Aviators win final game of their inaugural season in shutout fashion
CANTON, Mass. – The Elmira Aviators (21-34-3-1) shut out the Northeast Generals (19-33-4-3) 2-0 in the final game of their inaugural season 2-0 Saturday night.
Five Elmira forwards, Bryce Terry, Gavin Duckworth, Curtiss Sturgeon, Clarence Beltz and Jett Otwell, played their final game for the Aviators on Saturday.
In their final moments on the ice in the NAHL, those five wanted to have fun but were also desperate for a win. Their teammates made sure not to let them down.
Goaltender Wesley Jefferson-Swint II had an outstanding game, stopping all 34 of the Generals’ shots on goal. Jefferson-Swint earned his second shutout of the season for a perfect capper to the campaign.
The Elmira netminder has a bright future with a 2007 birth year and three years of junior hockey eligibility remaining.
Curtiss Sturgeon made sure to make his final game a memorable one. Before the weekend series, the Ontario native expressed a desire to score his team-leading 20th goal of the season.
Sturgeon accomplished that goal in the opening four minutes of Saturday’s game. The Elmira center finished a chance on the rush with assists coming from Charlie Vincent and Cooper Eberhardt.
Sturgeon finishes the season as the Aviators’ leading goal scorer with 20 tallies. He is the first Aviator to hit the 20-goal mark in team history. Sturgeon will play college hockey at Hamilton College beginning this fall with teammate Clarence Beltz.
Elmira got its second and final goal of the season off a Northeast turnover. Matthew Maglio took the gift and buried a goal with his signature shot from the high slot. Maglio finishes his first season in the NAHL with 16 goals, including scores in three of the final four games.
The Elmira defense handled the rest, staving off Northeast in a scoreless third period. The victory over the Generals secured a season-series win for the Aviators as they defeated Northeast four out of six times.
The win also ensured the Aviators did not finish at the bottom of the East Division. The Aviators finish 9th with 46 points while the Generals end in the basement with 45 points.
Elmira has a bright future ahead with plenty of young talent and rising stars. They’ll hit the ice for the 2025-26 season this September, ready to build off the foundation laid by this initial season in the NAHL.
Mac Young is the play-by-play voice of the Elmira Aviators. To contact him, email [email protected].