AUGUSTA, GA – With the regular season past the midpoint and the race for playoff seeding well underway, every game and point is important. The Augusta RiverHawks needed a win on Saturday, January 14th against the Pensacola Ice Flyers to keep their first place lead in the SPHL standings.
Led by captain Matt Auffrey who scored a highlight-reel goal to go with two assists, the RiverHawks cooled off the red-hot Ice Flyers with a 4-1 victory. Neil Graham scored twice in the first period against Pensacola, a team that had won ten of its previous twelve games going in, to set the tone for the game. The win allowed Augusta to maintain its three-point lead over second place Knoxville which also won on Saturday.
The win was extra special because the RiverHawks were wearing pink jerseys in honor of “Pink In the Rink” night sponsored by Doctors Hospital. The jerseys were auctioned off after the game with the proceeds – which totaled several thousand dollars – going to the Lydia Project.
Coming off a disappointing loss in its prior game, Augusta wanted to take control of the contest from the opening face-off. They did just that, winning the first two periods. The RiverHawks opened the scoring five minutes in on a power play when Graham beat Ice Flyers starting goalie Adam Ward after being fed the puck by Auffrey. A little more than two minutes later, Graham was at it again, scoring his second of the night and ninth of the season.
Holding a 2-0 lead going into the middle period, Augusta was not content to sit on the lead. They continued to keep the pressure on Pensacola and it finally paid off. At the 14:39 mark, Auffrey turned an great individual effort into the RiverHawks’ third goal of the night, giving them a commanding 3-0 lead going to the final twenty minutes.
The Ice Flyers came out with some life in the third, making Augusta goalie Peter Skoggard work harder than he had for most of the evening. Shane Ferguson broke up the shutout at the 9:26 mark of the period but it was as close as Pensacola would get. Skoggard stopped the other 14 shots he faced in the stanza to hold the visitors at bay. Branden Kosolofsky added an empty net goal to account for the final score.
For the game, Skoggard made 25 saves to record the victory while Ward and Jeff Rose combined to make 19 saves for the Ice Flyers with Ward taking the loss.
Augusta%27s Jason Price (12)%2C Neil Graham (22) and goalie Peter Skoggard along with Pensacola%27s JordaChong (9) follow the puck in mid flight.
Augusta%27s Neil Graham (22%2C pink) scores one of his two first period goals against Pensacola goalie Adam Ward.
Pensacola%27s Dan Buccella (47%2C blue)and netminder Jeff Rose (38) thwart an Augusta offensive attempt.
RiverHawks goalie Peter Skoggard snares a shot with his catching glove.
RiverHawks forward Neil Graham (22%2C pink) nets a goal%2C one of two he scored in the game.
Ice Flyers goalie Jeff Rose (38) and teammate Kevin Brojek (20) try to control the puck beside the Pensacola net.
Its one on three as Pensacola%27s Dan Buccella (47%2C blue) along with Augusta%27s Pete Skoggard (33)%2C Kyle Watson and a third RiverHawk look for the loose puck.
Pensacola%27s Matthew Robertson (7%2C blue) battles with Augusta%27s Egor Mirinov (27%2C pick) as defenseman Drew Baker covers the post.
Matt Auffrey (20%2C right) and his teammates celebrate his second period goal.
Pensacola goalie Jeff Rose (38) goes int th air to grab the puck as teammate Jordan Chong (9) looks on.
Contact the photographer at stephanie.simpers@prohockeynews.com
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