BKN Aviators ~ Crushing OT Loss; Face Elimination in Danbury

From the desk of:   THE SKATES OF FLATBUSH

FRIDAY NIGHT FINAL ~ GAME ONE

Danbury Whalers   5

Brooklyn Aviators  4

OVERTIME

BROOKLYN AVIATORS:  The Skates of Flatbush Must Now Duke Out Two Wins in Danbury.

Danbury Whalers Fans Have a Wild Time in Brooklyn.  A's Answer Three Whaler Goals With a Four Goal Comeback.  Danbury ties Game With 0:03 Left on Clock; Win in Over-Time.

Links:

Danbury Whalers

Brooklyn Aviators

Federal Hockey League

There were no fights or acts of questionable character - just a small assortment of typical Hockey infractions that do not induce players to lose their composure during playoff games.  This was a very well played game actually; - Not that we should be surprised.  Brooklyn fans did get caught off guard however.



The first period against Danbury gave Aviator fans every indication Game One of these playoffs was going to be a long night.  The Whalers' faithful fanatics, generally acknowledged as the league's most rabid supporters, invaded Hangar Five in numbers.  They came donned in their green, blue, and white colored jerseys, and basically had their way of the place.  They were raucously loud and for good reason too.  After the teams spent the first ten minutes or so shadow boxing, Danbury went to work on the Aviators' goalie, initially scoring at 13:42, then two more times within the nineteenth minute to close out the opening session staked to a 3-0 lead.

The Whalers' Rooters did their part too, as they were in Brooklyn's Josselin St. Pierre's ear most of the night, but more so when he tended net on the scoreboard side of the ice.  He was the target of a tireless stream of jeers and heckling emanating from sections nineteen and twenty in particular.  That three goal Whaler lead after the first twenty minutes had them all feeling pretty good about themselves.  And in the spirit of sharing, they expressed their opinion of St. Pierre often.  They savored all forty-four Danbury shots against the Flatbush goalie like forty-four indelible moments in time.  Gotta give 'em credit for that.

Jesse Felten tried quieting them down with a power play goal at the 2:51 mark of the second period, making it a 3-1 game.  But after Peter Vetri denied Flatbush upon being awarded a penalty shot, the Danbury contingent was right back at it.



However, Brooklyn was getting their chances and Josselin St. Pierre had a much better second period.  Then came the comeback.  It was now Peter Vetri's time to struggle stopping pucks.  Two and a half minutes into the third period, Michael Thompson's goal got Flatbush to within one.  At the 7:33 mark, Chris Campanale tied the game at three, off assists by Andrew Scampoli, and Michael Thompson.  And needless to say, Hangar Five was hearing less and less from the first two sections off to the right.  Then, at 11:25, Michael Thompson assisted Casey Mignone's goal for a 4-3 Brooklyn lead.  After four unanswered goals over the last two periods, it was now Flatbush Fans pumpin' up the noise in their house.



For the next 8:32, Brooklyn nursed their one goal lead.  Josselin St. Pierre was holding up as Brooklyn was limiting Danbury to their lowest shots-on-goal total of the three periods.  Then Coach Esposito did what any coach should do in the closing moments of this game.  He pulled his goalie in favor of the sixth skater.  And it paid off.  With just three second left on the clock, Danbury scored.  And yeah, sections nineteen and twenty went bonkers.



At 13:40 of overtime, the Danbury Whalers scored again; unassisted no less.  Game over.  And for the people dressed in green, blue, and white jerseys, it was party on.  Once they all regained their composure, it was back to Connecticut for them.  Depending on traffic, the seventy mile drive back to Danbury should take about an hour and a half.  While the A's damn-nearly sent them all home in silence, instead I'm sure there will be car loads of people recapturing the moments of a great game; a great win, and a great trip over all to Brooklyn; for them at least.

Instead, Flatbush will have the quiet drive north.  They'll have seventy miles to ponder how they let one get away after staging such a resilient comeback.  And they'll now have to think about winning two games in a place that will packed with just more than two sections of people wearing green, blue, and white jerseys.  In Danbury, they pack the joint with four-digit figures.  And they certainly won't be there to welcome Brooklyn with open arms either.



I'm sure Coach Miller and his Aviators are stewing.  They had their chance.  In last season's playoffs, Brooklyn had to win Game Four in Danbury to avoid elimination, then won Game Five in Brooklyn to clinch a trip to the championship round.  They are faced once with having to win two in row again if they are to duplicate last year's effort; albeit in a best of three series this time.  But they need to win this evening just to stay alive first.

GAME TWO

BROOKLYN AVIATORS

vs.

Danbury Whalers

From,

THE DANBURY ICE ARENA
Delay Street, Danbury





GAME ONE SHOTS

Let's Go A's!

Mike.BTB

BKN Aviators ~ Flatbush in a Dogfight to the Finish

From the desk of:   THE SKATES OF FLATBUSH

BROOKLYN AVIATORS:  Flatbush Sweeps Two From Danville Dashers.  Overtake Akwesasne in the Standings.  A's Back in the First Division With Four to Play.



SATURDAY FINAL:   BACK IN FOURTH PLACE!

Brooklyn   7
Danville     3



Let's understand for a moment Danville only has four wins this season.  So it's not like defeating the Danville Dashers; this season at least; is the stuff legends are made of.  Although the any-given-day rule still applies to all teams.  I am merely going to suggest, with the Aviators needing wins most, Jesse Felten stepped-up to remind his mates how to seize the moment; as several of his current mates were part of Brooklyn's miraculous run towards the playoffs last season.


