PENSACOLA, FL – After suffering a disheartening loss and then finding out that their captain’s season was over due to an injury, it would have been easy for the Pensacola Ice Flyers to go through the motions in game two of their best-of-three playoff series. It would have been, but that isn’t how coach Todd Gordon and his team play the game.
Facing elimination and playing short handed, the Ice Flyers dug down deep Saturday night to beat the Augusta RiverHawks 4-2 at the Pensacola Civic Center. The victory tied the series at one game each, setting up a winner-take-all game three Sunday night back in Augusta.
The bus ride back from Augusta Friday night could not have been a happy one for the Ice Flyers, who found out that captain Mark Hinz had broken his leg in a collision with
Pensacola%27s Dan Buccella scored the game-winning goal in game two (PHN photo by Stephanie Simpers)
Whatever the motivation was – be it survival, playing for Hinz or wanting to play well in front of the home crowd – the Ice Flyers were flying from the get-go. They put intense pressure on Augusta goalie Jon Olthuis, pounding him with 11 shots in the opening seven minutes of action. Olthuis needed to be on his game to keep his team in the contest and he was, stopping everything in sight.
Pensacola’s Ryan Scott, the tough luck loser the night before, was just as good, matching Olthuis save for save once the RiverHawks found their skating legs. Scott was especially strong during an Augusta power play, denying four shots that were destined for the netting behind him. By the time the first period ended, the teams had combined for 26 shots, 17 of those from Pensacola sticks, but the scoreboard still read 0-0.
Armed with the knowledge that they could dominate arguably the hottest team in the SPHL like they did in the opening period. The Ice Flyers picked right back up where they left off in the second. They had a sequence of three shots in five seconds as Dan Ehrman, Dan Buccella and Brett Parker each tested Olthuis but the net minder won all three battles.
Just as they had in game one, Augusta lifted the lid on the score sheet. At the 4:37 mark of the stanza, Matt Auffrey set up Travis Dunstall for his second goal in two nights to give the RiverHawks the lead. It took less than 30 seconds for Pensacola to answer that score when Matt Whitehead got the puck to Tyler Barr who beat Olthuis, knotting the score at 1-1.
Just over a minute after Barr’s tying goal, Augusta went back in front. It was a role reversal as Dunstall set up Auffrey and the MVP buried a shot behind Scott at the 6:44 mark to give the visitors a 2-1 lead. It would turn out to be the last time Scott would see the red goal light flash behind him.
The RiverHawks picked up the pace through the middle part of the stanza in an attempt to run Pensacola out of the game but it was the Ice Flyers who scored next. With 5:11 left in the period, Barr and Whitehead combined to set up Evan Schafer for his first playoff goal, tying the score.
In the wake of Schafer’s tally, Pensacola’s Erik Stoyanovich and Augusta’s Drew Baker dropped the gloves and went toe-to-toe as tempers began to flare. At the end of the period, a fracas broke out between the teams. When the dust settled, three RiverHawks (Auffrey, Branden Kosolofsky and Lucas LaBelle) and two Ice Flyers (Ehrman and Brett Liscomb) received ten-minute misconducts for continuing an altercation. LaBelle also received a game misconduct for inciting an opponent.
As the final period started, the tied score settled down the tempers as both teams knew the next goal would be important. Pensacola caught a break when Augusta’s Jason Dolgy, who had replaced Kevin Fukala in the lineup, was called for tripping, giving the Ice Flyers a power play. They peppered Olthuis with five shots as the puck stayed in the RiverHawks’ end for much of the two minutes. Then with just three seconds, Buccella got the puck on his stick and ripped a shot past Olthuis to give Pensacola its first lead of the series.
With almost 15 minutes left in regulation, the Ice Flyers set about locking down the high-powered Augusta offense. They did a good job of playing the RiverHawks to a stalemate as the clock ticked down.
Augusta turned up the heat in the final seven minutes, launching seven missiles at Scott, who stood tall between the pipes. The outcome was sealed when Liscomb buried the puck into an empty net with 29 seconds remaining, setting off a celebration in the stands and setting the stage for a return trip to eastern Georgia for a Sunday date with destiny.
Game Notes: Attendance at the Pensacola Civic Center was announced at 2,331…Scott registered 30 saves for the win while Olthuis had 45 saves in the loss…For the second straight night, the Ice Flyers had 40 or more shots on net, launching 49 in game two. Augusta registered 32 shots on Scott…Pensacola’s power play went 1-for-8 while Augusta’s was 0-for-7. In two games, the RiverHawks are 2-for-11 with the man advantage while the Ice Flyers are 1-for-14…The winner-take-all game three at the James Brown Arena will begin at 7:30 p.m. Sunday night. The Columbus Cottonmouths, who swept the defending champion Huntsville havoc, await the winner.
Contact the author at don.money@prohockeynews.com
