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EHL: Little Flyers Defeat First Place Revolution

By Anthony Lorusso, 11/14/17, 5:45PM EST

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Go 1-1 at November Showcase

Photo Credit: Sue Magill

Aston,PA — The Philadelphia Little Flyers had a big week, playing four games in six days.  They started with a win against Mid - Atlantic Division rival, Philadelphia Jr.Flyers on Wednesday in West Chester.  

            On Friday, the Little Flyers welcomed the league’s top team, Philadelphia Revolution to Premier Orthopaedics IceWorks for the two game second matchup of the season.  The Revolution defeated the Little Flyers 4-3 on their home ice back in September. 

            The visiting Revolution would open the scoring 1:59 into the first period with a goal from Samir Abouelhana.  The Little Flyers would answer back quickly, just over a minute and a half later with a power play goal.  Little Flyers Forward Joey Savel took a pass from defenseman Nick Magill-Diaz and sent the puck cross ice to Alex Ochterbeck who put the puck past the Revolution’s Travis Pelke.  The two teams would play almost the next ten minutes deadlocked at 1-1 on the scoreboard and trading scoring chances back and forth.  The Little Flyers were able to take the lead with 7:01 left in the period on Ziki Mroz’s 3rd goal of the season.  The goal was assisted by Sasha Miniouchine and Avery Smith.  Tempers began to flare at the end of the first period with Nick Magill-Diaz and the Revolution’s Brian Lange receiving matching roughing minors after the buzzer.  

            The Little Flyers added to their lead midway through the second period with two goals separated by a minute and a half.  First, defenseman Nick Daluisio sent the puck the length of the ice to Alex Ochterbeck who found linemate Joey Savel on the wing.  Savel attempted a pass across the slot that was deflected by a Revolution defenseman past Pelke.  A slashing penalty on Bryce Whitman led to a Little Flyers power play that the Home team would capitalize on.  Tic tack toe passing between Savel, Magill-Diaz and Ochterbeck set up Ryan Galvin for a one timer at the doorstep of the goal for his 7th goal of the season.  After taking the commanding 4-1 lead, the Revolution answered back quickly with a goal from Marty Kapoian.  Determined to regain the three goal and under a minute to play, Little Flyers Forward Eric Higgins sent the puck off the board to Magill-Diaz at the point.  Magill-Diaz wound up and fired a slap shot past Pelke with: 47 left in the second period.  

            With nothing happening on the scoreboard between the two South Conference rivals, the physicality and chippy play picked up.  Tensions boiled over with nine minutes left when Little Flyers defenseman Cale Coor and Revolution’s Brian Lange dropped the gloves deep in the Little Flyers zone.  The referees took several minutes to sort out the penalties with the Revolution coming away with a power play.  Goaltender Brendahn Brawley and the defense were able to kill off the penalty on the way to winning the game by a final score of 5-2.  The win was Brawley’s 11th of the season. 

          Sunday, the Little Flyers traveled to Massachusetts for the EHL’s November showcase.  First up was a game against the number 3 ranked Boston Jr. Rangers.  The Little Flyers opened the scoring ten minutes into the first half.  Mitchell Hall sent a shot towards the net that was tucked home by Joey Savel, Alex Ochterbeck was also credited with an assist on the play.  The        Jr.Rangers dangerous power play would be a big Story in this game.  Boston answered back with a power play goal from Danny Sorabella with just over two minutes to play in the first half.  Exactly one minute later the EHL’s top scoring duo of Savel and Ochterbeck would regain the lead for the Little Flyers.  With the puck on the wing, Savel dropped the puck back to Ochterbeck who fired it past the Rangers goaltender. At the end of the first half, the Little Flyers held a 2-1 lead.

            Midway through the second half, the Jr.Rangers were given a prime chance to tie the game as the Little Flyers were down 5-on-3 for a full two minutes.  Boston capitalized with Sorabella’s second power play goal of the game.  Five minutes later, the Little Flyers regained the lead with a power play goal of their own.  Eric Higgins sent a pass cross ice through the slot to Ochterbeck who buried his second goal of the game.  The Jr.Rangers proved why they are ranked third in the EHL power rankings, tying the game at 3-3 less than a minute after Ochterbeck’s goal gave the Little Flyers the lead.  The Jr.Rangers power play got one final chance to win the game with less than five minutes to play.  Danill Ovchinnikov, the league’s leader in game winning goals provided the winner in this one, scoring on the power play with just 3:44 left to play in the game.  

                Monday, the Little Flyers looked to bounce back with a win against the East Coast Wizards.  A Little Flyers hooking penalty just: 55 into the first half put the team down a man early in this one.  The Wizards capitalized with a power play goal at the 2:20 mark.  The Little Flyers answered back with a power play goal of their own.  Defenseman Brendan Coughlin got the puck to Alex Ochterbeck at the blue line; Ochterbeck sent the puck down low for Joey Savel who directed the puck into the back of the net.  Philadelphia would take the lead late in the first half on Nick Daluisio’s first goal as a Little Flyer.  Ochterbeck found Daluisio all alone in the slot, the 6’2” defenseman put a wrister through traffic across the goal line to take a 2-1 lead.  Little Flyers forward Ryan Vogt was also credited an assist on the play.     

                The Wizards threw all they had at the Little Flyers in the second half, looking to tie the game at 2-2.  A Little Flyers penalty midway through the second half turned into offense for the shorthanded team.  A deflected puck at the blue line sent Savel and Ochterbeck on a 2-on-1 while down a man.  Savel carried the puck into the Wizards zone and passed it across to Ochterbeck who beat the Wizards goalie short side to take a 3-1 lead.  The goal was Ochterbeck’s league leading 23rd of the season.  While still on the same power play, the Wizards answered back with a goal from the stick of Alec Delcua to pull within one.  Alex Henson, held the lead for the Little Flyers in the last ten minutes of play making several big saves with heavy traffic in front of the net.  The 29 save win was Henson’s 3rd of the season. 

Ochterbeck Named EHL’s TSR Hockey Forward of the Week

Little Flyers second year forward Alex Ochterbeck, was named to the TSR Hockey Stars of the Week for the second time this season.  The ’97 forward from Dallas, TX currently leads the EHL with 23 goals scored in 21 team games played.  Ochtebreck and teammate/line mate Joey Savel are currently tied for the league lead in points with 42 apiece.  OChterbeck’s shorthanded goal on Monday against the Wizards was the game winning, bumping his season game winners to four.  Savel received honorable mention for Stars of the Week, posting 7 points in three games while Ochtebeck put up 8 points in the same three games.  Savel, Ochterbeck and the Little Flyers are back at it this weekend with a pair of games in New York against the Applecore.