, you think like you get the best and it just keeps more and more,” Mundinger said. “Nothing but great things about playing here… more than I could have ever dreamed of when coming here. This is a special weekend. You want to win for everyone that’s there. “
For more photos, click or tap here.
WHAT’S NEXT?
WHO: Macon Mayhem vs. Ice Flyers
WHEN: Saturday, 7:05 p.m.
WHERE: Pensacola Bay Center
Tate Boys Soccer Beats Navarre 3-0 For District Championship
February 1, 2024
The Tate High School Aggies boys soccer team won the District 1-6A championship Wednesday night.
Tate defeated Navarre 3-0 at Ashton Brosnaham Park.
Graphic courtesy Tate Soccer for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate Girls Golf Team Named FHSAA Class 3A 2023 Academic Team Champions
January 29, 2024
The Tate girls golf team has been named the FHSAA Class 3A 2023 Academic Team Champions.
With a cumulative team GPA of 3.876, team members are: Eva Grissom, Lilly Hardy, Jordan Smith, Talia Smith, and Kara Wine. They are coached by Melinda Wyatt.
The FHSAA Academic Team Champion recognition program honors teamwork not only in competition, but in the classroom as well. The program recognizes teams in each of the Association’s sanctioned and recognized sports, naming an Academic Team Champion in each classification based on GPA.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
2024 Northview Baseballl Roster Announced
January 29, 2024
The Northview Chiefs have named their 2024 baseball team.
The roster is:
- Robbie Bodiford
- Jack Boutwell
- Jackson Bridges
- Luke Chavers
- Ayden Crabtree
- Taylor Curtis
- Kobi Fiorenti
- Tyler Gilmore
- Brayden Gindl
- Gage Harrison
- Nate Jones
- Kelan Jurey
- Dane King
- Rylan Minor
- Easten Odom
- Jase Portwood
- Colby Pugh
- Brodie Rhodes
- Wyatt Scruggs
- Grayden Sheffield
- Brady Smith
- James Smith
- Will Strawbridge
- Jayden White