Thanks in large part to their forward, the Aviators are back, but far from safe, in fourth place after defeating the Dashers 7-3 Saturday in the first of a two game series.  The win finally allowed Brooklyn to punch through the percentage points lead Akwesasne held over Flatbush and puts them back in the first division again with only five games left to play.  The Warriors lost to the New Jersey Outlaws 6-2 Saturday, and will be idle Sunday.  Advantage Brooklyn.


Michael DiLorenzo earned his third win in four starts for Brooklyn by turning back twenty-four of twenty-seven shots on goal by Danville.  The night started with a Kings County sized gasp when Danville scored just 0:39 into the game.  But in what are now must-win-games, the "old" Brooklyn vet, Jesse Felten, stepped in to lead Flatbush, when a leader was needed.


Midway through the first period, Felton tied the game with his twenty-fourth goal of the season.  And before the period's end, Jason Dolgy scored at 17:53 on the power play after Danville's Ryan Stern got whistled for cross-checking.  From then on, attitudes and comportment deteriorated.  But the game pressed on without too much chicanery.


Danville got off to another quick start to open the second period.  Four minutes in, this game was tied at two apiece.  But a few minutes later, Matt Atsoff put his Brooklyn mates up by one again.  Then midway through the period, Jesse Felten scored his twenty-fifth goal of the season on a power play to make it a 4-2 game.  Danville answered yet again with a goal at the 11:55 mark.  But it would be their last of the night.  Before the second period expired, Steve Koich gave the A's a 5-3 lead with his sixth goal of the season.


The third period was all Brooklyn.  Just over a minute in, Steve Owsiak scored his seventeenth goal of the season.  Then Jesse Felten and Jason Dolgy finished this game off the same way they started it.  Jesse Felten scored goal number twenty-six of the season at the 2:09 mark on a power play to complete his hat trick.  Jason Dolgy netted his second goal of the game and Brooklyn's final of the  evening for an 8-3 Flatbush win and their sixty-seventh point of the season; four better than the Warriors.





SUNDAY FINAL:  GAIN THREE MORE POINTS OVER AKWESASNE WARRIORS!

Brooklyn   4
Danville    2



Fourth place was now a matter of which team had more points again and no longer based on win percentages.  With the Warriors not playing, Sunday represented a huge opportunity to put some more distance between Flatbush and Akwesasne before both teams take the ice again Wednesday night.


With a day game after a night game, Coach Miller gave John Dorman his first Aviator start between the pipes Sunday after starting Michael DiLorenzo Saturday.  Regular goalie Josselin St. Pierre was not penciled into either game.  Regardless, in his first game in net since November 2011, John Dorman stopped fourteen of sixteen shots Brooklyn's defense allowed Danville.  At the other end, Flatbush peppered Danville's goalie; Nick Wydock; with twenty-one shots in the first period alone.


Sunday's overall shots on goal total was Brooklyn forty; Danville sixteen.  The final score was Brooklyn four; Danville two.  Who accrued more penalty minutes can be figured out if you try.  But ascertaining the number of punches thrown this afternoon is useless.  Saturday's simmering hostilities and lingering feuds boiled over throughout the first and third periods of Sunday afternoon's raucous affair.


When they weren't littering the ice with sticks and gloves, Brooklyn was doing just enough to win their third straight game, and more importantly gaining three more points in the standings over the idle Akwesasne Warriors.


There was no hat trick from Jesse Felten Sunday.  He played facilitator this time, instead assisting on three Brooklyn goals.  Five minutes in, he assisted on Henry Coxe's opening goal of the game.  A little over two minutes later, Jesse Felten again had the primary assist on Andrew Scampoli's power play goal.  With three and a half minutes left in the first period, Danville scored on a power play to end the period 2-1 Brooklyn.


Michael Thompson scored the only goal of the second just 1:31 into the period.  Then in the third period, Jesse Felten recorded his third assist of the game on Andrew Owsiak's goal at the 6:21 mark.  Danville scored a late short-handed goal to make the score a respectable 4-2 final.


That's seventy points and a job well done.  Now, Flatbush has four games left in the regular season.  The Aviators have a seven point lead over the Akwesasne Warriors and for the moment, own the final playoff spot.  Brooklyn now has a daunting task before them.  They will close out the regular season with a home-and-home against the third place Danbury Whalers, then a home-and-home against the first place New Jersey Outlaws.  The defending FHL Champions; Akwesasne Warriors; only have three games remaining.  One game remains against Danville this Wednesday.  They will then finish with a home-and-home against the second place 1000 Islands Privateers.


Should the playoff's fourth seed remain undetermined by March 3rd, Brooklyn's scheduled Sunday, March 4th game against New Jersey can quite literally turn out to be their "ACE" in the hole as Akwesasne will have concluded their season on Saturday.



Let's Go A's!





Mike.BTB

BKN Aviators ~ Take Second Big Game From Danbury

From the desk of:   THE COOLEST GUYS IN BROOKLYN

BROOKLYN AVIATORS:   A's Finish Off Danbury in Two Straight.  Now Winners of Seven out of Last Eight Games.



How about that?  The latest goalie of the day; newly acquired Michael DiLorenzo; not only earned his first win in his first start as an Aviator, he won his first game of the season after seven previous games played for Delaware.  He faced 38 Danbury shots and stopped 36 of them to secure Brooklyn's second straight victory over the rival Whalers.

The two teams competed with far more civility in The Hangar than when compared to Thursday night's bar fight on Danbury's ice.  And for the most part both stayed in control of their tempers.  Minus a slash and some stick infractions, every one stayed cool.  Good guys or bad guys, neither tact worked for Danbury though.  And now they are the ones looking up at Brooklyn in the standings.  Two games; two wins for Brooklyn.  The late season surge is on indeed.  The Skates of Flatbush are now winners of seven of their last eight games.

