Flying Monkeys beat Force with last-second goal in charity game

The Wichita Force came within a few seconds of putting a Hollywood finish in play for the film crew documenting their past two weeks.

So close to an overtime period in Sunday’s charity hockey game. So close to, perhaps, a dramatic finish for the cameras commissioned by the International Olympic Committee.

Then Brian Richey of the Wichita Fire Flying Monkeys scored with 2.7 seconds remaining to defeat the Force 3-2 at the Wichita Ice Center.

The Force, a team made up of law enforcement officials, still produced a good story. A freelance film crew followed the team the past two weeks. The Force spent the past week under the instruction of coach Daniele Sauvageau, who coached the Canadian women’s team to the 2002 Winter Olympic gold medal. The IOC is sponsoring film crews to produce eight one-hour documentaries on sports around the globe, focusing on underdog teams.

The film crew found the Force, which is winless against their firefighting rivals in five years of meetings for charity.

On Sunday, the Force took a 1-0 lead on a goal by Jordan Whitfield in the first period. The Flying Monkey tied it on a goal by Josh Roberts and took a 2-1 lead on Rickey’s goal, short-handed, in the second period.

The Force set the stage for serious drama when Kakia Ashley scored with 1:33 remaining in the third period to tie it 2-all.

The film crew leaves Tuesday for Mexico and a documentary about a women’s basketball team. The series will also include documentaries on a soccer team in South Africa, a volleyball team in London and others. It will be available during the 2016 Summer Olympics on the IOC’s internet channel.

Donations taken during the game will benefit Wichita Children’s Home.

This story was originally published April 24, 2016 at 1:45 PM with the headline "Flying Monkeys beat Force with last-second goal in charity game."