KIDS Don't COMEBACK

The ACES finished off their regular season on the road Sunday night at CBK. Bill Marcolini and Lou Johnson were scratches. Ryan Bleck and Matt Donahue once again brought the 'Ace Case'.

Winners of two in a row after a four game losing streak, the FLYING ACES, came in looking for a season sweep of the COMEBACK KIDS. And they found it. Strong goaltending from Minarik plus a stellar defense in front of him kept CBK scoreless for over two periods of Federal C hockey. The KIDS did score twice in the third. Once on a powerplay and once off a shot that deflected off one of 'The Brick's' defensmen. Mike 'The Machine' Petersen lead the offensive with two goals and an assist. Kyle Turner, still on fire, contributed two points on a goal and an assist. Mike Gianetti also had a two point night with two assists. Steve Leoszewski had a goal and Josh Lovering had an assist. Defensman Craig 'Tolchock' Jones continued his point streak with the huge assist that started it all. Jones collected his second First Star Patch for his ravenous play in the big 4-2 win.

The victory jumped the FLYING ACES from fifth place to a three way tie for second. Round one of the playoffs starts Sunday night for the ACES as they welcome in the very dangerous FLYING DUTCHMEN. Puck drops at 7:30. This game is sold out.

Two Roster Team Skates Six - ACES Pounce

The FLYING ACES hit the road Thursday night to battle the much hated SHAM-MULLIGANS for the 4th time this season. 2 too many if you ask your average ACE. And somehow the 24 man roster SHAMS could only come up with 6 skaters at puck drop. 7 when 'Stick Bag' arrived. The FLYING ACES recalled Stephen Kmet from Teterboro. Ryan Bleck and Donny Donahue brought the 'Ace Case'. Darren Jones, Mike Petersen and Bill Marcolini were healthy scratches. 

On the ice 'Dubba Trubba' Bubba McCabe started it off with a fantastic shot that went off Juvy Lou, pass the SHAM goalie and into the net. The SHAMMULLS fired back and quickly tied the game up. And then the ACES opened the flood gates. Leading the charge was Kyle 'Turbo' Turner with six points off 4 goals and 2 assists. Fellow 'Shock' liner, Kevin Smith, contributed 2 points on a goal and an assist and Josh Lovering also had 2 points on 2 assists.

Up 6-1 and playing very stingy defense in front of a solid Nick Minarik, the ACES, in the name of good sportsmanship, switched up the lines sending defensemen up and attackers back. The experiment was positive with Eric Kusznier scoring and Craig Jones getting an assist. It was negative in the since that the SHAMS scored 3 more goals. In the end, the 7-4 end, the ACES decided they would stick to their regular positions in the future. But for now the FLYING ACES would celebrate their 75th franchise win.

Bubba McCabe took the First Star Patch. His first. Juvy Lou Johnson took his first 'Johnny Ace' cap. Ryan Bleck, Steve Leoszewski and Derek 'The Dream' Weaver each had an assist on the night. The ACES finish off the season with a 9:00 puck drop Sunday night at CBK and then it's time to defend the Ira Vail Cup in the Federal League Playoffs. Those of you who took the under on the 'patch debate' are winners. And after Thursday's dreadful EuroVan music selection, van travelers will be happy to know that Sunday night is the official debut of ACE-mix radio.

BOMBERS SCORE FIRST, BUT ACES SCORE MORE

The FLYING ACES donned their teal jerseys on home ice against the A.S. Cup carrying BOMBERS in an attempt to halt a 4 game losing streak and prevent a season sweep. The game marked the return of ACE captain Darren Jones. The ACES recalled Stephen Kmet from Teterboro. Ryan Bleck brought the newly painted "Ace Case". B. Marcolini, B. McCabe, and J. Johnson were healthy scratches.

A scoreless first period was broken when the short benched BOMBERS took advantage of a FLYING ACE miscue. And the BOMBERS held that lead until late in the 2nd, when defenseman Derek 'The Dream' Weaver rushed forward to keep the puck in play. Weaver then ripped the puck to the right of the net, where Mike 'The Machine' Petersen put it in to tie the game at 1-1. Nick 'The Brick' Minarik, hungry for a win, was playing crazed in net, stopping all comers with sick and silly skills.  Midway through the 3rd period ACE defenseman Ryan Bleck sent a crisp pass to Kyle Turner, who was playing in only his second game of the season. 'Turbo' Turner gave the puck to Kevin "From the Heavens' Smith and Smith gave his team a 2-1 lead. With under 2:00 on the clock, the BOMBERS pulled their goalie and set up to tie the defending champion ACES. But after a few close calls, Steve 'Leap'n Leprechaun' Leoszewski took the puck cross town and scored the empty netter. After the BOMBERS goalie returned, Kyle 'Turbo' Turner struck again for the ACES making it 4-1.  As time ran out, the triumphant ACES were handed the A.S. Cup.  Derek Weaver took 1st Star Honors for his hot defense and his assist that started it all. Kyle 'Turbo' Turner got the 'Johnny ACE Cap' for his 3 point performance. 

With only 2 games left, the ACES hope to get everything in order in time for the playoffs. Thursday night the ACES face off against the SHAMROCKS.  Puck drops at 9:00. The ACES will be in 'Bad Guy' Black with victory patches aglow.

