PENSACOLA, FL – After two consecutive wins at Planters Bank Ice at Landers Center, the RiverKings dropped their first road game of the season to the Ice Flyers 2-0. Ice Flyers netminder and reigning SPHL Goaltender of the Year Sean Bonar hadn’t allowed a goal in his first appearance this season, and the trend would continue. Jessyko Bernard would net both goals, and the Ice Flyers would advance to 2-0-0 while the RiverKings fall to 2-1-0.
Coming into the game, the RiverKings hadn’t trailed at any point during the season, thanks to early leads in the first period versus Knoxville and Birmingham, but it was the Ice Flyers who would strike first in this one.
At the 6:23 mark, on a pure dump-in play, goaltender Tyler Green got caught between playing the puck and staying in his net, vacating the goal. Pensacola forward Robert Lepine jumped on the loose puck and fed a centering pass to Bernard who slammed home the goal into a practically empty net.
It wouldn’t be long before Bernard struck again, this time on a more conventional goal. Pensacola working the puck down low below the RiverKings goal line opened up the slot. Defenseman Anthony Calabrese pinched and found the puck right on his stick just outside the slot. His blast was kicked away with the right pad of Tyler Green, but the rebound would sail off a skate right onto the tape of Bernard who bested Green blocker side.
Green wouldn’t allow another goal for the rest of the evening and stood tall turning away the next 35 Ice Flyer shots. On the other end of the ice, it was Sean Bonar who backstopped his team to their second straight shutout. He would see 24 RiverKings shots throughout the night, turning away every one.
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