With one game to go this weekend against New Jersey, the Aviators have so far landed ahead of Danbury in fourth place with sixty-one points.  Danbury slides back to fifth place with fifty-nine points.  Although the Akwesasne Warriors only have fifty-one points, they remain in third place by percentage points due to having played five less games than Brooklyn and Danbury.


It was retro-night of sorts in Hangar Five.  Many of the names we've come to expect led the way for Brooklyn Friday night.  Just keep in mind, Danbury was short players for their involvement in Thursday's exercise in belligerence.


Matt Atsoff was the lone goal scorer of the first period.  His fifteenth of the season came at 14:44; assisted by Andrew Scampoli and Michael Thomson.


At 5:49 of the second period, Brooklyn's Steve Koich got whistled for a slash.  But it was Jesse Felten who cashed in on a short-handed chance a minute later.  Several minutes later, a hooking penalty called against Danbury resulted in Jesse Felten's power play, and second consecutive goal of the period; good for a 3-0 Brooklyn lead.  However with less than a minute left in the period, Danbury got on the board on a James Sanford power play goal off a Michael Thomson hooking penalty to make it a 3-1 game.


Andrew Scampoli found his lost scoring touch again at 4:35 of the third period.  Then at the midway point of the period, Jesse Felten tallied another to complete the hat-trick.  It was his fifth goal in two nights against Danbury.  The Whalers answered that goal a short time later.  But Steve Koich pushed back again with another Brooklyn goal at the 18:00 mark, for a 6-2 lead and a final score.


After getting pummelled the night before, Peter Vetri did not start in goal for Danbury.  Instead Nick Niedert made the start, stopping 29 of 35 shots.


Next up; the first place New Jersey Outlaws.  Brooklyn finally broke through and defeated New Jersey 6-1 for the first time in their previous meeting.  Prior to that, New Jersey was 8-0 over Brooklyn this season and outscored them a combined 45-22 over that time.

SATURDAY

BROOKLYN AVIATORS
vs.

New Jersey Outlaws

From,

Other Side of NY Harbor

Mike.BTB

BKN Aviators ~ Pressing on into February

From the desk of:   THE SKATES OF FLATBUSH






BROOKLYN AVIATORS:  Taking Body Blows and Counter Punching; Coach Miller's Boys Will be Fighting to the Very End.



So where are we?  Who are we?  And what are we doing?  Sorry, since attending Ace's birthday party in The Hangar two weeks ago, I've had New York Giants of the brain.


The A's are currently skating with the second division in fifth place.  Although Brooklyn (55) has more total points than fourth place Akwesasne (51), the Warriors lead the Aviators by percentage points.  Cape Cod, Delaware, and Danville, round out the FHL trailers. 


New Jersey has been, and still is the clear cut power of the circuit with 93 points this season.  Second place 1000 Islands trails them by thirteen points.  And Danbury has recently made a climb in the standings (59 points) into third place. 


Fourteen games remain on the schedule.  The A's will have between their February 2nd game versus Danbury, and March 4th, to earn themselves a spot along with the top seeds for a hopeful spot in the playoffs.  The team's situation does not seem as dire as they faced last year with twenty-some games left in the season.  They just need a little consistency right now.


Who are we?  For starters, back-up goalie; Peter Dundovich; was waived on January 27, by the Boss-Man Coach Miller.  Goalie Richard Scarsella came and went.  Adam Avramenko was then signed to back-up Josselin St. Pierre but has since been loaned out to the CHL.  So that leaves rookie Jeff Rose as Flatbush's back-up goalie.  Back on January 24th, Jarrett Rush and Andrew Owsiak were packing up to play for ECHL clubs but have since returned.  And lastly, Brendan Baumgartner was traded to the 1000 Islands Privateers for defensemen Vinny Geonnetti.


No Brooklyn.  Although several players remain, this is not the same team that went on a torrid twenty-some game winning streak last season and steamrolled into the playoffs.  Coach Miller continues to tinker with this roster as he has all season.  Over that time, too many games were lost, specifically earlier on in the schedule, for a failure to secure wins during regulation time and thus finishing many nights shy one additional point. 


What are we doing?  For starters, we're suffering from a lack of identity.  Are we still a team led by veterans; Chris Ferazzoli; K.C. Timmons; Jesse Felten; Chris Scampoli; and Casey Mignone?  Or did our gumption exit along with Vladimir Nikiforov; Stephen Obelnicki; and some of last year's favorites like Puntureri, and Goffredo?  And of the newer class?  Rookie; Matt Atsoff; Trent Trentowski; Lucas Schott; Steve Koich; will they be making this their team?


Secondly, we're bobbing up and down like an ocean buoy.  The month of January is representative of just how up and down this season has gone for the Floyd Bennett Aviators.  They started the month losing their first five contests.  Then went on a five game winning streak which was snapped this past Saturday by the Whalers in an 8-2 drubbing up in Danbury.  And so the A's end the month with a 5-6 record.


When they resume play Thursday, the Whalers and Brooklyn will play a home and home starting in Danbury.  The series then comes to Hangar Five on Saturday night.  They'll finish the weekend in New Jersey as they take on the Outlaws again, whom they finally defeated this season for the first time.


We need to gain some altitude Boys.





Mike.BTB

BKN Aviators ~ Stranded on 1000 Islands

From the desk of:   THE COOLEST BUYS IN BROOKLYN

BROOKLYN AVIATORS:  Coach Miller Still Tinkering Between the Pipes.





