The Philadelphia Jr. Flyers are pleased to announce the organization’s Players of the Week for week ending January 5, 2020. The Players of the Week is a weekly feature during the 2019-20 regular season that recognizes top performing players for the Peewee, Bantam and Midget levels. Only players that are recommended by their respective teams are considered for the Players of the Week award.

Pee Wee Major Players of the Week – Matt La Buono (Forward) and Matt Barbacane (Defense)
The 2007 Philadelphia Jr. Flyers played a weekend set with the Long Island Royals who are neck-and-neck with the Jr. Flyers in the AYHL playoff race.  All three games were a back and forth battle, and the teams split the weekend 1-1-1.  According to Coach Joe Moran, "Each and every shift felt like a wrestling match where one decisive move would turn momentum.  Battles were won by the players that were willing to give extra on every shift.  Matt La Buono and Matt Barbacane consistently gave everything they had for their teammates all weekend long.  That strong, consistent effort made them both an easy choice for me as Players of the Week".

Coach Moran on the play of Matt La Buono, "Matt has been a grinder for his team all season.  He works so hard to put himself in position to make the right play, and he's smart with the puck.  His compete level is what every Coach wants from a player.  The games this weekend the floodgates opened, finally, for Matt on the score sheet.  The hard work and effort lead him to 3 goals and 3 assists which obviously was an integral part of our success against the Royals.  We all knew it was coming, and the whole team was excited to see him flourish.  It was fun for the coaches to watch, as well."

Coach Moran on the effort of Matt Barbacane, "The offenses showed up to play this weekend for both teams, as I believe we gave up about 14 goals, while scoring 15 of our own, in the 3 games.  That puts a lot of strain on your defense when they are constantly under siege.  However, Matt Barbacane never wavered out on the ice.  He was a steady performer all weekend long through the barrage of offense.  Again, he's another player that goes out there and grinds for his teammates, and I relied on him for many key minutes, especially on the penalty kill.  I kept going back to Matt to settle things down, and get the momentum going back to our offense.  I can't say enough about Matt's effort this weekend."

Pee Wee Minor Players of the Week - Jaxon Zwirzina (Forward) and Riley Doyle (Goaltender)
The Pee Wee Minor team had two games on Saturday, January 4 facing the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Knights and the Washington Little Capitals.  Center, Jaxon Zwirzina, had two fantastic games putting the puck in the net and creating offensive chances for the team.  Although the team came up short against the Knights, the whole team put forth a strong effort.  Goalie, Riley Doyle, had a solid performance in the net for the second game that helped the team to defeat the Washington Little Caps 2-1.