Why Can't We Be Friends? Or how about "Can't We All Just Get Along?"

It's been a long season. Blood, sweat and tears have all been shed. Friendships made and friendships broken. In the grand scheme of things all of this happened because of hockey. The game we all love and a passion that unites us. Hockey breeds competition, frustrations, joys but most of all it bring us together. It's brought us some great shows. The goals, the hits and the fights have been bringing the crowds to their feet all year long. It hasn't been without dramatic sequences like players boycotting games and fan bases going to war in the crowds and message boards but the one thing that we all took from the games regardless of what happened surrounding it was that butterfly in the stomach excitement that made us want to go night after night.

From fans invading other FHL towns to putting on a show in the Maine Event there has been an endless barrage of story lines that have gripped every fan base at some point. That in a nutshell is what hockey is all about. Things happen and half the time when we can't control them it's not what we wanted to happen. Everyone wants the cup, to win and to be treated fairly but reality is that's just not the case most of the time and we just have to suck it up and try to do the best at the things we can control rather than kick dirt and raise hell over things we can't.  

Since the first day I decided to apply myself to more than just watching the game and started getting involved I began to write this blog and build relationships all around the league. From day one it's been he said, she said and on a small scale complete anarchy. This team is cheating this way... That team is doing this and that and they shouldn't. The Kirnans are out to screw the other teams... The referees are idiots. Such and such organisation is corrupt. It never ends and very likely never will.


What I'm trying to say is this is hockey and the up and downs that come with it. Referees at every level are criticised. Gary Bettman the commissioner of the National Hockey League is one of the most jeered men in sports being booed every time he speaks. Nobody will ever be totally satisfied at some point, if ever and that's life. Get on with it. Do what you gotta do but the mud slinging and trash talking are overblown. Everything is a conspiracy when there is something on the line that everyone wants.


What this league and the teams in it really need to do is just get back to some good ol' hockey. To cut the bullshit and the whining and the conspiracy theories and to just enjoy the game. If it's so horrible every owner in this league can pull their teams out or sell them or just quit but they haven't have they? There is a lot of room for improvement. More clarity. Better ref's you can go on all day. As for treatment of players... They are grown men. They know what's right and what's wrong and they are in no way enslaved to the teams they play for. There are other leagues and opportunities for most to explore.


Players play, Owners pay, The commissioner oversees the league fairly without bias and hands out suspensions and fines as necessary. The fans show up to show support. Security does it's job to protect people and diffuse situations, Referees make calls they see using their best judgement and discretion.


That's hockey. It's not always going to be the way I described it because this isn't a perfect world or a perfect league. Take your licks and keep coming back for more that's what's important. Bury the hatchets and wash off the bad blood. I present you the game of hockey without the politics... hold the stress and frustrations... it's just a game. Learn to enjoy it again for what it is.


If you enjoyed the article please share the link. Thanks for the support. Good luck to everyone still alive in the playoffs and better luck next season to those who are not.

Aviators Out Off Playoffs, Shot Down By Whalers In OT Period!

FIRST PERIOD and the Aviators fans were confident of another win on Danbury ice. Danbury had a different idea, with only 1:07 of the clock a score for the Whalers. #55D J.Sanford for the back of the net for the Whalers first marker of the day. Score 1-0 Danbury.

At the 3:27 mark of the first, #12C A,Goupil hit net and made the match 2-0 Whalers. #14C J.Dabkowski had a breakaway and scored for the Brooklyn Aviators. Score is now 2-1 Danbury. 1:10 later #18C J.Dolgy did his magic at the 5:38 mark and tied the game 2-2 and that is how the first period ended.

SECOND PERIOD saw #27RW C.Mignone score on a powerplay with 6:57 off the clock. Score is now 3-2 at this time.The next score came on a fluke rebound of a Whalers skate #44F K.Miller by Aviators #4C R.Schweyer that managed to get by #29G P.Vetri. This make the match 4-2 at this time.

#19LW G.Holt scored with 1:43 left in the second period making the match 4-3 Brooklyn Aviators. This is how the second period ended. Brooklyn fans still saw the win on the score board with only one period left.

THIRD PERIOD action was fast and furious with both teams knowing the importance of the this period. I was time ti do or die as they say in the real world. Skating was fast and the hitting picked up a bit. Sorry to say that the only score came from the stick of #16RW S.OMalley of the Danbury Whalers. His shot was deflected of the skate of #38G J.St Pierre of Brooklyn and found its home inside the A's net.

 This is how the third period ended in a 4-4 tie. Brooklyn fans were thinking of Fridays game and how it ended with Danbury taking the match in the OT period. Can you say let the OT start......