Coach Miller is still trying to fix cracks in the pipes.  Brooklyn tabbed back-up Peter Dundovich to start Friday night's game against 1000 Islands.  Since Thomas Lee's release, Josselin St. Pierre has started most of Brooklyn's games.  On December 31st, Coach Miller then signed and started Jeff Rose (rookie) last week in a winning effort against Cape Cod.  On January 5th, Coach signed goalie Richard Scarsella to a contract, and was listed as the back-up to Peter Dundovich last night.  With no indication of any players' release, the A's tentatively have four goalies under contract.




Friday night however, it wouldn't have mattered if they had Eddie Giacomin between the pipes.  Brooklyn wasn't scoring against Matt Anthony and the 1000 Island Privateers.  He held the A's to one goal on thirty-three shots.  The Skates of Flatbush' lone goal came in the second period of a 4-1 loss.  That goal came courtesy of Andrew Scampoli's second of the season.  The assists came via newly acquired Henry Coxe, and Steve Koich.




Brooklyn played a relatively penalty free sixty-minutes, but went 0-3 when playing with the man advantage.  Peter Dundovich faced thirty-three shots and stopped thirty.  The Privateers scored an empty-netter to close out the game.




The two teams will do it again tonight and who starts in net for Brooklyn is any one's guess right now.  The team from upstate New York is still firmly entrenched in second place with sixty-two points on the season.  The New Jersey Outlaws continue to run away from the circuit with seventy-one points.  Brooklyn?  We're still in the first division with thirty-nine points this season.  Our fourth place standing is slightly ahead of the Akwesasne Warriors who claim fifth place with thirty-two points.





Mike.BTB

BKN Aviators ~ N.J. Outlaws Hold-Up A's Weekend

From the desk of:  THE COOLEST GUYS IN BROOKLYN







BROOKLYN AVIATORS:  One Wrong Exit Off the Turnpike and What You Get is a Lost Weekend in Jersey.



Talk about losing your way in the Garden State.  The Aviators' short flight over the skies of New Jersey ended in a lost weekend for the locals.  Emelia Earhart once landed and took off from Floyd Bennett Field too ya know.  How'd that go?



After taking a game from the then first place 1000 Islands Privateers before the holiday, it was Black Friday and Bleaker Saturday for the Aviators in New Jersey this weekend.  In two games on consecutive nights on New Jersey's turf, the Skates of Flatbush dropped a pair to the Outlaws.  After hoping the A's could close the gap with three games against the circuit leaders, the two losses now drop Brooklyn ten points behind New Jersey and 1000 Islands who are tied for the league lead with thirty-two points each.



Friday's game ended in a 5-3 final.  After an opening period goal by Matt Atsoff put Brooklyn ahead at the 6:22 mark, five different New Jersey players proceeded to score the next five goals over the first two periods against Aviators' goalie Josselin St. Pierre, who was making his second start since being acquired.  After three second period Outlaw goals, two former A's scored two more in the second.  John Goffredo scored N.J. goal number four on the night.  Matthew Puntureri followed up with the fifth and final score for the Outlaws. 



The A's were pretty much toast after that.  They managed two third period goals; one by Casey Mignone on the power play at 12:21 of the third.  The second Brooklyn goal of the period came on Chris Oswiak's shot at the 15:30 mark.



In taking the loss, Josselin St. Pierre faced forty-three shots; stopping thirty eight.  Brooklyn managed thirty-three shots on goal and were 1 for 5 on the power play, while holding New Jersey scoreless in three opportunities.



In the second game on Saturday, the teams took turns dominating the first two periods before ending the third session in a stalemate which necessitated over-time to determine a winner.



New Jersey had their way with Brooklyn over the last half of the first period.  Three goals; the third coming short-handed; put Brooklyn behind 3-0 at the intermission.



In the second period, it was Brooklyn's turn to dominate.  Andrew Scampoli scored goal one of the period on a power play at 6:15; assisted by A's blueliners Ken Trentowski and KC Timmons.  Goal number two came at 13:07 when KC Timmons again figured in the scoring with his third goal of the season.  Then just before the second period ended, Casey Mignone tied the game at three with his goal at the 19:33 mark.



At 3:29 of the third period, Matt Atsoff put Brooklyn ahead 4-3; assisted by Andrew Owsiak and Jason Dolgy.  But a little under ten minutes later, a Ken Trentowski slash put New Jersey on the power play.  Matt Miller cashed in for the Outlaws with his second goal of the game.



Into over-time they went.  And it didn't last long at all.  At 1:32, Travis Kauffeldt got a shot past Josselin St. Pierre for a 5-4 New Jersey win.  It was the second consecutive night St. Pierre yielded five goals to the Outlaws.  He faced thirty-eight shots in this game and stopped thirty-three.  He now owns one win against two losses as a starter.



Brooklyn finishes the weekend with a 6-5-0-4 season record and sit in fourth place with twenty two points.  The A's are off till Friday night, when they take on Danbury at the Hangar.







Mike.BTB

BKN Aviators ~ Flyin' High; Win Game One

From the desk of:  THE COOLEST GUYS IN BROOKLYN

BROOKLYN AVIATORS:  Comeback Against Defending Champs In Season Opener With Disciplined Play and Composure.



