skip navigation

DePalma's OT goal lifts 87's to 3-2 win over Jr. Flyers

By Anthony Di Paolo, 12/10/17, 11:30AM EST

Share

The 87's extend its winning streak to six games by defeating the Jr. Flyers

Kyle DePalma scored the overtime winner in the 87's thrilling 3-2 victory over the first-place Jr. Flyers at Middletown Ice World on Saturday night.

When talking about the goal, DePalma credited his new teammate, John Dinnocenzo, for setting up the play by skating around the net and finding him wide open in the low slot for the one-timer.

"I just went to the net and Dino made a really nice play getting around (the net), and it just ended up right on my stick in front and had a wide open net," DePalma said.

It was Dinnocenzo's second game with the 87's and has four points (1g, 3a) in that span. The Middletown North alumnus notched his first goal with the team midway through the third period to even the score at one.

"The puck kind of trickled through Lane and Bell and it just came right onto my stick and I let it go, and luckily it went in," Dinnocenzo said on his goal. It was his first home game with the team, as the 87's played in Middletown for the first time in nearly a month. The win extends the team's winning-streak to six games and improves its record to 17-5-1.

Dinnocenzo also talked about his first impression with the team and spoke about the difference of playing in high school and playing in the EHL Premier Division.

"It's a lot faster than I thought it was going to be. The boys have been buzzing in the past two games and I'm really excited to be here," he said.

Head coach Adam Houli talked about Dinnocenzo's immediate impact on the team, saying that he fills a role that the 87's did not previously have.

"I love his grit. He plays with grit, and you can see it when you watch him out there," he said. "He's got finesse, he's got the skill and the toughness. When add all three together and have that gritty style, it's something we were missing and he's been an awesome addition to this team."

The first period proved to be a rough start for the 87's as they played the majority of it down a man. Dinnocenzo accumulated six of the team's 10 penalty minutes in the first by getting a slashing penalty and a four-minute double minor for boarding. 

New Jersey was able to kill off those penalties, but the Jr. Flyers' power play finally broke through midway through the second when Justin fired a wrist shot through traffic that beat 87's goaltender Jon Szynalski.

Austin Bell and Kyle DePalma both had great scoring chances in the second period but neither of them could beat Flyers' netminder Tyler Savino. Bell was awarded a penalty shot but could not get his backhander on goal, while DePalma tried to go five-hole on a breakaway but was denied by Savino on his best save of the night. 

Dinnocenzo evened the score at 9:10 of the third period with a wrist shot from the high slot that beat Savino blocker side. Three minutes later, the Flyers got another power-play goal, this time from former 87 Kevin Troy. Making his debut with the Jr. Flyers against his old team, Troy tapped in a feed from Zachary Rais at the doorstep and beat Szynalski to give Philadelphia a 2-1 lead.

With two Jr. Flyers in the box, Tim Lazouski tied the score once again by converting on the 87's five-on-three with just under four minutes left in regulation. He took a sharp-angle shot that went over Savino's shoulder and into the top corner and notched his fifth goal and the season.

In the three-on-three overtime, it was DePalma and Dinnocenzo that finished it off, as DePalma tried cutting towards the net but over-skated the puck. Dinnocenzo picked it up and took it around the net where found DePalma, who shot it into an open net for the game-winner, and his 11th goal of the season. It completed what Houli called a resilient win.

"I thought the guys were very resilient, and to do it against a very well-run Jr. Flyers team was a good thing to see. We had a tough first period but we settled in and played our game and stayed out of the box which allowed us to be successful going forward," he said.

Szynalski made 17 saves on 19 shots to win his fifth consecutive start. Savino, who made his return after a brief stint with the Jr. Flyers' EHL team, stopped 17 of 20 shots in the losing effort. 

The 87's will look to extend its six-game winning streak by going back on the road next weekend to face the New England Wolves of the North Conference. The first game is this Saturday at 6:45 p.m., and will be streamed on hockeytv.com.