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Little Flyers Drop Two at Home Against Rockets

By Anthony Lorusso, 01/27/17, 2:15PM EST

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Aston, PA --  Wednesday night the Little Flyers hosted division rival New Jersey Rockets in a regular season EHL game but before that game started the two teams had to finish the final 10:15 of a game that began on November 9, 2016.  The game was delayed because of a power outage to the entire area surrounding IceWorks Skating Complex, the home of the Little Flyers.

                In that game back in November the Little Flyers were down early as Rockets forward Donny Flynn scored a shorthanded goal just 51 seconds into the game.  Joey Savel immediately responded for the Little Flyers with a special teams goal of his own just 50 seconds later on the power play, the goal was assisted by defenseman Chris Best.  Sam Kany, in net for the Little Flyers kept the game tied with several key saves in the middle of the first period.  At the 16:30 mark Jamie Bucell gave the Little Flyers a 2-1 lead with a power play goal.  Heading into the second period the Little Flyers were leading 2-1 and outshooting the Rockets 12-10.

                The second period was dominated by the Rockets on the scoreboard.  Angelo Marquart tied the game for the Rockets at the 3:19 with a power play goal.  The Rockets then took the lead just under nine minutes later with another power play goal, this one being scored by Matthew Brown.  With a 3-2 lead and time winding down in the period the Rockets would get some breathing room when Ethan Hendrickson was able to get the puck past Kany with just two seconds left on the clock in the period.  The period belonged to the Rockets, outscoring the Little Flyers 3-0 and outshooting them 13-9.  As the third period began the Little Flyers made a goalie change with Joe Giacobbo taking Kany’s place in net.  Giacobbo was able to keep the Little Flyers within two, not allowing the Rockets on the scoreboard again in the period.  As the Little Flyers were taking the puck down the ice with 10:15 left in the third period the lights went out in the arena.  After fifteen minutes with no power and rink management informing the referees that the whole surrounding area was out of power as well, the officials made the call to suspend the game.  Fast forward ten plus weeks and the Little Flyers had ten minutes to score two goals to at least tie the game.  Joey Savel gave the Little Flyers hope when he scored a goal at the 15:50 mark, his second of the game, to bring the Little Flyers within one.  The Little Flyers were unable to score another and lost by the final score of 4-3.

                After a fifteen minute break to cut the ice the two teams were back at it for the start of their regularly scheduled game.  This was another back and forth high intensity game between these two Mid-Atlantic division rivals.  Angelo Marquart of the Rockets got the scoring started with an even strength goal 4:28 into the first period.  Jamie Bucell would answer back quickly for the Little Flyers with his first goal of the game coming on the power play.  Just over a minute later the Rockets regained the lead with a Philip Elgstam goal, and then added to their lead with Marquart’s second goal of the game.  Even though the shots were even at the end of the first period at 13 apiece, the Rockets were ahead on the scoreboard by a score of 3-1.  The rockets leading goal scorer Matthew Brown would add to the lead with a power play goal of his own at the 14:08 mark of the second period.  Now trailing 4-1 the Little Flyers needed an answer.  That answer came in the form of a Christian Karbler power play goal, the goal not only brought the team within two goals but it rejuvenated the Little Flyers bench.  With the momentum of the Karbler goal Jamie Bucell scored his second of the game with just over three minutes remaining in the second period.  The teams would enter the third period with the Little Flyers trailing 4-3.

                The third period began with the Rockets on a power play that carried over from the second period.  Philip Elgstam scored his second power play goal 1:20 into the third period to give the rockets a little cushion with a two goal lead.  Just fourteen seconds later Riley Flynn added a goal of his own to increase the Rockets lead to 6-3, after the sixth goal the Little Flyers pulled Sam Kany from the game, replacing him with Joe Giacobbo.  Pressing to close the gap the Little Flyers got a big goal from defenseman Trevor Lewandoski at the 5:52 mark of the period, giving the home team plenty of time to stage a comeback.  A highlight reel goal by the Little Flyers leading goal scorer, Jamie Bucell pulled the team within one on his third goal of the game.  Being down by one wouldn’t last long for the Little Flyers, a minute after the Bucell goal, Rockets captain Donny Flynn scored a power play goal to give his team a two goal lead once again.  With the game in its final moments the Little Flyers called Giacobbo to the bench in favor of an extra attacker.  Ian Kwant fired a shot from the point that found its way through traffic into the back of the net.  With the Little Flyers down one again they looked to tie the game and head to overtime but the Rockets had other ideas.  The Rockets Matt Brown shot the puck into the open Philadelphia net with just 22 seconds to play, ending the hopes of a Little Flyers comeback.  After the loss, Little Flyers head coach; Rocky Russo saw his team’s lack of execution has a prime factor in the 8-6 loss, “execution, tonight as a whole we didn’t execute. We always tell our players to focus on details and we lacked in that department tonight, when you lose the special teams battle in this league like we did tonight you’re not going to win games.”

                The Little Flyers are back on home ice this weekend with a two game home stand against the New York Applecore.  The two teams have not faced each other this season.  Saturday’s game will be at 7:30 PM and Sunday’s game will start at 12:30 PM.  As always our Tom Wilms has the call live on HockeyTV.