Feature Story
Flying Aces take down Mustangs
Entering the postseason as the No. 7
seed, the Minnesota Flying Aces weren’t supposed to advance past the No.
2-seeded Wisconsin Mustangs, but nobody told them that.
The Aces made quick work of the Mustangs,
skating to a two-game sweep of
“Our team is on a high right now,” said
Flying Aces coach Mitch Jorgensen. “We’ve prepared for anything and we always
knew we could compete with the best in our league. The mood from top to bottom
the entire weekend was one of complete confidence and we didn’t let anything
break that.”
The Aces doubled up the Mustangs in Game
1, 4-2. Rick Nawojski recorded two goals in the win,
including the game-winner, while Tim Benner and Josh Swancutt
each added a goal and an assist. Between the pipes, Randy Johnson made 47
saves.
In Game 2, the Aces overcame a two-goal,
third-period deficit to down the Mustangs in overtime, 4-3. Tony Schultz
tallied the game-winner in the extra session, with Benner supplying the
game-tying goal and two assists, including one on Schultz’s series-clincher.
Johnson turned aside 37 shots in the victory.
“After winning Game 1, the confidence was
there for our team to never give up; we always knew we had a chance to win,”
said Jorgensen.“Confidence
is key if you know you have it, and the boys just
started to grind it out until we tied it up and we felt on fire.
“I think our team was in a position of
knowing what to expect from the Mustangs and we had a good game plan in place
to shut down their good scoring opportunities and we played it perfectly.”
As it has for much of the season, the
Aces’ top line of Benner, Schultz and Swancutt came
through big in the clutch when
“These three guys have been so good since
we put them together and they’ve learned in a short time to play well
together,” said Jorgensen. “They really can take a game over and spark us with
their skills and aggressiveness.”
Nawojski, Jonathan Feavel and Robert
Burdick also provided a spark for the Aces in the series win, especially in
Game 1.
“This was a whole team win, though,
because everyone contributed and really got better as a whole in terms of
knowing what we needed to do to win,” said Jorgensen.
Another tall order awaits the Aces as
they ready for the Ice Hawks, but Jorgensen believes his charges can rise to
the occasion as they did last weekend.
“We know that this next series will be
tough and we have a lot of respect for the Ice Hawks in how they play, but we
have the confidence that we can go out and put 2-3 games together and play
tough against them,” said the coach.
“I’m proud of these guys, because after
seeing what they did last weekend and telling them that I knew they could do
it, that’s a huge plus for our organization.
“For us, it’s about coming out every
night and playing with the biggest heart ever knowing we can succeed in what we
do,” Jorgensen continued. “We never let down and always compete to the end.”
MJHL Year-End Awards
All-MJHL First Team
F Ryan Goodmanson, MN Ice Hawks
F Matt Borndale,
Wisconsin
F Tim Benner, Minnesota Flying Aces
D Steve Mlodozyniec,
Wisconsin
D Bryce Wilcox, Minnesota Ice Hawks
G Brian Dalbec,
Wisconsin
All-MJHL Second Team
F Tyler Wahl, Granite City
F Justin Neis,
Minnesota Owls
F Colin Barnauskas,
Hudson
D Carter Czech, St. Paul
D Bryce Stevens, Minnesota Ice Hawks
G Phil Poeschl,
Minnesota Owls
Most Valuable Player
Ryan Goodmanson, MN Ice Hawks
Offensive Player of the Year
Ryan Goodmanson, MN Ice Hawks
Defensive Player of the Year
Steve Mlodozyniec,
Goaltender of the Year
Brian Dahlbec,
Organization of the Year
General Manager of the Year
Michael
Coach of the Year
Don Babineau,
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