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Aces Win On Pink Ice

January 1, 2005 - SPHL (SPHL)
Asheville Aces News Release


[JACKSONVILLE] 12/30/04 - There were cuts, bruises, broken noses and blood on the ice, but when all was said and done, the Asheville Aces had two points.

Falling behind quickly 2-0 in the first period, the Aces showed grit, team toughness and lots of character battling back to tie the game in the second frame. A scoreless third period led to overtime where the Aces quickly ended the game with a beautiful deflection of a Dan Pszenyczny point shot by Janus Tomans. The scoring play started with a great rush by Jarno Mensonen who lots the handle on the puck as he tried to deke Jacksonville goalie Randy Hevey. Mensonen, who was able to maintain puck possession deep in the Jacksonville end, then fed the puck to Tomans who sent it to the point. Pszenyczny threw a quick wrist shot to the net where Tomans masterfully redirected the puck into the net for the victory.

The Aces stepped up their physical game led by new additions Nobumasa Kinugasa and Chris Cloutier. Chris Ferguson was also a physical force as he dropped the gloves with Jacksonville's Schneider - both players left the ice with facial cuts. Kinugasa scored the first Aces goal by going hard to the net and picking up a rebound to bury. Peter Bournazakis tied the game on the powerplay with a blast from the point that Hevey could not stop.

Head Coach Jeff Brubaker summed up the contest by saying, "Both teams spilled an inordinate amount of blood tonight, most the result of hard-nosed checking and players on both teams putting their noses into harms way." In addition to the physical aspect of their game, the Aces played one of their strongest overall defensive games. "We were very effective neutralizing Jacksonville's great speed with a defensive minded approach - we didn't give them many chances to get the puck into our zone and set-up their offence," Brubaker stated.

The Aces travel to Fayetteville for a New Year's Eve contest with the Fire Antz and then return home for a 7:30 p.m. game versus the Columbus Cottonmouths on Saturday, January 1st.

The Aces are also happy to announce that for the remainder of this season, all Thursday night home games will feature $1 12 ounce beer.

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