OT PERIOD didn't take to long for Danbury to repeat in an OT victory. The hero for Danbury was #16RW S.OMalley, it took only 1:54 of the OT Period to send Brooklyn packing for the season. The A's could clear the puck from their end and they payed the price, season over. Another hearth breaker for the Brooklyn Aviators players and fans. Whalers 5 and Aviators 4, congratulations to the Danbury Whalers organization.

You couldn't ask for a more exciting playoff action then want I just witnessed, it was great. Even though our season is over I will be attending some of the playoff games and I'll keep you guys posted.

SHOTS OF GOAL: DANBURY 55   BROOKLYN 33

POWERPLAYS: DANBURY 0 FOR 3   BROOKLYN 1 FOR 6

PIM: DANBURY 14 MINUTES FOR 7 INFRACTIONS

       BROOKLYN 8 MINUTES FOR 4 INFRACTIONS

SIDE NOTE: I wish all the teams in the playoffs the best of luck and lets some some real great playoff hockey to show everyone that the FHL in here to stay.

Article by Clifford F. Zeman

Aviators Tie Up Playoff Series With A 5-2 Win Over Whalers!

First thing to do when you go to Danbury is have a great tasting Whalers Burger at Two Steps, the Whalers fans hang out. It is a two minute walk from the arena and you can't go wrong for the price!

FIRST PERIOD saw a lot of fast skating and some hard hitting as the teams tested each others defense. #10LW G.Devin found the back of the Aviators goal at the  11:27 mark with a high shot over the glove of Aviators net-keeper #38G J.St Pierre. That is how the first period ended, 1-0 favor of Danbury.

SECOND PERIOD Brooklyn's #7C C.Campanale scored on a great pass from #38G J.St Pierre for a break away and scored with a shot under the gloved hand of #29G P.Vetri. Score is now 1-1 with only 2:56 off the clock. 

A's #18C J.Dolgy found Whalers goal when a lose puck showed up in front of him and he lofted it over the right arm of #20G P.Vetri, score 2-1 Brooklyn. The A's fan started to get a feeling the the A's can take Danbury on its own ice. #12C A.Goupil of Danbury tied the matched with just 1:02 left in the second. A's fan still kept their hopes high, score 2-2 at the end of two.

THIRD PERIOD was all Aviators when #7C C.Campanale found the Whalers net with 8:32 off the clock making the score 3-2 Brooklyn. With 14:49 off the clock on a powerplay #20C J.Felten from the from the left wing circle shot a rocket that ripped over the left arm of #29G P.Vetri. Score was 4-2 and the A's fans were loving it!

#2RW M.Thomson scored on another powerplay with 2:23 in the match, score is now 5-2 in favor of the Brooklyn Aviators. This is how the game ended and Brooklyn lived to see another day in the semi-playoffs of the 2011-2012 season in the FHL.

SHOTS ON GOAL: BROOKLYN 41   DANBURY 45

POWERPLAYS: BROOKLYN 2 FOR 6    DANBURY 0 FOR 2

PIM: BROOKLYN 20 MINUTES ON 7 INFRACTIONS

        DANBURY 28 MINUTES ON 11 INFRACTIONS

The two teams go at it tomorrow again in the tie breaker at the Danbury Ice Arena, puck drops at 5:05PM.

Article by Clifford F. Zeman

Aviators Sputter Crash and Burn in OT Period of Playoffs!

FIRST PERIOD found the Aviators down three goals at the end of the first period. The Brooklyn crowd were feeling low and the prospects for a Friday night didn't look good at all. Two goals for the Whalers came within 21 seconds in the finale minute of play.

#9C M.Moucha scored the first goal for Danbury at the 7:18 mark of the first. #55D J.Sanford hit the nets for Danbury to make it 2-0 Whalers. #22RW N.Deschenes scored the third goal of the first period, this is how the period ended. 3-0 Whalers..... Aviators fans were still hoping for a comeback? 

SECOND PERIOD The only marker was by Brooklyn Aviator #20C J.Felten. #16D H.Coxe was awarded a penalty shot and the Brooklyn fans were seeing a easy score. This was not to be as #29G P.Vetri was just a tad faster then #16D H.Coxe and made the save for the Whalers. At the end of two score is 2-1 in favor of the Danbury Whalers.

THIRD PERIOD and the Aviators scored the next three markers in this period. The first was scored by #2RW M.Thomson, second by 7C C.Campanale and go ahead marker was put home by #27RW C.Mignone. This made the match 4-3 Brooklyn Aviators.

The Brooklyn fans were feeling pretty good and smelling a playoff victory at home. The A's were playing great penalty killers and were on they way for a home victory. #26C A.Goupil from Danbury found the back of the Aviators goal with only 3 seconds left in the third period. 

You could hear a massive groan from the A's fans when the puck found its home in the Aviators net. FOURTH PERIOD and Danbury didn't waste too much time to shoot the Aviators down.....At the 13:40 mark #14RW A.Willock sunk the puck for the Whalers and the match was there 5-4.

