Rookie Game 1: Flyers Double up Rangers, 6-3

In the front of back-to-back Rookie Games, the Philadelphia Flyers prospects defeated their New York Rangers counterparts, 6-3, at the MSG Training Center in Tarrytown, NY, on Saturday afternoon. The Flyers saw a 3-0 lead in the second period go by the wayside but then struck for three unanswered goals to pull away.

Tyson Foerster and Linus Sandin each struck for two goals for the Flyers; one power play and on even strength marker apiece. Sandin (2g, 1a) and Morgan Frost (empty-net goal, two assists) both enjoyed three-point games. The Flyers also received a goal from defenseman Ethan Samson and two assists apiece from fellow blueliners Egor Zamula and Wyatte Wylie. Isaac Ratcliffe chipped in one helper.
Kirill Ustimenko, who missed the entire 2020-21 season due to hip surgery got the start in goal for the Flyers' side. He was relieved midway through the game by first-year pro Samuel Ersson. Ersson is slated to start on Sunday.

The Flyers won the special teams battle in this game, striking for a pair of power play goals in the first period to put themselves in the driver's seat. At the 56-second mark of the first period, Frost started a power play passing sequence in which Sandin passed to Zamula at the point, Zamula rotated the puck to Foerster in the left circle and the Flyers' 2020 first-round pick sniped the puck home. At 5:55, the Flyers power play struck for another tic-tac-toe goal with Frost passing from the right circle to Isaac Ratcliffe below the goal line. Ratcliffe then centered the puck to an open Sandin in the lower slot. Sandin released the shot quickly to double the lead.
Later in the first period, in response to a hit on teammate Cooper Zech, young power forward Wade Allison dropped the gloves with Rangers prospect center Matt Rempe (drafted in the sixth round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft). The fight began after a faceoff in the New York zone. Although Allison is hardly small, he gave up considerable size to the gargantuan Rempe (6-foot-8, 235 pounds). Nonetheless, Allison more than held his own in a spirited bout.

The Flyers added to their lead on a goal scored off the rush. Wylie's shot from above the right circle produced a rebound. Foerster claimed the puck and stashed it home for his second goal of the period.

In the second period, the Rangers struck for three straight goals to knot the game at 3-3. Two of the goals -- one allowed by Ustimenko and one by Ersson, who was not yet into the flow of the game -- were of the type that a goalie would like back.
However, the Flyers took back the lead on Sandin's second goal of the game; this one at 5-on-5. Frost found him in the slot with a tape-to-tape pass and the Swedish forward one again got rid of the shot quickly to find the net. Zamula earned the secondary assist.

The Flyers maintained a 4-3 lead through most of the third period. At 14:24, they reopened a two-goal edge. Wylie claimed the puck at the right point in the attack zone and passed across to Samson. A shot through traffic, which looked like it might have been partially deflected by Flyers Rookie Camp tryout player Nolan Ritchie, made its way into the net.
In the latter stages of regulation, the Rangers pulled the netminder for 6-on-5 attack. After losing a defensive zone faceoff, Frost intercepted a cross-ice pass attempt, skated the puck to the neutral zone and measured a long-distance shot into the vacant cage to close out the 6-3 win.

The Flyers Rookies and Rangers Rookies will rematch on Sunday at 5 p.m. ET. The scene will shift to the Flyers Training Center at the Skate Zone in Voorhees. Look for Cam York and Tanner Laczynski to be among the Flyers' prospects dressed for the rematch.