The Rebels will host the expansion Elmira Aviators for the first and only time this season this Friday, February 28 and Saturday, March 1 with puck drops for both nights at 7:30PM. Friday night is $5 ticket night. All tickets are $5. Saturday is the Herr’s/Dunlop’s Family Fun Pak night, and there is a post-game skate immediately following the game.
Aviators and Rebels Overview
This is an evenly matched series between the teams. Despite their ranking in the standing and only one point separating them, both teams are still in the playoff hunt for the sixth and final spot. The Rebels are only seven points out while the Aviators are eight.
This is the second of three meetings between the teams. The first series was back on October 25 and October 26 in Elmira. The third series will be held in two weeks in Elmira.
The first game played between the organizations saw the Aviators with the first game 4 – 3 while the second game Ryan Bunting scored with thirty-three seconds remaining in overtime to give the Rebels a 4 – 3 victory.
The Aviators are 1 for 6 (17%) on the man advantage. Andrew DellaDonna (3 goals), Jude Hunt (1 goal and 2 assists) and Sean Williams (3 assists) each have three points against the Rebels while DellaDonna leads Elmira in goals with three against Philadelphia. Elmira’s goaltenders have a combined 3.38 goals against average and .919 save percentage with no shutouts.
The Rebels have yet to convert on their seven chances on the powerplay. Charles Panchisin and Bunting each have three total points (1 goal and 2 assists) to lead the Rebels against Elmira while Caesar Björk has the most goals against them with two. Rebels netminders have a combined 3.38 goals against average and .888 save percentage with no shutouts against Elmira.
Aviators Overview
Elmira is currently in tenth place in the East Division with a 17-26-3-1 record for 38 points (29th in the league). They are coming off of a home split against the Maryland Black Bears winning their last game 2 – 1. They have won two out of their last five games and three out of their last ten. They possess a 7-16-3-1 home record and 10-10-0-0 away record.
The Aviators have scored 132 goals (22nd in the league), and they have allowed 181 (32nd in the league). They have converted on 14.74% of the chances on the man advantage (28th in the league), and their penalty kill is at 75.44% (32nd in the league). They have scored 28 power play goals (25th in the league) and four shorthanded goals (27th in the league). Their powerplay at home is 10.09% and penalty kill is 72.48%. The Aviators powerplay on the road is 20.99% while their penalty kill is 80.65%.
Clarence Beltz leads the Aviators with 34 total points (13 goals and 21 assists) while Curtiss Sturgeon has the most goals (15). Former Rebel Jett Otwell has the most game winning goals with four. Luke Sakala and Ben Norris have a team high +4. Cooper Eberhardt leads Elmira with 94 penalty minutes.
Elmira’s goaltenders have a combined 3.85 goals against average and .887 save percentage with four shutouts. Andrew Ness has a team best 3.37 goals against average and .903 save percentage.
Rebels Overview
The Rebels are currently in ninth place in the East Division with an 18-25-2-1 record for 39 points (28th in the league). They are coming off an away split against the Northeast Generals in which they won their last game 3 – 1. They have won two out of their last five games and five of their past ten contests. The Rebels have a 13-7-2-1 home record and a 5-18-0-0 away record.
Philadelphia has scored 131 goals (23rd in the league), and they have allowed 155 (21st in the league). They have converted on 14.12% of the chances on the man advantage (31st in the league), and their penalty kill is at 81.52% (20th in the league). They have scored 24 power play goals (31st in the league) and four shorthanded goals (25th in the league). Their powerplay at home is 22.35% and penalty kill is 84%. The Rebels powerplay on the road is 5.88% while their penalty kill is 78.57%.
Björk (16 goals and 24 assists) and Panchisin (13 goals and 27 assists) each have a team high 40 total points while Björk and Bunting have a team high 16 goals. Ruslan Jamaldinov has a team high four game winning goals. Zach Spagnuolo and Björk have a team best +10. Brock Jones has a team high 115 penalty minutes.
Rebels’ goaltenders have a combined 3.24 goals against average and .908 save percentage with one shutout (Owen Crudale). Crudale leads the team in wins (15), goals against average (2.94) and save percentage (.920).
The Rebels only have thirteen games remaining in the season – seven on the road and six at home (including this weekend’s pair).
