ACE FAITHFULS ROAR AS TURNER SCORES TWO MORE. THEN MANIRIK SHUTS THE DOOR!!!

Maybe it was the Martin Luther King holiday weekend. Maybe it was the highly anticipated return of first season ACE, Scott 'Jesus H' Preston. Or maybe it was the fact that the FLYING ACES were playing a Sunday night prime time hockey game, that was actually going to end before Monday.  Whatever the reason, the Aspen Ice arena was packed, and ready for the ACE's second game of season 7.  And hoping for their first win.  The team to beat...POWERTIME.  

The ACES' called up 'Juvy' Lou Johnson and Kevin Brown from the Perkasie RED BARONS.  The Jones brothers were a healthy scratch.  

 Early in the first period, it was quite evident that the POWERTIME squad 'charged' up their squad in the off season.  They had become stronger, faster, and a bit more dangerous then the POWERTIME of old. And they were doing their best to keep the FLYING ACES from claiming their first win of this very young season.  Still reeling from a shoot out loss to the BOMBERS in game one, and heavily inspired by Ryan Bleck's powerful documentary 'WBWII' the ACES came in angry and ready for action.

Shock and Awe winger Kyle Turner struck first early in the first period with his second goal in as many games.  It was off a perfect pass sequence that went, Petersen to Smith to Turner to the back of the net.  Turner added another goal in the second period off a Mike Petersen pass.  But POWERTIME sparked back late in the second, when an unassisted Tim Stillwell goal cut the ACE lead in half.  Then it became the Minarik show. And Nick 'The Brick' Minarik closed down shop.  Stopping every POWERTIME shot for the rest of the game, including an amazing kick save that followed an off balanced poke check, that pulled Minarik away from the net, leaving a huge 6 by 4 opening for a second POWERTIME attacker to take a nasty rebound shot.  Minarik leapt back to the net like Chuck Norris in his prime (1976).  Leading with his right pad, Minarik made the most spectacular save of the evening.  And the FLYING ACES got their first win.

After the game the ACES 'First Star Committee' locked heads on the 37th patch.  Three votes for Turner and three votes for 'The Brick'.    

And in the end First Star Honors went instead, to first time recipient Bill Marcolini, who along with the rest of the 'Grind Line' played one of their best games ever.  The committee felt that Marcolini had his finest performance as a FLYING ACE.

The ACES are at it again Saturday night, to renew their rivalry with the undefeated CBK. The puck drops at 9:!5 at Aspen Ice Arena in Flemington NJ.

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