For the Aviators, the memory of losing and watching the Warriors hoist the Championship Trophy on home ice to end Brooklyn's most previous season no doubt rushed back to their minds upon taking the ice Thursday night in Lewiston, Maine for a return engagement against Akwesasne.  But for a night, the Aviators displayed more discipline and composure than did the defending FHL champions.  And for Coach Miller, watching both characteristics play directly into their Opening night victory must have been especially satisfying considering many of his players are still learning how to play together.  For their efforts in the season's first game, they adhered to many key fundamental values.  The A's won Thursday night by grinding the game out a little longer than the Warriors did, and playing an increasingly cleaner and sharper game against the Warriors the longer the contest went on.



It seemed over the first two and one half periods, the A's carried the play; spent less time in the box; got more shots on net; and appeared to be the more disciplined team.  Yet Akwesasne and the scoreboard were unyielding, reflecting a 2-1 score in the Warriors' favor after fifty minutes of regulation time.



Over that span, Akwesasne even put Brooklyn on the man-advantage three times as many as the A's allowed the Warriors.  Both teams combined to go a woeful 0-12 on the PP to that point.  And frustratingly, the Aviators accounted for 0-9 of that.  Chris Ferazolli wound up scoring the first goal of the Aviators' season at even strength.  At the time, his score only served to cut a 2-0 Akwesasne lead in half.  But the defense and Thomas Lee set about ensuring Ferazolli's goal would factor into the outcome.



The Warriors opened the FHL's 2011-2012 scoring this season at 15:55 of the first period on a Miguel Delisle goal past A's starting net minder; Thomas Lee.  And that's how the initial period ended.  Brooklyn managed thirteen shots on goal in the period as Akwesasne unleashed seventeen with one finding net.  Penalties put Brooklyn on the PK three times but they held the Warriors scoreless during the man advantages.



Brooklyn clamped down and limited the Warriors to just four shots on goal the entire second period.  Yet one shot still managed to find net behind Thomas Lee.  At the 7:03 mark of the second session, Akwsasne's Pierre Dagenais scored to make it a 2-0 game. 



Then, just under four minutes later at the 10:50 mark, Chris Ferazzoli's first goal of the season finally put Brooklyn on the scoreboard.  He was assisted by Jordan Bernier and Chris Jones.  Brooklyn put fifteen shots on goal during the second period and behind their defense, the A's game started to gel.  But the second period ended with the A's still down by a 2-1 score.



While the teams traded second period goals, they traded second period punches as well.  Things began to get chippy back when Akwesasne's Carter Trevisani and Brooklyn's Jordan Bernier closed out the first period with roughing penalties.  Then tempers flared between Akwesasne's Ahmed Mahfouz and Brooklyn's Anthony Iaquinto when they dropped the gloves at the 10:58 mark of the second session.  Both received five for fighting.  And bad attitudes prevailed the rest of the period.



Midway through the third period and two power play opportunities later, the Aviators' tying goal still remained elusive.  Then, at 13:23 of the third, Brooklyn's patience was rewarded.  Their attention to detail finally paid off when Anthony Iaquinto scored for Brooklyn and tied the game at two apiece.  The assists came from Andrew Owsiak and Jarrett Rush.



At the 14:14 mark, Akwesasne's penchant for penalties this night opened the door to another Hangar-sized opportunity.  Brooklyn cashed in as the power play finally hit pay dirt when Jordan Bernier buried the go-ahead goal to make it a 3-2 game.  The goal was assisted by Andrew Scampoli.



After allowing seventeen shots on goal in the first period, the defense kept the number of shots against goalie Thomas Lee relatively low the rest of the way.  Four shots in the second period and eight in the third were all Akwesasne could muster.  Meanwhile, Brooklyn peppered Warriors' goalie David Plouffe with fourteen shots in the third period and forty-two overall.  Additionally, the Aviators did very well to stay out of the box.  And even though Brooklyn's power play was 1-10 Thursday night, they scored on the one opportunity that mattered most; their last.



And so Aviators' victory number one came in rather dramatic fashion Thursday night.  If this game is an indication, then it's going to be a fun Winter folks.



Game two of the new season will be Friday night in Cape Cod against the Blue Fins before the Coolest Guys In Brooklyn come home for their Saturday Night Showdown against their newest rival, the New Jersey Outlaws, who now feature former A's fan favorites, Matthew Puntureri and John Goffredo.

FRIDAY NIGHT

BROOKLYN AVIATORS

vs.

Cape Cod Bluefins

From

Somewhere in Massachusetts

Mike.BTB

BKN Aviators ~ Doors to Hangar Five Open October 29th

From the desk of:  THE COOLEST GUYS IN BROOKLYN

BROOKLYN AVIATORS HOCKEY CLUB ~ 2011-2012:

Coach Miller Making Final Preparations Before Take-Off.

Back in July the organization officially dropped "New York" from their name and opted instead to more accurately represent the Borough of Kings and the local crowds who cheer for them inside Hangar Number Five off Flatbush Avenue.

As the start of the second Federal Hockey League season draws closer, Coach Rob Miller is busy scouting and finalizing his roster.  Many of the Coolest Guys from last season will be returning.  Unfortunately, two very popular players and key contributors from the previous season's success will not.  But all players starting this season forward; whether returning from last season or are new faces to the team, and any future club member, will now represent and play as:

THE  BROOKLYN  AVIATORS

This just reaffirms what I've been saying about them generally being regarded as,

The Coolest Guys in Brooklyn! 

To drop the puck on the 2011-2012 campaign, the Aviators and Akwesasne Warriors will pick up where left off last season, which is on Warriors home-ice where Akwesasne's home team defeated the A's three games to one to win the Federal Hockey League Inaugural Championship back in March. 

Brooklyn and Akwesasne will officially start the FHL season on Oct. 27th.  The A's will play a second road game on Oct. 28th against the Cape Cod Blue Fins.  Then, Brooklyn's home-ice opener will be on Saturday, October 29th, versus one of the three new additions to the League; the New Jersey Outlaws.

