Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Former Vipers Defenceman Lyles Wins SPHL Championship:

Former Vernon Vipers defenceman Malcolm Lyles & the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) Pensacola Ice Flyers won the 2014 SPHL Presidents Cup Championship. 

Lyles started this season with the Federal Hockey League (FHL) Danville Dashers before joining the Ice Flyers on December 27th 2014. In 16 games with the Dashers Lyles picked up (3-goals-13-assists-16-points). In 31 games this season with Pensacola Lyles has (7-goals-7-assists-14-points).

Lyles left Boston College after two seasons played one season in Vernon (2010-2011) playing in 54 games with the Vipers collecting (8-goals-22-assists-30-points) before finishing his schooling (2011-2013) at UMass-Lowell University.

Malcolm Lyles Player Profile:

http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=38119

This is posted on the SPHL website:

Ice Flyers win 2nd consecutive SPHL championship

Apr. 12, 2014

COLUMBUS, GA. — A record-setting season for the Pensacola Ice Flyers ended with the ultimate reward.

It included the unbridled joy of hoisting a silver-plated trophy with their name on it as repeat champions.

As they did throughout the season, the Ice Flyers left no doubt on No. 1 in the Southern Professional Hockey League with a 5-1 victory against the Columbus Cottonmouths in the President’s Cup Finals at the Columbus Civic Center.

“This is all so surreal for me. There are no words to describe this moment,” said Ice Flyers’ veteran winger Brett Lutes, who was named the President’s Cup most valuable player after scoring the first two goals of the game five minutes apart in the first period.

Hundreds of Ice Flyers fans, many of whom filled three buses, made the trip Saturday night to Columbus. They were the loudest voices all night in the crowd of 4,127.

After jumping to a 2-0 lead, the Ice Flyers took control with a trio of second period goals, including two by Corey Banfield. The entire third period became a 20-minute anticlimax with the Ice Flyers holding a 5-1 lead.

“Just a very special group of guys who worked hard all season and proved it on the ice,” said Ice Flyers coach Rod Aldoff, who won his eighth championship, including fifth as coach in various levels. “These guys deserved it. Just a great performance.”

It was shared by plenty of Ice Flyers fans. They swarmed outside the Ice Flyers locker room after the on-ice celebration fininished. The players took a team photo in front of the fans.

Another championship celebration is planned Tuesday night at the Pensacola Bay Center. The Ice Flyers swept the championship series by outscoring Columbus 14-2. They outscored the Cottonmouths 25-4 in four games this season.

“Winning a championship in anything is hard to come by,” said Ice Flyers winger John Dunbar, who scored the team’s final goal in the second period. “It’s a once in a lifetime thing. But to do it twice it is pretty incredible. And these fans, wow, what can you say?”
They are the second back-to-back champions, joining the Knoxville Ice Bears, who did it in 2008 and ’09.

Lutes, 32, likely played his final game in the sport, along with several other Ice Flyers mulling retirement. They went out hoisting, kissing and embracing the President’s Cup.

“I am going to enjoy every minute of this,” he said. “I didn’t even know what to do. There are no words to describe this ... It is just awesome.”

Unlike Thursday’s 9-1 Ice Flyers’ rout, Saturday’s game began with a succession of fists rather than goals.

Instantly after the opening face-off, Columbus’ Alex Gallant and Mitchell Good circled, squared off and staged one of the better fights of the season. It was a carryover from Thursday when Gallant tried to get at Good after a hard check.

Good, not a fighter, stood his own, landing a few punches before Gallant eventually got on top and referees jumped in. Less than two minutes later, the teams scrapped again along the boards, resulting in roughing minors for each team.

After that, hockey ensued.

Lutes scored his first goal with 17:42 after working free near the face-off circle and rifling a shot past Loewen. Five minutes later, Lutz poked in a rebound for a 2-0.

But Columbus turned around the first period when Preston Shupe wristed a shot past MacKinnon with the Cottonmouths’ second shot of the game.

In the second period, Banfield delivered twice in a span of three minutes midway through the second period to break the tension and put the game away.

“Talk about a great pickup,” Dunbar said. “Here was a guy on (waiver) wires and we got him. What a performance.

It was shared throughout the team.

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