N.Y. AVIATORS ~ Warriors Win Game One; Game Two Sunday

From the desk of:  The Coolest Guys in Brooklyn


New York Aviators: Drop Game One In Championship Series.

GAME ONE FINAL:

Akwesanse Warriors  4

New York Aviators     3

Brooklyn

Game One of the Federal Hockey League Championship Series goes to the Warriors from Ontario, Canada.

They strike first blood in the best three out of five series and have assured themselves a split on the road.

Before the first minute ticked off the clock after the opening face-off, the A's found themselves down 1-0 off a quick Akwesasne strike.  But the Aviators owned the final nineteen minutes and thirty one seconds of the first period.  They answered back with three goals in the period with two coming on the power play.

Casey Mignone (assisted by Nick Grove; Stephen Obelnicki) got the Aviators on the scoreboard at the 4:38 mark to tie things up.  The Warriors committed three penalties in the first period and New York converted on two of the opportunities.  At 5:52, the Warriors got called for a holding penalty, and seven seconds later, Matthew Puntureri put the A's ahead 2-1 (assisted by Michael Thomson; KC Timmons).  At 13:37, the Warriors were whistled for their third penalty of the period.  It was Akwesasne's Chad Bazin's second penalty infraction within the space of four minutes.  The first cross-checking minor was killed off.  His second whistle for hooking cost the Warriors when Andrew Scampoli scored at the 13:47 mark (assisted by Michael Thomson; KC Timmons) for a 3-1 Aviator lead they'd take into the first intermission.

The Warriors would put New York on the power play three more times in the second period.  But the A's went 0-3 and Akwesasne went 0-2 in their chances with the man-advantage.  At 15:06 of the second period, the Warriors scored an even strength goal to cut the Aviator lead to one.

Within the first five minutes of the third period, the Akwesasne Warriors struck for two more goals the Aviators never found a way to recover from over the last fifteen minutes of the game.  At the 2:09 mark, the Warriors tied the game on an even strength goal.

What ultimately downed the A's was a Nick Grove roughing penalty called at the 3:31 mark which the Warriors capitalized on thirty-seven seconds later with their fourth goal of the night.

New York had more shots-on-goal; 30-24.  But after the first period, they went 0-5 on the power play.  They never could find a way to score again over the last forty minutes as Akwesasne continued to chip away.

New York will get another chance to win a game in front of their home crowd in Brooklyn on Sunday afternoon before the series shifts to Akwesane next weekend.  If the series gets extended to five games, that deciding game will be here in Hangar #5.

2010-2011

FHL CHAMPIONSHIP

GAME TWO

Akwesasne Warriors

vs.

NEW YORK AVIATORS

HANGAR #5

FLOYD BENNETT FIELD

BROOKLYN

Mike.BTB