SHOTS ON GOAL: AVIATORS 53  WHALERS 44

POWER PLAYS: BROOKLYN 1 FOR 7  DANBURY 0 FOR 6

PIM: BROOKLYN 12 MINUTES FOR 6 PENALTIES 

       DANBURY 14 MINUTES FOR 7 PENALTIES

Article by Clifford F. Zeman

Aviators take down Outlaws by a score of 4-3 in New Jersey!

FIRST PERIOD was fast moving and the fans in Jersey wanted to see the Aviators crash and burn over in NJ. The night before the Jersey Outlaws fell to the Aviators at Hanger #5 in Brooklyn, by a score of 9-3. The Outlaws were looking for some sweet revenge at home.

The first blood was drawn was by the Brooklyn Aviators. The A's #23RW A.Scampoli hit the back of the net with the assists  from #2RW M. Thomson and #19D B.Marks with 10:06 off the clock. Score 1-0 Brooklyn.

 With 16:00 off the clock the Outlaws ambushed the Aviators, the holdup man was #20C M.Miller. His partners were #10RE A.Battaglia and #18C T.Karasiewicz who earned assists for the holdup of the Aviators. This tied up the game at 1-1 and this is how the first period ended.

SECOND PERIOD saw Aviators #20C J.Felten score with only 1:00 minute off the clock. This was a powerplay goal and he had help from team members #7C C.Campanale and #16D H.Coxe. Score is now 2-1 Brooklyn. NJ tied the game with 7:35 off the clock. The holdup man was #10RW A.Battaglia who had help from #18C T.Karasiewicz and #20C M.Miller, score 2-2.

Brooklyn took the lead on #18C J.Dolgy neat play to find the net with help from #4D R.Schweyer and #17D K. Trentowski. Aviators took the lead back 3-2 at thin point of the game and this is how the second period ended.

THIRD PERIOD saw Brooklyn score with 3:37 off the clock,#27RW C.Mignone hit the back of the jersey netting. His teammates #8LW S.Koich and #17D K.Trentowski earned assists for their efforts. The Brooklyn fans started to feel like this could be a big win for Brooklyn at the home of the Outlaws. Score is now 4-2 favor of Brooklyn.

NJ turned up the heat and put the pressure on the Aviators like there was no tomorrow. Brooklyn held off the attack by the Outlaws till the 3:21 mark of the third. The bad-boys scored, making the score 4-3 in favor of Brooklyn. The villain was #20C M.Miller and his partner in crime was #18C T.Karasiewicz.

The game ended with the score 4-3 in favor of the Brooklyn Aviators. The A's took the last two meetings from  the  number one team N.J. Outlaws and gives they some gusto going into the playoffs this weekend!

POWER PLAYS: BROOKLYN 1 FOR 8   N.J. OUTLAWS 0 FOR 5

PIM: BROOKLYN 21 MINUTES FOR 9 PENALTIES 

       N.J. OUTLAWS 35 MINUTES FOR 12 PENALTIES

SHOTS ON GOAL: BROOKLYN 32   N.J.OUTLAWS 42

Article by Clifford F. Zeman

Aviators Bomb Whalers 7-1

The Whalers rowed into town Friday night and were surprised by the super sharp Harpoons that they found waiting for them in Brooklyn. This was the last time they would play in the regular season and the A's wanted to make a statement to the team that they will be facing in the playoffs. 

FIRST PERIOD found Brooklyn scoring first with 5:13 off the clock on a powerplay goal by #9RW N.Petriello. #23 RW A.Scampoli and #18C J.Dolgy earned the assist. Score was 1-0 at this time. 

The second harpoon found its target by #8LW S.Koich with an assist from #2RW M.Thomson.The score was 2-0 and Brooklyn fans were loving it!

SECOND PERIOD was all Brooklyn's, with three more unanswered markers by the flying high Aviators. #14C J.Dabkowski with aid from #27RW C.Mignone and #11C A.Owsiak. The second marker was a powerplay which #2RW M.Thomson took advantage of. On this score #20C J. Felten and #17 D K.Trentowski earned an assist. This made it a 4-0 Brooklyn lead and the fans were rocking and rolling, the smell of blood was in the water!

Surprise the next score was once again on a powerplay. #2RW M.Thomson on still another powerplay sank the fifth harpoon into the wounded beast. Mates #17D K.Trentowski and #7C C.Campanale were on deck and lent a hand to the fifth harpoon attack! 5-0 Brooklyn at the end of two. 

THIRD PERIOD and the wounded beast still wouldn't go down with out a fight. For the third time tonight #2RW M.Thomson planted his third harpoon into the dying giant of the sea. Fellow Aviators #7C C.Campanale and #16D H.Coxe earned an assist for this play. Match is now Brooklyn 6-0 and the fans are waiting to see when the big Whale will roll over and play dead?