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EHLP: Little Flyers Sweep North in Veterans Day Showcase

By AL, 11/12/19, 5:45PM EST

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Reifer's Deflection Seals Three Win Weekend


Aston, PA --  The Mid-Atlantic leading Little Flyers were in Lawrence, Massachusetts this past weekend for the Veterans Day Showcase.  In game one of a three game schedule, the Little Flyers faced off against the Connecticut Chiefs.  Little Flyers captain Luke Headman got his team off to a hot start.  While shorthanded in the Little Flyers zone, Headman intercepted a Chiefs pass and took the puck the length of the ice, dangling around a Chiefs defenseman and finished at the net to put the Little Flyers up 1-0 with a shorthanded goal.  Four minutes later, Headman was at it again, this time on the power play.  A Shane Green shot from the point was initially saved but Headman found the loose puck in the crease and tapped it home for a 2-0 Little Flyers lead on the captains second goal of the game, Nicholas Bouchard was also credited with an assist on the goal.  Five minutes later, the Chiefs cut into the Little Flyers lead with a power play goal.  Little Flyers starting goaltender Tyler Cassidy took over the game from there, making 32 saves in a Little Flyers 2-1 victory.

In game two of the weekend, the Little Flyers took on the Vermont Lumberjacks.  The two teams were deadlocked in a scoreless tie for most of the first half, with the Lumberjacks getting plenty of scoring chances against Little Flyers goaltender Joel Keller.  Keller made 22 saves in the first half of play.  Jake Reifer broke the scoreless tie with some good work in the Lumberjacks zone by the green line of Reifer, Elliott Schon and Dylan Sangmeister.  Reifer and Schon executed a give and go play from behind the net with Schon hitting Reifer all alone in front of the Lumberjacks goalie to put the Little Flyers up 1-0.  Just over a minute into the second half, Nicholas Bouchard dished a no look drop pass to Headman who buried the puck into the back of the Lumberjacks net for a 2-0 lead.  Several minutes later, the Little Flyers increased the lead as Ronnie Higgins picked the pocket of a Vermont defenseman to get the puck to Jon Rineer unloaded a quick turnaround shot over the shoulder of the Lumberjacks goaltender.  Vermont got on the board at the 10:53 mark of the half to cut into the Little Flyers lead.  Philadelphia regained their three goal lead when defenseman David Wilf sent a two zone pass to Elliot Schon heading into the Vermont zone, Schon loaded up and sent a slap shot into the back of the net for his team leading 15th goal of the season.  Higgins and Rineer struck again later in the second to put the game out of reach, this time with the help of linemate Patrick Price who set Higgins up for an easy backhanded goal right on the doorstep of the goal.  Vermont added a goal in the final minutes of the game but it was too little too late as the Little Flyers took this game by a final score of 5-2.  Joel Keller finished the game with 31 saves in the win.

Two hours later, the Little Flyers were back in action against the Boston Jr. Rangers.  This game was a tightly contested one as the two teams went back and forth trading scoring chances in a physical game.  The game was scoreless through the first fifteen minutes until Luke Headman collected his 3rd special teams goal of the weekend.  Nicholas Bouchard sent the puck across to Sebastian Rominiecki who sent the puck towards the net for a Headman deflection to go up 1-0.  Tyler Cassidy drew his second start of the weekend, making 16 saves in the first period.  The Little Flyers held the Jr. Rangers off the board until the midway point of the second period when the Jr. Rangers tied the game at 1-1 with an even strength goal.  Three minutes after the Jr. Rangers tied the game, Jake Reifer delivered the final blow.  Play four on four, Reifer won an offensive zone draw to Elliot Schon who passed the puck back to Chris Benedict at the point.  Benedict sent a wrist shot towards the net that Reifer deflected into the net for the eventual game winner.  Cassidy and the Little Flyers defense of Shane Green, Sebastian Rominiecki, Chris Benedict, David Wilf, Ronan Plummer and Pat Jensen  weathered the Jr. Rangers attempt to tie the game in the final ten minutes of play to seal the 2-1 victory and take all six available points on the weekend.  Cassidy made 31 saves in the game.