The Federal Hockey League is an eight team circuit now.  The returning member clubs from last season are Brooklyn; Akwesanse; 1000 Islands Privateers; and the Danbury Whalers.  Last year's Broome County Barons are now this year's Cape Cod Blue Fins.

The three new teams joining the League for the 2011-2012 season are the Danville Dashers; New Jersey Outlaws; and the Vermont Wild.

One of the most popular players not returning to the A's this season is the 5'10" little bull and (now former) crowd favorite; Matthew Puntureri.  He was traded to the New Jersey Outlaws back in May.  The transaction was an unfortunate situation Coach Miller admitted was made due to financial considerations.


You don't just seemingly and suddenly ignite like the A's did last season and roll off a 21-game winning streak and finish the regular season in first place only after playing at such a ferocious pace as they did to close out last season, without riding your Goalie like an old WWII Flying Tiger.  The Aviators did just that, and their goalie was Kevin Druce.  He also will not be returning this season.


But many familiar names to us locals are returning for another campaign at Hangar Five.  Forwards -Andrew Scampoli, Steve Obelnicki, Anthony Longo, Jesse Felton, Michael Thomson, Casey Magnone, John Goffredo, and Nick Vandenbeld are some of the returning skaters.


On Defense - The truth is, we're thin.  KC Timmons and Jarrett Rush will be back on the blue line.  Nicholas Kuqali makes three signed defenseman.  After that, this is perhaps the team's biggest issue and Coach Miller's toughest challenge ahead.  Coach hopes to solidify his blue line through scouting the southern circuit before the season's opener.


In goal tender Kevin Druce's absence, the Aviators will mostly likely go with a tandem of Peter Dundovich, and Ryan Scott in net this season.


We'll see what new players earn a Brooklyn jersey once Training Camp concludes.  Until then...



...Let's Go A's!




Mike.BTB

N.Y. AVIATORS ~ Alive And Well; Game Four Tonight

From the desk of:  The Coolest Guys In Brooklyn

TONIGHT

GAME FOUR

FEDERAL HOCKEY LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP

Akwesasne Leads Series 2-1

NEW YORK AVIATORS

vs.

Akwesasne Warriors

Ontario, Canada

Update
The Game Went Final

NEW YORK AVIATORS:  A's Gain Life In Game Three.  Will Try And Tie Series Tonight.  A Deciding Game Five Would Be Played In Brooklyn.

Throughout these playoffs, the big period has undone or propelled all participating teams.  This series has been no different.  Last night, the New York Aviators rode a big second period to victory over the Akwesasne Warriors and are now officially back in this series.  Although the A's are still down two games to one.  A victory tonight by the Aviators would tie this series and bring it back to Brooklyn for a Game Five Show-Down Monday night at the Hangar where the FHL will finally crown a champion.

Last night in Ontario, Canada - The Aviators opened up the scoring when Casey Mignone (assisted by Warren Galloway; Angelo Serse) scored four and a half minutes into the game.  At the 12:47 mark, Akwesasne tied the score 1-1 and that's the way the period would end.

Andrew Scampoli put the Aviators up by a goal again at 7:39 (assisted by KC Timmons) of the second period.  Then at 9:22, KC Timmons got called for a hooking penalty that the Warriors cashed in on with a power play goal at the 10:12 mark.

At 10:25, the Aviators struck right back with the first of three unanswered goals they'd score to close out the second period.  John Goffredo's goal (assisted by Andrew Scampoli; Jesse Felten) put New York up 3-2.  At 13:34 N.Y.'s Nicholas Kuqali got whistled for a holding penalty.  On the ensuing penalty kill, A's Nick Vandelbeld scored a pick-me-up, unassisted, shorthanded goal for the visiting team, which put them up 4-2.  And at 15:54, Angelo Serse gave the Aviators a 5-2 lead (assisted by Stephen Obelnicki) they'd take into the second intermission.

Half way through the final period, Akwesasne closed the score to 5-3.  But that's as close as they would get.  The New York Aviators sealed the game when Stephen Obelnicki scored, unassisted, on an empty Warrior's net.

A's goalie Kevin Druce faced 42 shots and stopped 39 of them.  He reversed the trend of the last two games when Akwesasne turned the third period into their personal skating sessions and mounting comebacks.  Seventeen of Akwesasne's forty-two shots on goal came in the third period.  On this night, Kevin Druce stayed solid and has given the Aviators life.

The final score of 6-3 says the skaters from Brooklyn are indeed alive and well.  A win tonight and the series comes back to the Borough of Kings for a decisive Game Five.

Let's Go Aviators!!

Mike.BTB

N.Y. AVIATORS ~ Face Must Win Friday Night

From the desk of:  The Coolest Guys In Brooklyn

2010-2011

Federal League Championship

NEW YORK AVIATORS:  Drop Game Two; Fail To Win On Home Ice.  Face Must Win Situation On The Road.


Akwesasne Warriors lead series 2-0



As of Sunday, March 20 ~ GAME TWO:

For the first two periods, Jesse Felten kept the A's confident they'd be heading to Ontario, Canada for the next phase of this series tied at one game apiece having dropped Game One Saturday.  After the first period, the Aviators led after Felten scored at the 8:39 mark (assisted by Michael Thomson).  A little past the midway point of the second period, Jesse Felten scored his, and the Aviators second goal of the game (assisted by John Goffredo at 10:41) making the score 2-0 after two periods.

