N.Y. AVIATORS ~ No Championship For The A's; Lose Game Four

UPDATED: SUNDAY 12:00 NOON

2010-2011

Federal Hockey League Champions

AKWESASNE WARRIORS

of Ontario, Canada

This photo of the "Winning Warriors" was taken by and provided to me

by Allison Papineau.

To my fellow Hockey Fan and neighbor in the Great White North,

I thank you very kindly.  And once again, congratulations to the

Akwesasne Warriors; 2010-2011 FHL Champions.

ORIGINAL POST
From the desk of:  The Coolest Guys In Brooklyn

NEW YORK AVIATORS:  Fall to Akwesasne in four games.

AKWESASNE WARRIORS

2010-2011

Inaugural Season

Federal Hockey League Champions

Warriors win series three games to one.

Don't let the scoreboard fool you.  This wasn't another third period barrage that did in the A's.  This was just one of those things.  You have to pull the goalie when the situation is dire.  A coach who doesn't gets fired for not coaching.  The problem is, the New York Aviators got burned twice by the move late in the third period while trying to come back from a 3-2 deficit. 

What the A's will probably rue most is giving up a power play goal at 5:01 of the third period after John Goffredo got whistled for hooking.  With only four seconds to go for a successful penalty kill, Akwesasne's Miguel Delisle scored a back breaking goal which is what really did the Aviators in last night.  Delisle's goal made the score 3-1 in favor of the Warriors with one second short of fifteen minutes left remaining in regulation time. 

Now down by two, Michael Thomson scored (assisted by Matthew Puntureri; Nick Vandenbeld) to get the Aviators within a goal again.  They still had over half of the third period left to try and muster one more goal for a tie.  They peppered Warrior's goalie, David Plouffe, with 18 of their 38 shots on goal in the third period.  But then it started getting a little too late for the A's and trying to score the conventional way.  At 18:55, Akwesasne scored the first of two goals after New York pulled goalie Kevin Druce in favor of the extra skater.  Two empty net goals made the final score 5-2 in favor of the team from Canada.

These two teams finished one and two in the regular season.  The Aviators needed a ferocious finish to place first in the standings and ended the season with a 32-13-3 record and 66 points.  Akwesasne finished in second place with a 30-16-1 record and 61 points.

During the playoffs, the Akwesasne Warriors played perfect hockey on the road skating their way to a 4-0 record as visitors.   Today, they are the Federal Hockey League's inaugural season champions.  They win the series in convincing fashion; three games to one.

Congratulations!

The winning team's celebratory photo and the FHL Commissioner's Cup can be seen on the Federal Hockey League's website:  Federal Hockey League

LINKS TO:
New York Aviators
Akwesasne Warriors




To the New York Aviators, thank you for a great season! 

And you're still The Coolest Guys In Brooklyn.







Mike.BTB

N.Y. AVIATORS ~ A's Face Elimination In Game Three Tonight

From the desk of:  The Coolest Guys In Brooklyn

FRIDAY,  March 25, 2011

GAME THREE

FEDERAL HOCKEY LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP

AKWESASNE LEADS SERIES 2-0

NEW YORK AVIATORS

vs.

Akwesasne Warriors

ONTARIO, CANADA

FederalHockeyLeague.com

New York Aviators: Must Win Tonight! 

As Kevin Druce goes, so shall the Aviators go.  In both games of this series, after establishing early leads, the third period has proven to be the team's achilles heel.  Akwesasne's secret success however, has been their 4-0 record on the road through two rounds of playoffs.  As a result, they are in position to win this year's FHL Title tonight.  They'll have two chances to win one game on home-ice and clinch a championship.  Meanwhile, the Aviators are faced with having to sweep the next three games.  If they manage to win the next two games, they will come back to Hangar #5 in Brooklyn for a series finale.

After the first period, the Aviators led 3-1 in Game One.  But Akwesasne came back to hand New York a 4-3 loss.  In game two, Jesse Felten kept the A's ahead for the first two periods; recording a goal in each session.  The Akwesasne Warriors then exploded for 6 third period goals.  The Aviators managed two more goals but lost 6-4.

