The Brooklyn Aviators were ransacked by the New Jersey Outlaws on Thursday, yielding a heart-crushing 6–3 defeat to the hated Outlaws at the Capital One Ice Vault in dirty Jersey.
The defeat marks the end of a hard-won three game winning streak, which Brooklyn has enjoyed since their glorious Dec. 11 triumph against the Akwesasne Warriors, but should come as no surprise to fans, who have grown used to watching the Aviators get ransacked by the rotten Outlaws: Brooklyn’s season record stands at 0-5 against their bitter Jersey rivals.
The Outlaws set the tone for the slaughter early, finding the net after only 41 seconds in the first period — which they followed up with another goal 12 minutes later. But Brooklyn didn’t leave the first round empty handed, earning a powerplay point before the buzzer sounded.
The Aviators were routed in the second, with the Outlaws trampling Brooklyn 2–0. The boy’s of winter rallied in the third, but only managed to match Jersey 2–2 — an effort that proved too little, too late to trump the indomitable Outlaws.
The Aviators pressed the goal throughout the match, with 45 net shots to the Outlaws 35 before its conclusion. But Jersey net minder Dan McWhinney proved harder to crack than a bank vault, stopping 42 shots to Aviator goalie Jo St. Pierre’s mere 29.
Jersey lived up to their dirty moniker, with eight Outlaws cooling their heels in the penalty box after nine infractions, tripling Brooklyn’s three penalties. The game saw one fight, when Aviator Lucas Schott brawled with Outlaw William McCreary in the last, hopeless minute of the third period.
The Brooklyn Aviators will return home to battle the Cape Cod Bluefins on New Year’s Eve at Aviator Sports and Events Center [3159 Flatbush Ave. in Floyd Bennett Field in Marine Park, (718) 758-7580] Dec. 31, at 5 pm. Tickets are $12 ($10 for seniors and children under 14) For more info, visit www.brooklynaviators.com.
Reach reporter Colin MIxson at cmixson@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260-4514.
