MAY 11, 2017
Gianluca Esteves fires a goal in the Aston Rebels 4-2 win on Day 1 of the 2017 NAHL Robertson Cup.
Robertson Cup Semi-Final #1: Aston Rebels 4 vs. Aberdeen Wings 2 (Aston leads series, 1-0) – The Aston Rebels jumped out to a 3-0 lead and withstood a furious Wings rally to hang on to win Game 1 of their Semi-Final by a score of 4-2 on Thursday afternoon. Mareks Mitens made 30 saves in the win, while Drew Blackmun had three points for the Rebels. In the late stages of 1st period, the Rebels were able to jump ahead 1-0 as Carter Wooley smashed home a one-timer in the low slot past the pad of Wings goalie Forbes Ploszaj. Just over three mintes later, Aston made it 2-0 as Gianluca Esteves got a pass in the high slot and blasted one over the blocker of Ploszaj for a two-goal lead. The lead increased to 3-0 in the 2ndperiod as Dom Garcia took advantage of a Wings turnover in the neutral zone and sniped a shot over the shoulder of Ploszaj. The Wings stormed back late in the 2nd period. Their first goal came via the power play as Colton Fletcher got a nice pass from Carter Roo and slipped a shot over the shoulder of Rebels goalie Mareks Mitens to make the socre 3-1. In the very late stages of the 2nd period, the Wings made it 3-2 as a turnover got the puck to Kevin Fitzgerald in front who first a quick wrist shot to beat Mitens with just .6 seconds remaining in the period. In the 3rd period, each team had eight shots, but the Wings could not solve Mitens for the equalizer and Blackmun added a late empty-net goal to make the final score, 4-2. Ploszaj ended up with 20 saves in the Wings loss. With the win the Rebels lead the best of three series, 1-0. Game 2 is Friday at 4:30pm. You can watch the game at Buffalo Wings & Rings in Aberdeen or on HockeyTV.com! Listen to the action on 94.1 The Rock, HubCityRadio.com or the Hub City Radio App!