With 1,609 fans packed inside the Aviator Arena screaming their heads off for their undefeated Brooklyn Aces, things originally looked pretty grim for the New Jersey Rockhoppers.
Beating New Jersey in their two prior meetings and scoring 12 goals through their first two regular season contests, the Aces were the heavy favorite before the game.
New Jersey goaltender Nick Niedert had other things in mind though, making 60 saves in a 3-2 Rockhoppers win.
“You got to tip your hat to the guy,” said Aces coach Chris Firriolo. “They deserved to win tonight. He was the reason why they won.”
The game started well enough for the Aceshowever, as they were aggressive on the forecheck and fired a ton of shots early on Niedert. A fight early in the period by Aces forward and Bensonhurst-native Jerry Cardinale also got the fans into the game and seemed to sway the momentum. Nevertheless, the Aces offense, which came into the game with ten players averaging a point a game, couldn’t find the back of the net.
A hooking penalty from first line center C.J. Tozzo later in the first period gave New Jersey a powerplay and that’s when the game’s scoreless streak ended it’s course. A cross-ice pass from New Jersey forward Chris Ferazzoli hit an Aces defenseman’s skate and banked in off of goalie Eddie Neville’s pads at 15:20, giving the Rockhoppers a 1-0 lead going into the second period.
“I think we lost this game mentally,” said Aces forward B.J. Kuper. “I think the fans know that we were the better team out there, but we had a mental lapse and it ended up costing us.”
The Aces wasted no time getting back into the game physically in the second, as Chad Wilcox waited only 52 seconds before pummeling Rich Jondo and earning himself a five minute penalty for fighting. The Aces then reestablished their forecheck and got several solid scoring opportunities from Jesse Felten and Nick Grove, but Niedert held his ground and kept the Aces scoreless.
Things got worse for Brooklyn at 7:59 of the period, after Derek Porter put the Rockhoppers up by two after depositing a rebound past Neville. At 11:06, the Aces did have a golden opportunity to get back in the game, after Alex Hager got a penalty for tripping, giving them a five on three powerplay for 54 seconds. New Jersey was one step ahead however, silencing the Brooklyn attack and keeping the game at 2-0.
“Our boys looked a little flat tonight,” said Wilcox, who leads the team with 25 PIM. “Every time I’ve gotten in a fight this season, we’ve scored one right away. It doesn’t work all the time though and it didn’t work tonight.”
The Aces had another pair of powerplay opportunities later in the period, including one of the four minute variety, but again had problems finishing and left the ice in the second with the score still deadlocked at 2-0.
The third period began with a bang for Brooklyn, as Grove deposited a chance in front on the powerplay only 49 seconds in to cut the deficit in half. 36 seconds later however, New Jersey got their two-goal lead back on a transition goal by Dustin Henning.
The Aces did have an opportunity or two in the third, including another four minute powerplay with 6:21 remaining in the game.
This time, they cashed in.
Getting shots in from the point during the powerplay, James Brannigan banked in a rebound after a Doug Hoffman blast with 5:24 remaining, making it a 3-2 game. With 54 seconds still remaining on the powerplay, Brooklyn was unable to score the tying goal and ultimately lost 3-2.
Going 2 for 13 on the powerplay for the night, Firriolo believes his team had plenty of opportunities to finish the Rockhoppers off, but lacked the same tenacity that played a key part in their first two victories this season.
“We took this team for granted,” said Firriolo. “We’re a very skilled team, but we played poorly tonight. When you take 62 shots on goal, you have to score more than two goals. We handled them easily in the preseason and I think the guys thought we were going to walk all over them. It’s not good enough. We have to be a team that finishes. It’s a problem.
“The calls were in our favor tonight; we had enough powerplay opportunities; they were basically handing it to us. We just couldn’t do anything with it.”
Photos by Ron Hatcher.
Related posts:
- Niedert Stonewalls Aces as Jersey Claims EPHL Title When Jersey Rockhoppers goaltender Nick Niedert was named the EPHL’s...
- Scampoli’s Effort Not Enough in 6-4 Loss to Jersey Despite a four-point night from defenseman Andrew Scampoli, the Brooklyn...
- Duguay Flies High, Aces Crash in 4-3 OT Loss Former New York Rangers star Ron Duguay may have proved...
- Neville and Scampoli Lift Aces Over Rockhoppers 3-2 in Game One The Brooklyn Aces’ Andrew Scampoli has been hearing all season...
- Aces Fall 5-4 on Boudreau Goal in OT Powered by a three-goal third period and a Tom Boudreau...
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
on Nov 10th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
Thanks for the nice press for Nick and the positive comments. Living in Iowa and not getting to many games, his Dad and I rely on written articles to get an idea of how he is playing.