Then as if flying over the Bermuda Triangle, our Aviators' gauges went wacky; our compass spun out of control; and we lost all direction.  After four and a half minutes into the third period, the Warriors unleashed a five minute assault that overwhelmed the A's.

An Akwesasne goal at the 4:35 mark started them on the war path.  Seventeen seconds later this game was tied at two.  Two minutes and fifty-four seconds after that, Akwesasne's Amhed Mahfouz scored his second goal of the period to give the Warriors their first lead at 3-2.  And Akwasasne's Pierre Dagenais, not wanting to be out-done scored his second goal of the game at the 8:13 mark to make it 4-2

The dueling Akwesasne forwards were not done yet.  At 9:49, Amhed Mahfouz completed the natural hat-trick with his third goal of the period.  Michael Thomson (assisted by Matthew Puntureri; KC Timmons) managed to get a goal back for the Aviators on the power play to make the score 5-3 in favor of the visitors.  But then, you kind of sensed it coming, Warrior Pierre Dagenais equalled his teammates feat with a natural hat-trick of his own scoring at the 12:12 mark to up their lead to 6-3.

With a half minute left in the game, Andrew Scampoli scored (assisted by Nick Vandenbeld; Michael Thomson) to make the score a bit more respectable.  But the New York Aviators would lose 6-4 and go down in the Federal Hockey League's Championship Series 2-0.

The shots-on-goal totals were even for the teams at twenty-eight apiece; a manageable number.  But for the second game in a row, Kevin Druce had trouble protecting a third period lead.  This time he was knocked out of the box and replaced by Peter Dundovich who finished the last half of the final period.

The best three out of five series moves to Akwesasne, Ontario.  The Aviators need to win the next two games to bring this series back home to Brooklyn for a Game Five.


Game One Results

GAME THREE

Friday, March 25, 2011

NEW YORK AVIATORS

vs.

Akwesasne Warriors

Ontario, Canada

Mike.BTB

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

N.Y. AVIATORS ~ Beat Danbury; Force Decisive Game Five

From the desk of:  The Coolest Guys in Brooklyn



N.Y. AVIATORS WIN GAME FOUR !!

FINAL:
New York Aviators 7;  Danbury Whalers 0
Series Tied 2-2



New York Aviators:  First Round Elimination Showdown

Brooklyn will host a decisive Game Five Match-Up against the Danbury Whalers on SUNDAY afternoon.

Sunday's Winner Will Move On To Play For 
The FHL Inaugrual Championship


Brooklyn; - At stake? - Who gets to represent the Southern Division in the Federal Hockey League's Inaugural Championship Series?  The Northern Division Champs; the Akwesasne Warriors, have already settled their business and wait for the conclusion of this Southern Division match-up.

Last weekend, the Aviators and Whalers split the first two games played in Brooklyn.  With the series now in Connecticut, Friday night the Whalers defeated the A's to take the series lead and put themselves in a position to clinch a spot in the Championship Round with a win tonight. 

So in Game Four, being down two games to one and facing elimination in this best 3 out of 5 first round series, Brooklyn's own New York Aviators, staked themselves to an early 1-0 lead on a goal by Matthew Puntureri (assisted by John Goffredo; Andrew Scampoli) at the 8:56 mark of the opening period.  The Aviators out-shot Danbury thirteen shots-on-goal versus six against during the first period.

After the first intermission, the A's quickly increased their lead by cashing in on a holding penalty called against Danbury's Leland Fidler with a power play goal off the stick of Andrew Scampoli (assisted by Michael Thomson; KC Timmons) at the 1:10 mark of the second period to make the score 2-0.  Then, at the 8:23 mark of the second period, the Aviators tacked on another goal to make the score 3-0 after Nick Grove scored (assisted by Casey Mignone; Stephen Oblinicki). 

The A's maintained furious pressure on Danbury's goalie Peter Vetri; peppering him with thirty-three shots through the first period and a half.  On the other side of the ice for New York's goalie, Kevin Druce's defense only required him to stop 10 shots over the same 30 minute span of time.  Then, all that peppering of Peter Vetri led to Brooklyn's fourth goal and their third of the second period.  Matthew Puntureri scored his second goal of the game (assisted by Nick Grove; Michael Thomson) this time coming on the power play. 

The A's fourth goal resulted from Danbury's eighth penalty.  The Aviators would capitalize on two of those opportunities going 2 for 8 to that point.  The Aviators, being somewhat more disciplined, limited the Whalers to 3-0 on their PP chances through the first two periods.

After 40 minutes of Hockey, the Aviators led 4-0.  The Danbury Whalers were limited to a measly 12 shots-on-goal while the New York Aviators took target practice on Danbury's Peter Vetri with 43 shots (30 in the second period).

Early in the third period, the Aviators third different scorer of the night would add his name to the box score.  At the 1:17 mark, Brett Dickinson (assisted by Matthew Puntureri; KC Timmons) scored on another power play following yet another Danbury penalty.  This time, a boarding penalty was called against Danbury's Devin Guy, just 0.35 seconds into the period.  This made the score 5-0 in favor of the visiting Aviators.  Then, less than three minutes later, Andrew Scampoli (assisted by Nick Vandenbeld; Jarrett Rush) scored his second goal of the night (to join Matthew Puntureri in that regard) at the 3:56 mark of the period to put the New York Aviators firmly in control of this game by a score of 6-0 and seemingly putting this contest out of reach for the home-ice Whalers.

There was a roughing penalty committed by Danbury's Devin Guy at the 20:00 mark of the first period that could have been a foreshadowing of things to come.  The zebras would whistle-up eight different infractions against the Whalers mostly of the roughing, slashing, and fighting variety during the second period alone.  The Danbury Whalers had one ejection ~ Corey Fulton; last seen taking his 15 minutes of penalty time and an ejection to the locker-room midway through the second period.