ACES BLOW 4-0 THIRD PERIOD LEAD

To find the last time the FLYING ACES lost 4 games in a row you would have to go way back to the tail end of the ACES 7th season in the Federal C. The league at that point was called the Aspen Ice Adult Hockey League. WHACK-A-MOLE was still a member of that league. The ACES had yet to win the championship. The Rolling Stones had never played in Cuba and David Bowie was still alive. Back in that 7th season, the FLYING ACES fell to the BOMBERS 7-4, the SHAMROCKS 7-5, the HITMEN 5-0 and in the first round of the playoffs, the MULLIGANS 6-3. And now the nose diving FLYING ACES have done it again, blowing a 4-0 3rd period lead and losing in a late night shootout to the FLYING DUTCHMEN. Nick Minarik gave his ACES 2 periods of shutout hockey, Josh Lovering scored twice with laser slapshots from the other side of the county, Craig Jones brought one of the best 'Ace Cases' ever and Bill Marcolini scored a goal. But none of this mattered. It was to be a DUTCHMEN night.

The ACES lose 4 straight and fall to 5-4-2. They sit in 5th place in the league known as the Federal C. With the playoffs looming just around the corner, the FLYING ACES need Darren Jones back from IR and they need Lou Johnson back on the roster regularly. Up next is a nasty contest with the battle ready BOMBERS. Holding the A.S. Cup and hungry for the regular season sweep of the ACES, the B-Boys are coming to town Sunday, April 3, for a 10:30 puck drop.

Sputtering ACES Look To Gain Ground

The defending champion FLYING ACES have now lost 3 straight. The last two losses at the hands of the BUZZARDS and POWERTIME. Though the ACES did manage a point in the P-TIME shootout loss, they have only grabbed 3 points in their last 5 games.

The shootout loss saw Kevin Smith's amazing 9 game goal streak come to an end. Smith scored 15 goals in those 9 games, hat tricking twice. His last goal came in the 4-3 loss to the BUZZARDS. A game that also saw Matt Stockwell get the 'Johnny Ace' cap for his 2 goal performance. A performance that surely would have earned him his 4th First Star Patch had the ACES won. The FLYING ACES currently sit in 5th place in the Federal C with 11 points. A win tonight would be a great start to this last leg of the season.

Aside from Darren Jones who is out with a lower body injury the entire ACE roster will skate tonight against the 4th placed FLYING DUTCHMEN. As usual the puck drops an hour and a half before midnight.

ACES Road Trip Ends With A Loss

The FLYING ACES fell to the MULLIGANS Wednesday night ending a 5 game road trip with a 3-2-0 record. Along with Captain Darren Jones the short benched ACES were missing Lou Johnson, Eric Kusznier, Bill Marcolini, Bubba McCabe and Matt Stockwell. Bob Mitchell remained with the team and will travel back to Flemington for their contest with the BUZZARDS tonight. Mike Gianetti brought the 'ACE Case'.

The ACE/SHAM-MULLIGAN rivalry has an ugly history and is not getting better with age. Wednesday's game was a scrappy, penalty filled mess. And it was getting out of hand. The FLYING ACES alone totaled 10 minutes in the box with penalties from Bleck, Gianetti, C. Jones, Petersen and Smith. The MULLIGANS took advantage of the situation scoring 2 powerplay goals. They also added an empty netter and grabbed a 4-1 win. Kevin Smith scored the loan goal for the ACES keeping his impressive 8 game streak alive. The loss knocked the FLYING ACES to 3rd place, tied with CBK.

Tonight the BUZZARDS come to town looking to avenge their season opening shootout loss. With a 7:30 puck drop, very few seats are available. 

FLYING ACES Down SHAMS In Shootout

It was another late one Sunday as the ACES traveled to SHAM-land for some Federal League hockey action. Craig Jones, Lou Johnson, and Bubba McCabe were scratches. ACE captain, Darren Jones, was out with a lower body injury. The FLYING ACES recalled Stephen Kmet, who had not skated with the club since their debut season, and Bob Mitchell to fill out the roster.

In their first meeting of the season the SHAMROCKS stomped the ACES 9-4. And Sunday night at the Flemington Ice Arena, the FLYING ACES came for some payback. They jumped ahead in the 2nd when Josh 'Oh My Gosh' Lovering went five-hole on the SHAMROCK goalie. But the SHAMS quickly answered back. The ACES made it 3-1 in the third off goals from Steve 'Leapin Leprechaun' Leoszewski and Kevin 'From the Heavens' Smith. Nick 'The Brick' Minarik was up to his usual puck stopping madness in net. But the SHAMROCKS clawed their way back scoring twice late. The tying goal came in the closing seconds of regulation play. There was no resolve in the 3 on 3 OT so the game would be determined in a shootout. ACE Alternate Captain, Ryan Bleck, picked his first 3 attackers but only 2 would be needed. The SHAMROCKS started the shootout and their first skater was denied by Minarik. Mike 'The Machine' Petersen went first for the ACES and scored. On their 2nd attack the SHAMS did find the back of the net to even it up. But the ACES scored again on the stick of Mike ' The Machete' Gianetti. The SHAMROCK's 3rd attacker was also shutdown by Minarik and the ACES took the win.

Mike Gianetti, who also had an assist, took first star honors and the 'Johnny ACE' cap. Petersen, Lovering and Leoszewski each had assists. Matt Stockwell brought the ACE case. The 5-2-0 FLYING ACES road trip continues Wednesday as they face the 2-3-1 MULLIGANS.