Flying Aces take down Mustangs
Crusaders, Ice Hawks, Owls round out final four

March 4, 2008

Randy Johnson came up big for the Flying Aces in their series sweep of Wisconsin in the first round of the MJHL playoffs. PHOTO/ESP1000.com

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 Wisconsin to play onto the semifinals of the MJHL playoffs where they’ll face the regular-season champion Minnesota Ice Hawks.

“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 Minnesota needed it most.

“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.”

The Ice Hawks, who hold one of the league’s two berths to the national tournament by virtue of their regular-season title, advanced to the semis with a series sweep over the St. Paul Lakers.

On Saturday, seven different Ice Hawks scored in a 7-2 triumph in Game 1.  Kevin Anger and Jason Rein each struck for a goal and an assist for Minnesota, while goaltender Mike Brach stopped 24 shots.

In the series finale on Sunday, Justin Phelps recorded a hat trick as the Ice Hawks downed the Lakers, 12-4.  Robby Dahl and Brandon Rohrig each potted two goals, and Brach and Ricky Doyen combined to make 24 saves.

The Hudson Crusaders also advanced to the semifinals with a two-game series sweep of the Twin Cities Northern Lights.

In Game 1 on Friday, five different players scored for the Crusaders in a 5-2 victory.  Kyle Romanchuk connected for a goal and two assists, including one on Reed Zweber’s game-winning marker, while Dustin Walker added a goal and an assist.  Between the pipes, Sam Foley turned back 22 shots.

The Crusaders closed out the series on Saturday with a 7-4 victory over the Lights.  The balanced offense continued for Hudson, as seven different players lit the lamp, including Brady Mensing, who tallied the game-winning goal and an assist.  Corey Mogren picked up the win in goal making 31 saves.

In the only series of the opening round that went three games, the Minnesota Owls ended the Granite City Lumberjacks’ season with a 2-games-to-1 win.

In Game 1, Nick Follmer struck for two goals as the Owls downed the Lumberjacks, 5-1.  Zach Wohlers recorded two assists, including one on Jukub Simicek’s game-winning goal, and goaltender Phil Poeschel made 34 saves.

The Lumberjacks evened the series on Sunday with a 4-3 triumph.  Brad Phenow notched two goals for Granite City, including the game-winner, and netminder Justin Lochner steered aside 34 shots.

In the series finale on Monday, third-period goals by Chad Mars and Earl Hudick lifted the Owls to a 3-2 victory.  Follmer added the other Owls marker, and Poeschel made 38 saves.