Danbury's Lucas Schott then took it upon himself to pick up the level of indiscretions for the Whalers.  He accumulated all 18 of his penalty minutes after Corey Fulton's departure.  I'd assume there's no correlation there...right?  Well..., he picked up where Fulton left off regardless.  Danbury's Lucas Schott was called for tripping at 12:09, but was also slapped with a 10:00 unsportsmanlike/misconduct penalty.   So, naturally, you guessed it;  The New York Aviators cashed in to make the score 7-0 favoring New York as Jarrett Rush (assisted by Matthew Puntierri) scored on the resulting power play with his first goal of the game.

The more Danbury tried to bully their way through this game, the more the Aviators made them pay for it on the scoreboard.  The Danbury Whalers had ten penalties against the Aviators four.  Four of those penalties were for roughing, to include two 10:00 minute majors.  A boarding; slash; and a cross-check rounds out the scope of the Whalers' offensive effort tonight.  None of which got them on the scoreboard though.  Danbury did mount more of an effort over the third period and managed to out-shoot the A's over the period.  It never amounted to much though.  The A's woefully out-shot the Whalers 51-22 tonight. 

The Aviators managed to do what they absolutely needed to do in order to extend this series and bring it back home.  And they did it in convincing fashion by shutting out the Danbury Whalers after suffering a crushing OT defeat the night before on Friday.  Now, both teams will board their respective team buses and head back to Brooklyn and play a decisive Game Five at Hangar #5 to see which of the two teams will get to go play for the FHL's Inaugural Championship against the Akwesasne Warriors.

C'mon Brooklyn! - They will drop the puck on tomorrow's Game Five Do-Or-Die Series Final at 3:05pm.  Come out to Floyd Bennett Field and let's show Danbury how we do it.  Show up and cheer on the Coolest Guys In Brooklyn with me as they try to win a clincher on home-ice.  If we want our Brooklyn Hockey Club to become big, we need to start by making tomorrow Huge!

Sunday - March 13, 2011

FEDERAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS

Southern Division

Series Tied 2-2

GAME FIVE

Danbury Whalers

vs.

NEW YORK AVIATORS

From Hangar No. 5 ~ Floyd Bennett Field

BROOKLYN, New York

SEE YOU THERE!

Let's Go Aviators

Mike.BTB

N.Y. Aviators Out of the Clouds

I told you a little home cooking would do our Boyz fine. 

After "The Coolest Guys in Brooklyn" started the season 0-3, they stabilized going 2-2 over the next four games.  All seven games were on the road.  Now with Thursday night's victory over second place Danbury, the A's have a three game winning streak going away, with all three wins coming at home; their first three home games of the year.  They now go back on the road having corrected their faulty start.

They chipped their way out of last place and their ten points after ten games is now good for third place in the standings.  They've only given up 31 goals in 10 games which rates them second in the League in that category.

The Akwesasne Warriors still lead the Federal League with an 8-3 record.  They've practically doubled N.Y.'s offensive output scoring 60 goals thus far.  However the Aviators are sporting a tighter defense as the Warriors have allowed 45 goals against.
.


AVIATORS Scoring Leaders:
* RW ~ Matthew Puntureri ~ 10 games; 6 goals; 10 points.
* C ~ John Goffredo ~ 10 games; 5 goals; 10 points.
* D ~ Andrew Scampoli ~ 10 games; 6 goals; 9 points.
* RW ~ Casey Mignone ~ 8 games; 6 goals; 8 points;  +7

NEXT GAME ~ TONIGHT

Saturday 20 November 2010

Danbury, Connecticut

The Coolest Guys in Brooklyn

visit the DANBURY WHALERS

Mike.BTB



N.Y. Aviators Hockey ~ Opening Night in Brooklyn

NEW YORK AVIATORS HOCKEY

OPENING NIGHT

TONIGHT

November 12, 2010

Broome Barons

vs

NEW YORK AVIATORS

Aviator Sports Center, Floyd Bennett Field

BROOKLYN, N.Y.C.

The "Coolest Guys in Brooklyn" haven't started the 2010-2011 season in the most spectacular fashion, wrestling with a 2-5 record.  They've been 'barnstorming' since October 29th when their season got under way.  Tonight, finally, they play their home ice opener in front of their eagerly waiting Brooklyn Rooters.  And maybe, being reunited with their fans is just what the Doctor ordered to get them started on a winning track.  They may be struggling at the moment but they already have shown a flair for the dramatic.  In their two wins, one came in overtime and the other victory was gained in shoot-out.

Matthew Puntureri leads the team with 6 goals.  Andrew Scampoli and Casey Mignone both have 4 goals apiece.  Center Jesse Felton leads the team in penalties with 27 minutes served.  Kevin Druce has started 6 of the 7 games in net for the Aviators.  He owns a .893% Save percentage and a 3.65 Goals Against Average.  He's allowed 22 goals while stopping 183.

The A's will remain home for four games; three against the Barons and one versus the Danbury Whalers.  The Akwesasne Warriors maintain an early lead in the Federal League with a 6-2 record while we find ourselves on the opposite end currently in last place.  Now that the schedule calls for some home games, this is where we balance things out.

Come out and cheer on the "Coolest Guys in Brooklyn" as we try and make this game the first of many we'll have plenty to cheer about.  Let's give these guys the ultimate Home Ice advantage and show the Federal League what playing hockey in Brooklyn is all about.

I'll be there doing my part.  Will you?

MIKE.BTB