Posts from ‘November, 2008’

Nick Niedert made 60 saves the last time the New Jersey Rockhoppers faced the Aces at Aviator Arena on November 8. But Brooklyn, coming off of consecutive seven-goal performances against Hudson Valley and Danbury, wasn’t worried about producing offensively.

Why exactly? Three letters explain it all: B…M…T.

Combining for 12 points on the night, the Aces “BMT line” of James Brannigan, Kyle McCollaugh and and C.J. Tozzo, proved the New Jersey goaltender’s game of the year performance two weeks ago was simply a mirage, shredding both Niedert and the Rockhoppers defense to bits in a more than convincing 8-2 win.

“These guys are on fire right now,” said Aces coach Chris Firriolo. “They’re definitely a top line in this league.”

After a short-feeling out process by both team’s that included several solid saves by Niedert and Brooklyn goaltender Eddie Neville, McCollaugh, the team’s leading assist man, proved he could do a lot more than pass, scoring on a surreptitious one-timer after a beautiful backhand pass from behind the net from Aces leading scorer Brannigan at 11:31, giving them a 1-0 lead.

Through five games this season, the Aces have a 4-1 record and have scored a league-leading 28 goals, making every goalie in the EPHL look like they were made of swiss cheese in the process.

Well, every goalie except Nick Niedert that is.

The last time the Rockhoppers were in town on November 8th, the Aces took 62 shots on the New Jersey goaltender and lost 3-2 after the team’s powerplay ended up going 2 for 13.

Since then, Brooklyn has lit the lamp 14 times in their past two games and have come full circle as a team. After winning 7-6 over the Hudson Valley Bears last Friday, despite playing their worst defensively all year, the Aces defeated Danbury 7-1 in their best overall performance of the young season.

With Aces goaltender Eddie Neville and the Aces defense core playing their best hockey of the season as well, Brooklyn head coach Chris Firriolo saw the game as a step in the right direction.

With five points in his first four games, Brooklyn Aces defenseman Doug Hoffman has proved to be more than a force at the blueline this season.

However, it wasn’t until a few weeks ago, that he decided to come strut his stuff in the EPHL.

Joining the team during the last week of training camp and just a few days before the season began, the 6′4, 210-pound defenseman has a renewed sense of vigor and is paying big dividends for the Aces.

“I took a few years off; I kind of came out of retirement,” Hoffman said. “I lost that desire for a while, but I was still skating every day. Now, I got that itch back and I’m ready to play and produce for this team. I was down South playing with a team down there and heard about what was going on here, so I figured I’d give this a shot.”

Here we go guys, another podcast. This time I break down the team’s play over their first five games, discussing the things the Aces will have to do as the season progresses to stay on top of the EPHL standings. I also talk about the play of all the forward lines, systematically breaking down the play of all the team’s forwards and discuss how important the team’s defense and goaltending will be in determining their overall success this season.

You can listen directly here at:

http://media.switchpod.com/users/patrickhickeyjr1/AOBPODCAST1118.mp3

Or you can download the file on to your I-Pod or I-Phone here:

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=294739484

Also, the podcasts will now begin as soon as you access the site. I figured it would save some of the less tech-savvy people a few steps. If that doesn’t work for you, you can simply click the stop button and resume surfing as usual.

Before the 2008-2009 EPHL season began, Brooklyn Aces head coach Chris Firriolo knew James Brannigan was going to be his poster boy.

And why not? Born and raised in Dyker Heights, the 24-year-old’s play on the ice is a direct representation of what it means to be from Brooklyn: charismatic and tough. Simply put, even if Brannigan was from Boston, he’d still fit the Brooklyn hockey scene like a glove.

However, Brannigan has done a lot more than look good on the ice this season. Scoring eight goals in his first five games, he’s quickly become a fan favorite in his hometown and has proved he’s a lot more than just a marketing ploy for the first year Aces.

“I know there’s a lot of pressure on me,” said Brannigan. “But I couldn’t ask for more right now. Things are going great.”

More than just a talented goal-scorer, Brannigan plays the game with a chip on his shoulder.

Giving up seven goals in the first period over their last three games, the Brooklyn Aces couldn’t afford to make the same mistakes against the Danbury Mad Hatters on Saturday Night at Aviator Arena.

Scoring four goals in the first period, the kings of the EPHL coasted to a 7-1 win in their most complete effort of the young 2008-2009 season.

Stressing the importance of a 60-minute effort after the team’s come from behind victory on Friday, Aces head coach Chris Firriolo was all smiles after the game.

“I think this was a great turn around from the past few games,” said Firriolo. “We came out hard and we did it early. I thought that was key.”

The Aces got an early lead after Chris Holmes smoked a vicious slapshot past Mad Hatters goaltender Derek MacIntyre at 3:14. At 11:47, James Brannigan too proved that he could slap it with the best of them, sending one past MacIntyre and giving Brooklyn a 2-0 lead.

Losing their first home game 3-2 last Saturday after amassing 62 shots on goal, the Brooklyn Aces were looking to take out their frustration on the Hudson Valley Bears.

But after the first two periods, the Aces, looking flat and unenergized, seemed destined for another loss at home.

However, after a three-goal third and 61 shots on goal for the night, they clawed out a 7-6 come from behind win.

“We battled back and chipped away,” said Aces coach Chris Firriolo. “We have to be more disciplined though. We came out on fire in the third and I was proud of them for it.”

Things started out sloppy in the first, with both teams committing early turnovers and their respective goalies responding. Bears forward Scott Horvath then broke the early stalemate, putting Hudson Valley on the board first after beating Aces goaltender Miro Recicar from the doorstep at 3:20. At 7:41, Hudson Valley stretched the lead to 2-0 after a Chris Seifert shorthanded goal that seemed to take the fans in attendance out of the game.

If the dirt under your nails or the sand in your eyes that you can never get rid of could magically turn into a professional hockey player, the back of it’s jersey would read: KUPER, 8.

The Aces resident pest, B.J. Kuper is the James Bond of agitators in the newly-formed EPHL.

Make no mistake about it, just like Bond’s license to love, Kuper has one of his own as well.

To annoy.

“I’m a grinder, but my job first and foremost is to be a pest,” he said. “To be the first guy in the corners and to hassle defenders and draw penalties. It’s also my job to make the game as uncomfortable as I can for the opposition.”

However, despite his prowess as a pest, Kuper, like a double agent, has no problem masquerading as someone else. With two assists in three games this season, the 23-year-old looks like a first liner on the team’s grind-line with Mike Thomson and Chad Wilcox.

If Brooklyn Aces forward Chad Wilcox was acquired this season for one reason and one reason only, it would be to help lead the team by any means necessary.

Through his first three games this season, Wilcox has done just that, dishing out a bevy of big hits and an assist. However, if those stats don’t prove his worth to his new team, his 25 penalty minutes do an even better job of convincing any naysayer what he brings to the Aces.

All that considered, it’s baffling how quickly the 30-year-old Las Vegas-native has adjusted to his new team, especially when he wasn’t even on the roster when training camp began three weeks ago. Even stranger was his arrival, as a stroke of bad luck ended up giving the grizzled veteran a second chance and the Aces the bona fide enforcer they lacked.

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.