DANBURY, Conn. — The Elmira Aviators season once again opened at the Danbury Ice Arena against the Jr. Hat Tricks, but unlike last season the Aviators dropped game one of the weekend.
Danbury jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead on a Johnny Niemela goal at 15:33. Elmira did not let the deficit hold, answering right back on the power play. The goal, set up by Matthew Maglio dancing down the wall and feeding it to the middle, was buried by Cruz Ferguson from right in front of the net.
The Aviators tilted the ice in their favor for much of the first period, but defensive errors let the Jr. Hat Tricks build a 3-1 lead.
A slower second period again saw Elmira build advantages through possession, only to be stopped time and time again by Danbury goaltender Ty Ferguson. Late in the frame Danbury scored again for a three-goal lead.
The third period was the Aviators' best of the three. Once again they out-shot Danbury, and a redirection by captain Cael Primanti made it a 4-2 game. Elmira kept the pressure on with multiple shots ringing off the post, but never converted on those chances.
“In the third period we showed flashes of what our team will look like this year, being relentless and never giving up. Even though we fell short tonight there were a lot of positives that we can take, especially from the third.”
The Aviators and Jr. Hat Tricks close the weekend set Saturday at 7:00 p.m. EST, back at the Danbury Ice Arena.
Story by Kevin Broderick. Every date, home and away, is on the full 2026-27 schedule.