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EHL: Blango makes NCAA commitment to Buffalo State College

By WB, 05/17/22, 11:30AM EDT

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Longtime Little Flyers joins Bengals this Fall

Aston, PA – The Philadelphia Little Flyers, members of the Eastern Hockey League are proud to announce defenseman Chris Blango’s NCAA college commitment to further his education and hockey career at Buffalo State College.  Blango, a 6’0” 180lb defenseman from Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania played this past season with the Little Flyers EHL team and was a two-year player for the Little Flyers 18U program.  The time at the 18U level saw the Little Flyers turn into National Competitors by making it to the NAPHL’s Dixon Cup Championship game during the 2020-21 season.  “Our whole organization is very proud of Chris and his commitment to Buffalo State College.  Chris has been a big part of our club over the past three seasons, with what Coach Dorman and his guys have done at 18U and we’ve seen it translate here at the EHL level” said Little Flyers EHL Head Coach and General Manager Mark Catron.  He continued “Chris is a hard worker, he faced some adversity this year, starting off the year in the North American League and then getting re-called midway through our season but he always kept his head and showed up ready to go each day.  As much as I’d love to have Chris back for his age out season, he is ready to move on to the next chapter of his life at Buffalo State, it’ll be good to watch him and Patton play together for the next four years”.  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. 

“It has been a dream of mine since I started playing hockey to play at the NCAA level. With that being said, I’m proud to announce that I will be furthering my academic and athletic career at Buffalo State. First and foremost, I would like to thank God for gifting me the opportunity and fortitude to play this sport. Next, I would like to thank my parents, who have sacrificed so much for me to make it to this point in my career. Without them, I would not be where and who I am today. Thank you to Coach Dorman for taking me in and giving me the tools to be successful both on and off the ice. Also, I want to say thank you to Coach Catron and A-Lo for giving me a home this year and the opportunity to showcase my skills at the junior level. To my teammates and Little Flyer brothers, thank you for pushing me and making me better every day. Lastly, thank you to Coach Murphy and Coach Kaluzny for giving me a home for the next 4 years. I am stoked to start the next chapter of my life. Go Bengals!” said Blango upon making his commitment official. 

In 29 games for the Little Flyers EHL team this season, Blango registered 25 points (4 goals, 21 assists), he made his impact felt immediately, scoring the overtime game winning goal in his first career EHL game on November 6th against the Seacoast Spartans.  He followed up the next day with a goal and two assists against the East Coast Wizards on his way to being named EHL Defensive Player of the Week.  As mentioned above, Chris spent part of the season in the NAHL with the Lone Star Brahmas and Johnstown Tomahawks.  Blango won’t be heading to Buffalo State alone, as he will join Little Flyers EHL Captain Kyle Patton, the two played part of the 2019-20 season together at the 18U level for the Little Flyers. 

On behalf of the entire Philadelphia Little Flyers Organization, we would like to congratulate Chris and his family on Chris’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 Organization.