Photo Credit: JYostHockey

Aston, PA — The Final EHL Showcase of the season was held this past weekend in West Chester, PA.  The Little Flyers opened the Showcase against the No. 5 ranked Walpole Express.  Reigning EHL Goalie of the Month Alex Henson started the game for the Little Flyers, opposed by Austin Smith for the Express.  Walpole took advantage of an early Little Flyers penalty, scoring a goal 4:18 into the first half.  Ryan Galvin, answered back for Philadelphia five minutes later when he took a backhanded pass from Joey Savel in the slot to beat Smith, Little Flyers Forward Avery Smith was also credited with an assist on the play.  The two teams headed into intermission tied at 1-1 with Walpole leading in shots 16-10.

          The Little Flyers took the lead just 2:30 into the second half.  With a face-off deep in the Express zone, Savel won the puck past Walpole’s center to Nate Mickey, who shot the puck five hole to take the lead.  Trailing by one, Walpole challenged Henson often in the period, registering 21 shots on goal in the second half.  With less than five minutes remaining, the Little Flyers increased their lead thanks to an aggressive forecheck by Eric Higgins.  Walpole had the puck behind their own net looking to break out when Higgins forced a turnover and took the puck to the side of Smith’s net where he beat the goaltender for his 7th goal of the season.  Philadelphia’s power play put the game out of reach with two minutes to play.  Defenseman Nick Magill-Diaz rushed the puck up the ice on a 2-on-1 with Savel, Magill-Diaz faked the pass to Savel and sent a wrist shot past Smith to take a commanding 4-1 lead.  Henson’s 36 save performance earned the 2000 birth year goaltender his 11th Win of the season.

         On Saturday, the Little Flyers played the Total Athletics Seahawks for the first time in team history.  It took just 21 seconds to get the scoring started in this one.  Joey Savel, deflected a Ziki Mroz shot past the Seahawks Brandon Collett to take the 1-0 lead, Mickey was credited with an assist on the play.  The duo of Savel and Mickey combined to increase the Little Flyers lead later on in the period.  Savel won a face-off over to Mickey for his 12th goal of the season.  In net, Brendahn Brawley stopped all 9 Seahawks shots he faced in the first half.  

          Similar to Friday, Eric Higgins scored the Little Flyers third goal of the game to increase the lead goal.  Higgins intercepted a Seahawks clearing attempt and skated in all alone to put the puck past Collett to go up 3-0.  The Higgins goal sparked a hectic minute and ten seconds of goal scoring.   Eleven seconds after Higgins goal,  Savel added to the Little Flyers lead, sending a shot high glove side into the back of the net.  The Seahawks didn’t go down without a fight as they answered the Savel goal with their first goal of the game just thirteen seconds later.  Thirty seven seconds after the Seahawks goal, Little Flyers Forward Matt Sheaffer scored to get the lead back to four.  Sheaffer’s 7th goal of the season was assisted by line mates Ryan Galvin and Avery Smith.  Nine seconds after Sheaffer’s goal, the Seahawks Korey Muzzy cut the Little Flyers lead to three.  The two teams combined for five goals in one minute and ten seconds of game time.  The Seahawks were able to light the lamp one more time in the game but it was too little too late as Brawley and the Little Flyers held on to win the game by a final score of 5-3.  Brawley registered his 16th Win of the season with the 26 save performance.  

          To close out the weekend, the Little Flyers hosted the Jr.Flyers in the final meeting of the regular season between the two teams.  Alex Henson was in net for the Little Flyers looking for his second win of the weekend.  For the Jr.Flyers, Premier team call up Tyler Savino made his first career EHL start in the game.  Midway through the first period, Joey Savel and Nate Mickey hustled into the Jr.Flyers zone to nullify an icing call.  Savel tipped the puck to Mickey who used a quick backhand forehand move to shoot the puck past Savino.  Several minutes later, the Jr. Flyers had the chance to tie the game with a power play but an aggressive Little Flyers penalty kill led to offense as Avery Smith sent the puck ahead to Ryan Galvin on a breakaway.  Galvin’s shot attempt was stopped but Smith followed the play all the way to the net and poked the puck across the goal line for his 14th goal of the season.  The Little Flyers headed into the first intermission with a 2-0 lead.

          In the second period, coincidental Delay of Game penalties to Grant Rinke and the Jr.Flyers Max Radevich had the two teams playing 4-on-4 hockey for two minutes.  While skating four aside, Savel passed the puck through the slot to Nick Magill-Diaz, Magill-Diaz deflected the puck over to Mickey who backhanded the puck in the net for his second of the game.  With less than three minutes remaining in the period, the trio of Mickey, Savel and Magill-Diaz connected again.  On the rush into the Jr.Flyers zone Savel dished the puck to the trailing Magill-Diaz who sent the puck towards the net.  Mickey was parked in front of Savino, gathered the rebound and slid the puck past the sprawled out goaltender to complete the hat trick.  Thirty seconds later the Little Flyers added to their lead.  Henson directed the puck to defenseman Brendan Coughlin in the Little Flyers zone, Coughlin sent a stretch pass past the reach of defensive partner Nick Daluisio towards the Jr.Flyers zone.  Daluisio turned on the speed and beat the Jr.Flyers defenseman down the ice to get to the puck and deke Savino scoring his third goal of the season.  After two period of play the Little Flyers held a commanding 5-0 lead. 

          The Little Flyers controlled the game in the third period, outshooting the Jr.Flyers 17-5.  The lone goal of the third period was scored by Little Flyers forward Grant Rinke, Coughlin and Mitchell Hall picked up assists on Rinke’s 4th goal of the season.  With the Little Flyers winning 6-0, Henson recorded his 4th shutout of the year and improved to 12-1 with the team.

Two Little Flyers Earn Weekly Honors

On Monday, the Eastern Hockey League (EHL) announced their TSR Hockey Stars of the Week.  The Little Flyers were well represented, as Joey Savel was named Forward of the Week while Alex Henson was named Goalie of the Week for the second straight week.  

In the Little Flyers three win weekend, Savel scored two goals and added six assists.  The 1997 birth year forward currently leads the EHL in Assists (50) and points (73).  Henson started two games over the weekend, making 36 saves against Walpole on Friday and 26 saves in a shutout performance against the Jr.Flyers on Sunday.  The 2000 birth year goaltender now holds an impressive 12-1 record since joins the team in mid-October and currently leads the EHL with a .947 save percentage.