DANBURY, CT – The Elmira Aviators (11-14-3-1) took down the Danbury Hat Tricks (13-13-1-3) 4-3 in a shootout at Danbury Ice Arena Saturday night.
Elmira found an unlikely hero in the shootout to propel the Aviators over rivals Danbury after a wild game.
The Aviators powered their way to a 3-1 advantage thanks to a tremendous second period. Elmira fired the first 11 shots on net to start the frame, generating two goals in that stretch.
Matthew Maglio found himself on a breakaway thanks to a stellar feed from Cael Primanti. Maglio made no mistake in burying the puck to give Elmira a 2-1 lead.
Evan Dantas scored a spectacular forehand-backhand move to score in the first period and added another goal in the second. Dantas added a second goal on the power play, pouncing on a puck at the side of the net to put Elmira up 3-1.
Dantas played with a chip on his shoulder when going against his former team. The Hat Tricks traded the forward to Elmira in early October for a 3rd round pick and a future tender.
Dantas is now tied for the Aviator team lead in goals with 11 after scoring two important tallies on Saturday. He made sure to let the Danbury bench hear it after each of his scores.
The Hat Tricks rallied back late in the second and throughout the third period to force overtime against the Aviators.
Elmira goaltender Aiden McKenna was instrumental in keeping his team in the game and winning the eventual shootout. While the Hat Tricks pushed for a winning goal in regulation, McKenna stood on his head, making a handful of super saves
Overall, the Elmira netminder made 41 stops on 44 shots throughout regulation and overtime. He turned it up another notch in the shootout.
McKenna faced seven Danbury players in the shootout, allowing none to score. He showed outstanding poise and determination as both teams struggled to finish in the skills competition.
The Aviators and Hat Tricks combined to go 0/12 through the first six rounds of the shootout. An unlikely hero emerged for Elmira in round seven.
When nothing worked for either team, Elmira defenseman Mason Montagna dared to be bold.
Montagna calmly took the puck and worked into an amazing move, dangling left before swerving the puck back to his right hand, where he tucked the puck into the net with one hand a la Peter Forsberg.
Montagna had not played in a game for the Aviators since Nov. 21. The 2006 defenseman had an excellent outing, showing off his smooth skating and puck-moving ability before capping it off with his insane shootout winner.
Aiden McKenna finished the job, making the final save on Danbury captain Brendan Boring to secure the Aviators a win and a series split on the road.
Next weekend, the Aviators will return to home ice for their final series of the calendar year. Elmira will welcome the Northeast Generals on Friday, Dec. 19, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 20, also at 7 p.m.
The games can be streamed on NATV or listened to on WINGZ93.
Mac Young is the play-by-play voice of the Elmira Aviators. To contact him, email [email protected].