The New York Aviators went into the NA3EHL’s first showcase of the season knowing they would have a fight on their hands and although the weekend wasn’t the sweep they hoped for, the Aviators still find themselves just a point out of the top of the NA3EHL standings behind their next opponent, the Jersey Shore Wildcats.
The Aviators opened the weekend’s showcase facing off against a tough New England Stars team, who entered the weekend with a 3-3-0 record, but had played a number of close games, including three, one-goal games.
The Aviators and Stars played the first period to a scoreless tie, but the Aviators were able to take the first lead of the game eight minutes into the second period when Gunther Stange picked up his third goal of the season. But, the Stars stormed back, taking the lead on back-to-back goals late in the middle frame.
Midway through the third period the Aviators were able to tie things up on Daniel Backstrom’s tenth goal of the year and with less than a minute to go in regulation, Backstrom’s linemate for the past two seasons Jimmy Warrick put the Aviators back on top for good with his ninth goal of the season.
Stephen Mundinger collected his seventh win of the season, stopping 25-of-27 Stars shots, including helping the Aviators go 5-for-5 on the penalty kill in the game.
Game two for the Aviators was, as expected, their toughest test of the weekend as they were set to take on undefeated Lewiston/Auburn Fighting Spirit Friday, Oct. 9. After a scoreless first period once again, the Fighting Spirit scored back-to-back goals midway through the second period.
Those second period goals would prove to be all the scoring in the game as the Aviators dropped their second game of the season, despite a 41-save performance by Mundinger in the loss.
The final game of the showcase for the Aviators, against the East Coast Minutemen, would include the return of a member of the Aviators USPHL franchise’s championship team from 2014-15, Michael House.
House began the 2015-16 season out west, but decided to return to the Aviators just in time to put forth one of his best offensive performances of his junior career and made his presence felt just 34 seconds into the game, scoring his first Aviators goal of the season.
Midway through the first period House was able to spring Nicholas Jean-Louis for the Aviators second goal of the game, this time a shorthanded tally. The Minutemen fought back, however, scoring with less than a minute to go in the second period and again less than a minute into the third period to tie the game.
But the Aviators offense found its punch once again and back-to-back goals from Phil Garcia and Robert Kalata, both assisted by House, gave the Aviators their two goal lead back. Following a Minutemen goal with less than four minutes to go in the game, Ricky Regala put the game away for the Aviators, giving the boys from Brooklyn a 5-3 win.
Mundinger once again got the start for the Aviators in net and picked up his eighth win of the season, stopping 30-of-33 Minutemen shots and again proving to be solid in net during the penalty kill, helping the Aviators finish 6-for-6 on the kill.
The Aviators next head out for a pair of road games Oct. 16-17. The weekend begins Friday, Oct. 16 against the league-leading Jersey Shore Wildcats who come into the weekend a perfect 10-0-0. The following night the Aviators head to Pennsylvania to take on the Wilkes-Barre Miners for the first time. The Miners have struggled this season and enter the game with just one win in 10 games. As always, all Aviators games are available on www.fasthockey.com.
