PENSACOLA, FL – Expectations are high for winning momentum to continue at the Hangar on Friday night.
After losing 7 straight, The Pensacola Ice Flyers posted a hashmark in the win column last Saturday night with a convincing 6-2 victory over the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs, a team 18-8 and only two games back from first place.
Pensacola bedazzled the record crowd of over 7200 by scoring the first goal only 43 seconds into the contest.
“The crowd was spectacular; it was loud,” said Coach Gary Graham. “And I think the boys fed off of that. They played their hearts out, and it showed on the ice.”
The attendance of 7243 marked the most seats filled on a non-discounted night in the 15-year history of the franchise, as well as the second-highest attendance for any SPHL game this season.
“We hate that they have been losing,” said long-time season ticket holder Denise Hemenway. “But with all the player transactions, the call-ups and injuries; it’s understandable they don’t have enough time to learn each other’s moves. Pensacola does not have much family entertainment and the Ice Flyers bring that to our town. So win or lose we go to support them, have fun, and hopefully catch a fight or two on the ice!”
“It was a great lift,” responded Malik Johnson when asked about the support from the fans during the post-game press conference. “I think we’ve got the best fans in the league, to set an attendance record tonight when we’ve been on a 7-game losing streak. That means a lot to us. It was good to get the job done tonight, especially for them.”
“Hockey inside the hangar is something completely wild,” said Joshua Dickens. “The energy the fans put off is electric. The chants ‘Let’s Go Flyers!! ‘ are heard from Gregory Street almost every weekend during the fall and late spring months on weekends. It’s entertainment like none other, especially with the best fans of the SPHL!! You never forget witnessing your first game in the Hangar. especially when our goal horn goes off and we all stand together and do our legendary goal dance.”
The Ice Flyers have home ice advantage for the next two games, hosting the Huntsville Havoc on Friday and the Macon Mayhem on Saturday. Pensacola is 0-3 against Huntsville this season, with the most recent being a shoot-out loss.
“The pre-game message tonight was pretty simple; everybody has to be their best,” said coach Graham when asked about moving forward into this weekend. “It’ll have to be the A-game. We talk a lot in pre-scout about systems, about x’s and o’s. But man-to-man, we talked tonight about why doesn’t everybody just focus on themselves tonight, and let’s just go out there and play hockey.”
Photos courtesy of William Kober, Joshua Dickens, and Denise Hemenway
Special thanks to Ice Flyer Nation and Bill Vilnova; Pensacola News Journal
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