FLYERS NOTEBOOK: FLYERS WORK ON FIXING PROBLEMS.

Byline: Gideon Rubin Staff Writer

VALENCIA - The Valencia Flyers have had time to address some of their weaknesses during a bye week. After a 3-9 start, they've had plenty to work on.

The Valencia-based Junior-B ice hockey expansion team spent part of its extra practice time doing ofce conditioning and focusing on fundamentals - most notably defense and passing.

The Flyers will look to implement what they've been working on when they open a two-game road series tonight against Bay City at Lakewood Arena at 8:45. The two teams meet again at 7:45 p.m. Saturday.

The team's most glaring weakness through the first six weeks of the season has been its defense, head coach Ryan Rockabrand said. The Flyers' lack of overall team speed has proved costly in transition, particularly on the road, where they had to play on Olympic-sized rinks, which are considerably larger than the NHL-sized rink at the Ice Station in Valencia.

``We've found it really difficult to break out of our own end into the neutral zone on the Olympic-sized rinks, and that's something we've been addressing in practices,'' Rockabrand said.

Other weaknesses have included passing, which Rockabrand attributes to a combination of inexperience and lack of focus.

--Chiltsov back: The Flyers are looking forward to the return of a defenseman Alex Chiltsov. A Calabasas resident originally from Russia, Chiltsov suffered a broken nose and face lacerations three weeks ago during the Utah Valley series.

--Net gain: Rockabrand expects to continue tinkering with the team's roster over the next few weeks. However, he believes he's found the right combination at goalie with Valencia resident Coby Robinson sharing playing time with Lavrenty Kazaryan.

Robinson, who last season played for the now-defunct Ventura team in the Western States Hockey League, is the team's most experienced player.

Robinson and Kazaryan are fighting for the starting job but Rockabrand expects both to see significant playing time.

``They complement each other nicely,'' he said. ``They don't mind backing each other up. They've both shown that they're committed to the team.''

--Winging it: Another competitive situation involves the starting right- wing job, where Peter Khachatarian is being challenged by newcomer Brennan Mugala.

Khachatarian gives the Flyers a more physical presence. Mugala, a recent acquisition from Calgary, is the better scorer. He's scored two goals and had two assists in just two games.