2011-2012
Federal Hockey League Playoffs
Round One
Series Tied 1-1
I - DAW 5; BKN 4*
II - BKN 5; DAW 2
*OVERTIME
GAME THREE
BROOKLYN AVIATORS
vs.
Danbury Whalers
From,
The Danbury Ice Arena
Connecticut
BROOKLYN AVIATORS: Series Tied! Flatbush Pounds Out Three Third Period Goals for Game Two Win in Danbury. Decisive Game Three Sunday Afternoon.
Another game, another first period deficit. But unlike Danbury's three goal first period in Brooklyn, the visiting A's didn't allow the Whalers to light up the scoreboard the way they did Friday night after just twenty minutes of play. While they allowed Danbury to jump out to another lead, this one was a manageable one goal lead. Unlike Game One, Flatbush avoided a disastrous first period, closing minute, two goal slip-up this time. Instead, Game Two was a flat-out grind. The guys played a little rougher and so the game got a little more tougher, and as a result, the score remained a little more closer. Late third period mistakes would ultimately undo one of these teams.
Danbury might have been on home ice, but after Brooklyn took a 2-1 lead in the second period, Desperation grabbed a stick and took it's place on both team's benches. Best two out of three series' are like that.
Josselin St. Pierre helped his own cause to get the Aviators' offense going. He had the secondary assist on Chris Campanale's goal at 2:56 of the second period. Less than four minutes later, Jason Dolgy gave Flatbush a 2-1 lead. However, with less than two minutes left in the period, Danbury scored a tying goal.
Danbury Fan's favorite punching bag; Josselin St. Pierre; faced eleven third period shots and turned them all away. For the game, he faced forty-five shots on goal, and made forty-three saves. The Whalers' Peter Vetri was having as equally an effective first two periods as St. Pierre was having for Brooklyn. Through the first two periods, he faced thirty shots, and stopped twenty-eight.
The Whalers bailed-out their goalie Friday evening after Peter Vetri allowed Brooklyn to score four goals, which erased a 3-0 first period Danbury lead. But his team mates scored with 0:03 left in the game to tie, and then again in OT for the road win at Hangar Five.
In Game Two, like Josselin St. Pierre, Peter Vetri also faced eleven shots in the third period. Only this time, he let three of them get by. At 8:32, Chris Campanale nailed his second goal of the game. Then mistakes on Danbury's part started to ruin any chances of coming back from a three goal deficit. Penalties put the Whalers on Special Teams and ultimately off their game. Jesse Felten scored at 14:49 off an Interference penalty. Later, Michael Thomson scored at 17:33 off a holding penalty, for a 5-3 Brooklyn lead.
Although Chris Campanale wound up with the game winning goal when he made the game 3-2, having to kill off two penalties in the last ten minutes of the game kept Danbury at a disadvantage. Overall, Brooklyn played a more disciplined game than did the Whalers. Brooklyn limited Danbury to 0 for 2 on the power play. Flatbush finished 2 for 6 with the man advantage. But credit should be given to both teams for playing another high-quality playoff game.
This Round One bracket of the FHL playoffs now boils down to one game between Brooklyn and the Whalers in Danbury, Connecticut. For thr second consecutive season, Flatbush and Danbury will engage in a decisive series clinching game. Last year, the Aviators won the last two games in a best of five series to advance passed Danbury into the FHL championship round.
This season's format is somewhat different. The winner of this bracket will move on to play the victor of the 1000 Islands versus Akwesasne series, which is also tied at a game apiece and will be decided today. Those two teams will face off for the right to play the winner of the New Jersey Outlaws versus Cape Cod Blue Fins series in the FHL Championship round.
SATURDAY ~ GAME TWO FINAL
Brooklyn Aviators 5
Danbury Whalers 2
Mike.BTB