They now face elimination in Game Three. 

Bring the series back home.  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 ~ Game 5; Beat Danbury in OT - Reach FHL Finals

From the desk of:  The Coolest Guys in Brooklyn


NEW YORK AVIATORS:  The Coolest Guys In Brooklyn win Round One Clincher in Over-Time.

Game One of FHL Finals at Hangar #5 next Friday night!


The Federal League's Southern Division playoff series came down to a final Game Five.  The Aviators and Danbury Whalers split the first two games in Brooklyn then split the next two in Danbury.  Today, the deciding Game Five was played in Brooklyn's Hangar #5 at Floyd Bennett Field.   But when regulation time expired, we still had no winner.  Overtime would be needed to decide which team would take on the Akwesasne Warriors for the Federal League's Inaugural Championship.

In a game played by Danbury with far more discipline than Saturday's Game Four penalty riddled affair, it was an Aviator this time who was ejected from this contest for poor usage of his stick.  With less than two minutes remaining in regulation time, N.Y.'s John Goffredo was a assessed a four minute double-minor for high-sticking and given the obligatory ten minute major with the accompanying ejection.  Otherwise, both teams kept the penalty count respectable.

NY's Christopher Holmes started this afternoon's scoring with a goal (assisted by Angelo Serse; Anthony Longo) at the 9:02 mark of the first period.  But two minutes later, Danbury's Chris Seifert tied the score at the 11:04 mark.  That's the way the first period would end.  New York had fifteen shots-on-goal to the Whalers' eight.  New York was 0 for 1 on the PP.

To start the second period, the home ice crowd watched their A's jump out to another lead when Matthew Puntureri scored at the 2:09 mark (assisted by Jesse Felten; Jarrett Rush).  But the Danbury Whalers had other ideas for the crowd.  They answered back quickly to bring silence among Hangar #5's rooters.  At 3:42, Matt Caranci scored to tie the score at two apiece.  Then slightly more than a minute later, Chris Seifert would put the Whalers ahead for the first time in this game.  Both teams committed three penalties each and went a combined 0-6 on their respective power plays during the second period.

Danbury held on to their 3-2 lead beyond the half way point of the third period.  But at the 13:13 mark, New York's Nick Grove (assisted by Jesse Felten; Nick Vandenbeld) scored to get the game tied again.  And that's the way regulation time would end; tied 3-3.

After the regular season and a full five games during the first round playoff, it still wasn't enough to decide a Southern Division participant for the Championship Series.

So to overtime they went.  It would be the second time these teams would wind up in overtime this series.  But The Coolest Guys In Brooklyn didn't make their fans wait too long for this series to reach it's conclusion.  They gave the Brooklyn fans their moment of jubilation at the 3:56 mark of the extra period.  Fittingly, it was Aviator favorite Matthew Puntureri (assisted by Jesse Felten) who netted home the game winning goal for Brooklyn's skaters.  It was his second and obviously the more dramatic goal of the game for Matthew. 

In the end, the final score on the big red scoreboard at the Hangar would read Aviators 4;  Danbury Whalers 3.  The A's, Brooklyn's Pro Hockey team, would be heading to the Championship Series versus the Akwesasne Warriors.


* N.Y. Goalie Kevin Druce picked up another win while stopping 21 of 24 shots.
* Shots On Goal Totals ~ N.Y. 33;  DAN 24
* Jesse Felten ~ 3 assists; 3 points
* Matthew Puntureri ~ 2 goals; game-winning goal

2010-2011
Federal League Championship Series

Akwesasne Warriors
vs.
NEW YORK AVIATORS


Game One of the Inaugural Federal Hockey League Championship Series
 Friday, March 18, 2011 @ Brooklyn's Aviator Sports Complex.

You can start previewing the Championship match-up
and crunching the numbers

HERE

LINKS:

The Federal Hockey League

New York Aviators

Akwesasne Warriors

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 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