Aston, PA – The Philadelphia Little Flyers, members of the Eastern Hockey League are proud to announce EHL Captain, Kyle Patton’s college commitment to further his education and hockey career at Buffalo State College.  Patton, a 6’0” 185LB 2001 birth-year forward from Holland, PA is in his second season with the Little Flyers EHL team.  During his rookie campaign in the 2020-21 season, Patton averaged almost a point per game with 13 goals and 18 assists in 35 regular season games.  “We’re all very proud of Kyle for what he has done here in Philadelphia over the past two season.  Coming off a great rookie year, we expected a lot out of Kyle as a player and a leader coming into this season and he has delivered” said Little Flyers Head Coach and General Manager Mark Catron.  He continued “Kyle’s dedication to developing and getting better on the ice has been great to witness each day, he has made himself into one of the best two-way players in the EHL.  The job he has done as the captain of this organization is what I am most proud of out of him.  His character and leadership abilities will take him very far in life, I’m excited to see Kyle play at the NCAA level next season with the Buffalo State Bengals”.  The Buffalo State Bengals, members of the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) are led behind the bench by Head Coach Steve Murphy who will enter his 8th season with the Bengals when Patton arrives on campus in the Fall of 2022. 

“I’m excited to announce my commitment to SUNY Buffalo State to continue my athletic and academic careers in the fall of 2022.  First, I’d like to thank God for all that He has done for me.  I am grateful for my family, for always supporting me and helping me make tough decisions in order to pursue my goals.  I want to thank Coach Catron and Anthony Lorusso for giving me a home the last two years and helping me mature my game with the Philadelphia Little Flyers. I want to thank Dave Dorman for being a mentor and teaching me how to be a leader.  I want thank my team for giving me a second family and who are all brothers to me. Lastly, I’d like to thank my trainer, Joe Demarco, for getting me physically prepared for the season.  I appreciate Coach Murphy and Coach Kalunzy for giving this opportunity and I look forward to helping them and Buffalo State win hockey games for the next four years” said Little Flyers EHL Captain Kyle Patton upon making his commitment earlier in the week.

As Coach Catron mentioned, Patton has been one of the best two-way players in the EHL thus far this season.  Offensively ranking tied for 6th in the EHL in assists with 27 and 7th overall in points with 42 through the teams first 33 games of the season, surpassing his season totals from 2021-22.  On the defensive end of the ice, Patton leads the Little Flyers top ranked Penalty Killing unit (91.4%) with a league leading five shorthanded goals. 

On behalf of the entire Philadelphia Little Flyers Organization, we would like to congratulate Kyle and his family on Kyle’s NCAA College commitment to Buffalo State College and thank him for his outstanding leadership and contributions both on and off the ice to the Philadelphia Little Flyers.