As the New York Aviators head in to Friday night’s game against the Jersey Shore Wildcats, the boys from Brooklyn sit in second place in the NA3EHL’s West Division behind Jersey Shore with three games in hand on the Wildcats. But, the last time these two teams met, it was the Aviators handing the Wildcats their first loss of the season following a 16-game winning streak.
Currently the Wildcats are on a five-game winning streak following their second loss of the season on Nov. 21 to the Syracuse Stampede. The Wildcats lead the league in goals scored for with 175, 49 more goals than the next closest team. The Aviators sit third on that list with 114.
The Wildcats are currently third in goals against with 59, while the Aviators are fifth in the league giving up 72 goals in 24 games. The two teams sit at the top of the NA3EHL in power play percentage, with the Wildcats leading the way at 29.9 percent and the Aviators not far behind at 26.55 percent. Their positions swap on the penalty kill with the Aviators holding the top spot in the league at 90.5 percent and the Wildcats close behind at 89.74 percent.
The Wildcats boast three of the top four scorers in the league with Jared Karas leading the way with 62 points in 27 games, while the Aviators Jimmy Warrick sits second with 55 points in 24 games. The Aviators will be without Warrick this weekend, however, as he continues to recover from surgery.
The Aviators will continue to rely heavily on Robert Kalata and Daniel Backstrom, Warrick’s usual linemates, to continue their solid offensive seasons. Kalata sits second on the team and tied for ninth in the league with 41 points in 24 games, while Backstrom, despite missing six games with an upper body injury, is third on the Aviators and tied for 11th in the league with 40 points in 18 games.
Stephen Mundinger continues to be the big story for the Aviators in net this season, leading the league in save percentage among goaltenders with at least 10 games played, Mundinger has a .937 save percentage in 21 games. The Wildcats Scott Albertoni has a .926 save percentage in his 14-0 start to the season.
In the team’s two previous meetings they are each averaging four goals per game, a relatively low number for two of the highest scoring teams in the league thanks to their solid goaltending.
The Aviators and Wildcats will hit the ice at Aviator Sports and Events Center on Friday, Dec. 11 for their only meeting of the weekend with puck drop scheduled for 9 p.m. EST. As always, 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].
