The New York Aviators continue to lead the NA3EHL standings with 15 points heading in to the first of two league showcases this season. The Aviators head to Tyngsboro, MA, Oct. 8-10 for a three-game series against Eastern Division opponents.
Thursday, Oct. 8 the Aviators are set to face the New England Stars. The Stars enter the weekend 3-3 with just two wins against opponents with winning records so far this season.
Offensively the Stars are led by John Krapian with eight points in six games, followed closely by Ryan Gauvin with six points in six games. Despite an offensive explosion to open the season against the Maine wild, a 7-3 win, the Stars have struggled to score goals, averaging just a little over two goals per game in their other five games.
Dominic Lamanno has been a bright spot in goal early in the season for the Stars, with a .952 save percentage and a 2-0 record in his two starts.
Game 2 of the weekend, Friday, Oct. 9, the Aviators are scheduled to take on Eastern Division-leading Lewiston/Auburn Fighting Spirit. The Spirit sit one point behind the Aviators for the league lead, but with two games in hand on the Aviators the Fighting Spirit are looking for a big weekend to remain undefeated.
Dylan Vrees leads the Fighting Spirit in scoring with 11 points in five games, while Nick Hudson is also averaging over a point per game with nine points in seven games. Pair of Fighting Spirit players are also averaging a point per game with Colby Siering and Simon Corriveau tied for third on the team with seven points in seven games.
The Fighting Spirit has relied on solid goaltending from a pair of netminders, Claus Endre and Zachary Barry. While Endre has played one more game than Barry, they are both in the top five in league save percentage with Barry second in the league with a .957 save percentage and Endre close behind tied with Aviators goaltender Stephen Mundinger for fourth in the league with a .943 save percentage. The pair has given up the fewest goals in the league so far this season.
The Aviators final game of the weekend, Saturday, Oct. 10, is a matchup with the East Coast Minutemen. The Minutemen enter the weekend third in the Eastern Division with a 4-2-0 record but have struggled to put the puck in the net, averaging just under three goals per game.
Andrew Irving leads the way offensively for the Minutemen with seven points in five games, while Mason Smith and Preston Palamara are close behind with six points in six games. Aidan Critchlow has started every game for the Minutemen so far and has been solid, sixth in the league with a .937 save percentage, allowing fewer than two goals per game.
To put the Aviators opponents scoring into perspective, the Aviators are averaging over four and a half goals per game and their leading scorers, Jimmy Warrick and Daniel Backstrom, who are tied for the league lead, are each averaging nearly two and a half points per game, with 22 points in nine game each.
The Aviators next head out for the first of two NA3EHL Showcases, the first taking place Oct. 8-11 in Tyngsboro, MA. The Aviators will take on the New England Stars Thursday, Oct. 8, the Lewiston/Auburn Fighting Spirit Friday, Oct. 9 and the East Coast Minutemen Saturday, Oct. 10. As always, all Aviators games are available on www.fasthockey.com.
For more information on the 2015-16 New York Aviators and the NA3EHL, log on to www.nyjraviators.com and www.na3ehl.com. You can also contact Head Coach Mike Stanaway directly at [email protected].
