Aviators launch two to ECHL

BROOKLYN , N.Y. – Holding steady in third place at just over the halfway mark in its inaugural season, the FHL’s New York Aviators are making solid strides as a franchise. Recently, the team has sent two players up to the ECHL, started an insider’s view player blog and continued to embrace its Brooklyn fan base.
 
The Aviators are 19-12-2 for 40 points and a .606 winning percentage. They currently sit 12 points behind the first place Akwesasne Warriors and four points

ahead of the fourth place Danbury Whalers. Head coach Rob Miller attributed the team’s overall play to improvements on several fronts, including the output of the line featuring Jesse Felten, Mike Thomson and Matthew Puntureri.                                                  
“Our five-on-five hockey has improved tremendously and our power play is a plus,” Miller said. “If they’re (Felten, Thomson and Puntureri) going, then we’re successful.”
 
December was an important month for the Aviators as they announced an affiliation with the ECHL Wheeling Nailers. The first to be called up was Thomson. The Nailers were short on forwards and called up Thomson, who at the time had scored 12 goals and added 23 assists in 27 games for the Aviators. He made his debut with the Nailers on Jan. 21 and tallied an assist on the game-winning goal in a 4-3 victory over the Trenton Devils.
                                                                      
“It will be hard to fill his spot, because he was on the top line in the league,” Miller said. “I picked which guy would fit that role and this time it is was Thomson.” 
                                                                            
In addition to Thomson, Wheeling also called up Danbury forward Alec Kirschner, who had 6 goals and 8 assists for the Whalers. D efenseman David Inman (5-8-13) was called up to the ECHL Elmira Jackals on Jan. 13.
 
Kevin McCabe, founder and chief executive of the Aviators and its home rink, considers his team and facility to be a stepping stone for hockey in the United States. He agrees with FHL Commissioner Don Kirnanwho built the league as a place where the players of the future can been seen right now.
                                                         
“There are not a lot of places for late bloomers to get one last chance,” McCabe said.
 
While running a minor league sports franchise is difficult in any market, McCabe said there is a lot of interest in the smaller communities for exciting sports in the winter months.
                                                   
“The quality of hockey in this league is very good,” he said. “We are moving in the right direction and the pieces are coming together.”  
 
McCabe has been impressed with the character and demeanor of his players both off and on the ice. The players read at local schools, conduct youth hockey skills clinics, sign autographs and pose for photos with their youngest fans. 
                                                                  
“They are good ambassadors in the community,” he said.
 
Brooklynites are passionate about their local sports teams. As the Beastie Boys’ “No Sleep till Brooklyn” pumps into Aviator Sports and Event Center during a stoppage of play, a small but enthusiastic group of fans in Section 9 smack their thundersticks together in support of their hometown hockey team.
 
Mary DeBernardo leads the passionate bunch in Section 9 and despite being new to hockey – she has only been watching the sport since the team’s home opener in November – she is already hooked.
                        
“This is Brooklyn and I am a fan of all things Brooklyn,” she said.
               
DeBernardo, a 45-year-old Brooklyn native, trains recreationally as a boxer and the FHL fights she saw on YouTube led her to the Aviators. Already she has taken a liking to the smaller rink in Brooklyn which lends itself to a much more intimate setting than Madison Square Garden.                           
“That they can fight on the ice is amazing,” she said. “You can really feel the vibration through the glass.”
 
The team is also taking advantage of the internet to give fans a different perspective. Fans can sneak a peek into the player’s daily lives on Assistant Captain Steve Oblenicki’s new blog, NY Aviators Insider ( http://nyaviatorsinsider.wordpress.com/ ).                                                                                     
Oblenicki began chronicling life with the Aviators earlier this month at the suggestionof the front office. He muses a blowout tire on a road trip, starting a snow shoveling company, and the loser of the team’s “Mustache Boy” contest which was spawned by the HBO special “24/7 Penguins – Capitals: Road to the Winter Classic.”                            
Although he doesn’t have a formal writing background, Obelnicki is embracing his job as the team scribe, giving color to the team and the house that most of his teammates share in the nearby Rockaway section of Brooklyn. He hopes the blog will help get the word out about the team and the FHL.                                                                                    
“There are a lot of funny things that go on in our lives,” he said.
 
Obelnicki considers himself to have taken on a leadership role on the team, something which he humbly admits to still be learning how to do at this level of professional hockey. He said that he and his teammates are enjoying Brooklyn and hanging out as a team, something that can only lead to success on the ice. 
                                                               
“We are not an overly skilled team, but we play a team game,” he said. “Everyone gets along with everyone and we have a good chemistry.”         
If all continues to go well, Obelnicki just may be able to blog about a championship this spring.                                                                    
Contact the author at susan.erichsen@prohockeynews.com