Aston, PA – The Philadelphia Little Flyers are proud to announce 1996 birth year forward, Christian Karbler has committed to attend Trine University in the fall of 2017 to continue his education and hockey career.  Karbler, a 5’9” 180lb native of Westland, MI is playing his second full season for the Little Flyers in the Eastern Hockey League.  In 86 career games for the Little Flyers, Karbler has scored 27 goals and added 21 assists.  Trine University, located in Angola, Indiana will begin its inaugural season at the NCAA Division III level in the fall of 2017 competing in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association.  Alex Todd, has been named the head coach of the Thunder, who are currently constructing a 700 seat home arena set to open later on this year.  “I’m very proud of Christian for really persevering through his first season with us where he was pushed into a little different role then what he was used to.  Christian was always a top six forward playing through high school, prior to joining us and he took on more of a checking role last season.  He came back to us with big expectations and he has made a big impact for our team this season.  The line he’s played on all season with Peter (Hatton) and Alex (Peterson) has been very reliable for us and a major reason for our successes.  I think Christian is a great addition to the new program at Trine University and I know Coach Todd is excited to have Christian join them as they build that program from the ground up” said Little Flyers head coach Rocky Russo.  Karbler is currently tied for second on the team with goals (17) and leads the Little Flyers in even strength goals on the season with 16.

                “I’d like to thank Coach Russo, Coach Lewis and everyone involved with the Philadelphia Little Flyers Organization.  I’d especially like to thank Mr. Giacobbo for making everything possible for us here.  I’d also like to thank my parents and family for everything they’ve done for me along the way, my friends for supporting me and all of the great teammates I’ve had throughout the years.  Lastly I’d like to thank all of my past coaches for pushing me to do better and all my opponents throughout the years for pushing me.  I’m really excited to attend Trine; it’s a really exciting time for the school to have a Division III program.  This is a great opportunity for me and I’m really looking forward to playing for Coach Todd and Coach Mayas” stated Karbler upon announcing his intentions for the Fall of 2017.  The announcement by Karbler was made shortly after the final EHL showcase of the season. 

                Karbler was a key factor in the Little Flyers victories this past weekend, scoring a hat trick on Sunday, two of the goals were scored just 32 seconds apart in the closing minutes of the first period.  Karbler’s next chapter may be in Indiana but, he and the Little Flyers still have business to finish here in Philadelphia with eight games remaining on the teams’ regular season schedule