PENSACOLA, FLA – With a month to go in the 2011-2012 SPHL regular season, the battle for points and playoff positioning is coming to a head. Every game, every goal, every save is crucial. It is also the time of year when clutch players step up and take the lead.
Pensacola Ice Flyers forward Chris Wilson is just such a player.
On Thursday, February 16, Wilson scored two goals in the span of a minute to lead the Ice Flyers to a 5-3 win over I-10 rival Louisiana at the Pensacola Civic Center. It turned out to be the start of a weekend that helped Wilson win the SPHL’s SBK Player of the Week Honors for the second time this season.
Wilson and the Ice Flyers didn’t waste any time going to work on the Ice Gators. Just 56 seconds after the opening face-off, Wilson was able to put the puck behind Ice Gators goalie BJ O’Brien to put Pensacola in front. 40 seconds later, Louisiana took a penalty giving the home team the power play. It took only nine seconds of man advantage time for Wilson to net his second goal in the first two minutes of action.
The rest of the first period was a shoot out as both offenses opened things up, forcing O’Brien and Ice Flyers netminder Corey Milan to pile up the saves. By then time the buzzer sounded to end the stanza, Pensacola had out-shot Louisiana 19-13 and held a two goal lead.
The Ice Gators knew they had to dig deep if they were going to get back into the game. Another penalty put them down a man but it didn’t seem to matter. In fact, Louisiana was able to turn the negative into a positive when Shawn McNeil beat Milan for a short-handed goal at 3:40 of the second period to cut the Pensacola lead in half.
It took almost seven minutes but the Ice Flyers responded in a big way. At the 10:31 mark of the period, Kevin Brojek hit the back of the net to boost Pensacola’s lead back to two. Two and a half minutes later, Jordan Chong lit the goal light to give the home team its biggest lead of the night.
As the third period started, Louisiana was down 4-1 but they still had a whole period left to change that. 36 seconds into the period, Brayden Metz solved Milan and scored to trim the margin to 4-2. Once again the Ice Flyers needed an answer and again they got it. This time it was Andrew Howes who put the puck into the Louisiana net. The score at 5:29 of the third reestablished the three-goal cushion and energized the home crowd. Josh Boyd would score one more goal for the Ice Gators midway through the period but Milan held them off over the final nine minutes to secure the win.
Pensacola goalie Corey Milan (1%2C white) makes a save through the screen set by Louisiana%27s Brayden Metz (13%2C black).
Louisiana goalie BJ O%27Brien (30%2C black) focuses on the puck with traffic heading his way.
Ice Gators goalie BJ O%27Brien (30%2C black) makes the save while teammate Phil Crea (22%2C black) watches two Ice Flyers.
The Ice Gators celebrate a score in their 5-3 loss to Pensacola.
The Ice Flyers celebrate a goal.
Louisiana%27s Jason Hill (11%2C black) fights for the puck with Pensacola%27s Ryan Corry (14%2C white) as Ice Flyers goals Corey Milan watches.
Pensacola%27s Matthew Robertson (7%2C white) tries to slow down Louisiana%27s Josh Boyd(8%2C black) behind the net.
Pensacola%27s Ryan Hohl (51%2C white) on the draw with Louisiana%27s Brayden Metz (13%2C black).
Pensacola goalie Corey Milan (1%2C white) holds the post as the Ice Gators buzz the net.
Louisiana%27s Tyler Lyon (5%2C black) battles with Pensacola%27s Jordan Chong (9%2C white) while Ice Gators%27 goalie BJ O%27Brien follows the puck.
Contact the photographer at vanessa.johnson@prohockeynews.com
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