ICE FLYERS ADJUST TO
photo by C. F. Easton Photography
NEW
NORMAL by Jesse Gann
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he Pensacola Ice Flyers have had quite the season so far among the changes and upgrades that have taken place this year. The team has been coming together well since signing over players from teams that weren’t eligible to play due to COVID-19 restrictions in their city or state. There has been great chemistry among the players this season. Three players are coming back from injuries and two players, who had season-ending injuries, are out for the remainder of the year. The Ice Flyers have a pretty good chance to make the playoffs this year, after the end of the season. Playoffs will be two rounds, best of three for each round, creating a championship game. Four out of five teams will be eligible for the playoffs. “The competition is really close, the talent level has been crazy, so every game has been like a playoff game,” Marketing Director Brenden Arney said. The playoffs will be for two weeks. One week will host the best of three for the semifinals, and then the best of three for the finals the week after. The two winners of the best of three games will play in the championship this year. The expectations at the beginning of the season, other than to win, were low. The main reason: uncertainty. “My focus was to get through the season, with as few cases as possible while doing everything in our power to have the players, staff and the fans be safe and still be provide a live sporting event outlet,” Greg Harris, owner of the Pensacola Ice Flyers said. The management and business teams have been super focused on taking care of the players, sponsors and fans on and off the ice. The attendance number this season has between 2,400 to 2,800 on average. The management did not want to get ahead of the game simply because of the unknown territory surrounding COVID, and attendance expectations were low to begin with but after seeing 2,821 people attend the first game, management found 20 | DOWNTOWNCROWD.COM
their footing. “As far as how many people we were going to have come, we had no idea and there was just no way of knowing until we got in the season, and that was the tricky part,” Harris said.
adding new video boards this season, it has been a game changer for the fan experience. With the addition of the new video board, it has hosted funny movie clips and fan cams.
With the decision to allow players from other teams to play, it has created a whole new environment for the Southern Professional Hockey League. “It actually made the league much better, because now you basically have five all star teams in the league,” Harris said. Six players from this year’s roster have been from other teams, out of a 20 player roster.
The Ice Flyers have placed third out of five teams regarding their stats so far this season and are expected to make it to the playoffs this year. One of the best in game highlights this season was on Jan. 30 against the Macon Mayhem at home when Forward Darren McCormick scored four out of four goals during a shootout, which does not happen often. “TJ Oshie did it in the Olympics, and it blew up,” Harris said. The first win of the season was against the Huntsville Havoc on Jan. 2 with the Ice Flyers scoring five goals vs. the Havoc’s one goal.
Another big win for the Ice Flyers has been themed nights for their home games. They have had a Marvel night, where the teams sported Spider-man jerseys, and even throwback to some old Ice Pilots jerseys this season. It was a night of nostalgia, and there were videos of former players from their time with the Ice Pilots showing off some of their key highlights. The fans have been super supportive, and the team couldn’t have done it without them either. The management has been really focused on engaging with the fans this season. There are lots of sing-a-longs, fun cams, Simba cams and dancing during the games. “You know, we’re just creating more fun and engaging content for people to experience,” Arney said. After
For next season, the expectations for the league are to hopefully play like a normal season. “Our goals are to play a full 56 game schedule and start on time,” Harris said. The league is hoping for all 10 teams to play with arenas at full capacity. While there is no guarantee that will be the case, that is the process the SPHL is planning for. On top of the regular season for next year, the SPHL is expanding and adding another team to the league from Danville, Illinois, pushing the number of teams in the Southern Professional Hockey League from 10 to 11.
