Aston,PA — The Philadelphia Little Flyers Eastern Hockey League team hit the road this past weekend for a two game trip against the Connecticut RoughRiders.  Saturday’s game was the first meeting of the season between the two teams.

     The goaltending matchup featured Alex Henson for the Little Flyers and Ryan Bonnvie for the RoughRiders.  The two goalies kept the first period scoreless with the Little Flyers outshooting the RoughRiders 9-4.  Ziki Mroz, broke the scoreless tie 1:29 into the second period after taking a cross ice pass from Avery Smith while on a 2-on-1 in the Connecticut zone.  The RoughRiders had a chance to tie the game just past the midway point of the period while on the power play but aggressive penalty killing by Assistant Captain, Ricky Walsh led to offense for the Little Flyers.  Walsh, blocked a RoughRides shot and chased the puck down in the neutral zone.  Walsh, deked Bonnvie with a forehand backhand move and roofed the puck past the goaltender to take a 2-0 lead.  One minute later the RoughRiders got the goal back as they scored a power play goal to cut the Little Flyers lead back to one.

     The Little Flyers regained the the two goal lead just twenty two seconds into the third period.  While defending their blue line, defenseman Cale Coor picked the puck off of a RoughRiders forward and pushed the puck to defensive partner Nick Magill-Diaz.  Magill-Diaz, sent the puck through the neutral zone to a streaking Joey Savel who was in all alone against Bonnvie.  Savel, put the puck past Bonnvie before crashing into the net to put the Little Flyers up 3-1.  On the other end of the ice, Henson kept the RoughRiders offense in check, stopping 13 shots in the third period.  Savel, put the final touches on the win with his second goal of the game with just over five minutes to play.  Forward Matt Sheaffer sent the puck through the neutral zone to Savel who split the RoughRiders defenseman and shot a wrister high over Bonnvie’s glove for his second goal of the game, Nick Daluisio assisted on the play.  The 4-1 Win moves Henson to an impressive 13-1 with the Little Flyers.

     Sunday’s game was a chippy one to say the least, with the two teams combining for 118 penalty minutes.  Brendahn Brawley got the start between the pipes for the Little Flyers, opposed by Jeremy Thelven for the RoughRiders.  The Little Flyers struck first when Matt Sheaffer deflected a Trevor Lewandoski shot from the point into the back of the net, Ryan Galvin was also credited with an assist.  Tempers flared just past the midway point of the period after a five minute major was assessed to a RoughRiders player for a check from behind that led to several player ejection.  The Little Flyers capitalized on the major power play to take a 2-0 lead.  With a scramble for the puck in front of the RoughRiders net, Nate Mickey and Joey Savel were able to get the puck over to a wide open Grant Rinke who put the puck into the open net.  Brawley, saved all seven shots he faced in the first period.

     The RoughRiders got their offense going in the second period, outshooting the Little Flyers 17-7.  The RoughRiders leading scorer Cullen Kane got the RoughRiders on the board with a power play goal.  Connecticut tied the game at 2-2 at the exact midpoint of the game.  Fifty Four seconds later the RoughRiders took their first lead of the game with an even strength goal from Blake Halfpenny.  The RoughRiders held a 3-2 lead heading into the third period.

     Just over five minutes into the period the Little Flyers tied the game at 3-3.  Center Ryan Vogt won a Faceoff deep in the RoughRiders zone back to Defenseman Brendan Coughlin.  Coughlin sent a wrist shot towards the net that found its way through traffic past Thelven.  With the game tied and time winding down in the third period, Brawley came up with his biggest save of the day when he made a blocker save on Kane, who was all alone in front of the Little Flyers net.  Less than a minute later Nick Magill-Diaz sent the puck up to Joey Savel at the RoughRiders blue line, Savel patiently waited and sent a cross ice pass to Eric Higgins.  Higgins gathered the puck from his skates and put a shot past Thelven to take the lead with 2:43 left to play.  Savel, sealed the Little Flyers win with an empty net goal to take a 5-3 lead.  Brawley’s 32 save victory was his 18th win on the season which currently ranks third most in the EHL.

Savel Breaks EHL Single Season Points Record.

     Eric Higgins game winning goal in Sunday’s game was a historic one but not for the goal scorer.  With the primary assist on the goal, Little Flyers Forward Joey Savel broke the EHL’s Single Season Points Record of 76 previously held by Kevin Valenti of the Northern Cyclones.  In 40 games play this season, Savel has scored 26 goals and handed out 52 assists.