FLYERS NOTEBOOK: NEW RULE HURTS FLYERS.

Byline: Gideon Rubin Staff Writer

VALENCIA - A new Western States Hockey League rule designed to promote cleaner play contributed to what turned out to be a mess of a weekend for the Valencia Flyers.

The new rule, which mandates players charged with a penalty for fighting in the last five minutes of a game be suspended for two games, is supposed to prevent players from taking cheap shots at opponents in games that are no longer competitive.

On Nov. 8, it was in an intensely competitive situation when former Saugus High star Joey Howard was involved in an altercation and charged with a fighting penalty in an eventual 6-5 loss to the Roseville Capital Thunder.

And so the Flyers were without their leading the remainder of the three- game road series, in which they managed just one victory.

``There's a lot of pros and cons to that rule,'' Flyers coach Ryan Rockabrand said. ``It keeps out a lot of ugliness at the end of games in garbage time, but then it creates situations like we ran into.''

The two-game suspension likely cost Howard the league's scoring lead. Howard, who has 20 goals, is the league's second-leading scorer, one goal behind Phoenix's Ryan Vert.

--Injury bug: The Flyers also were without several key players in the Roseville series, including defenseman Dominic Bando (sprained ankle), forward defenseman Nikita Behm (concussion) and forward Matt Salinsky (knee).

Salinsky is definite, Bando is questionable and Behm will not play Sunday, when the Flyers play at the San Diego Surf at 1 p.m.

The good news for the Flyers is they have time to heal their wounds. After playing just one game this weekend, they'll have the next week off.

--Defensive adjustment: The team plans to use the extra time to work on several new systems, including a slide defense, the hockey equivalent of a zone that, according to Rockabrand, will help the defensive unit - where the Flyers are thinnest - play effectively without expending too much energy.

--Big game: Valencia (6-9, 12 points) can move into a tie for third place in points with San Diego (7-7) with a victory Sunday. The Flyers trail the second-place Bay City Bombers (13-4) by 14 points and the first-place Phoenix Polar Bears (14-0) by 15 points.

--Immediate impact: A bright spot for the Flyers in the Roseville series was the standout performances of newcomers Patrick Eckstein and Travis Cottom.

Eckstein started the season with the Junior-B Portland (Ore.) Pioneers in the North Pacific League but requested a release so he could sign with Valencia. He practiced with the Flyers last week but didn't sign with the team until Saturday. A regarded forward, Eckstein scored two goals Saturday in a 7-4 victory and one goal Sunday in a 5-4 loss.

``It's great news for us,'' Rockabrand said of the Eckstein signing. ``He really stood out.''

Cottom, a 16-year-old goalie from Glendora who started the season with the Bay City Bombers, had his best game as a Flyer on Saturday.

--Casino night: The Valencia Ice Station is having a Casino Night on Saturday to raise money for its Express youth programs. The $25 admission includes dinner and gambling chips. Prizes include a gas-powered water scooter, and Lakers and Kings tickets.