Firriolo Sees Felten Coming Through, Neville to Elmira, Scampoli to Holland?

You normally wouldn’t think a player that has eight points in nine games is slumping offensively, but Aces head coach Chris Firriolo felt something was going on with his speedy second line winger Jesse Felten.

Nevertheless, in spite of his recent struggles, [which had him going scoreless over his past two games] after Mike Thomson, C.J. Tozzo and James Brannigan all came up empty-handed in the shootout last Saturday against Danbury, Firriolo looked down his bench and figured Felten was due.

Scoring the game-winning goal in the shootout to give the Aces their sixth consecutive victory soon after, the move obviously paid off.

Coming through in the clutch, Firriolo sees the moment as a turning point for the winger, who will be counted on as the season progresses.

“I wouldn’t say he was slumping before, he was just in a bit of a funk. It happens to everybody at one point in the season” he said. “During the shootout though, I looked down the bench and I knew he was a guy that could help us. I think that goal was a step in the right direction for him and a big confidence booster.”

One of the fastest players in the league, Felten’s game is all about speed. Nonetheless, his passion and enthusiasm is the corners and on the penalty kill this season have drawn rave-reviews from his coach.

Drawing comparisons to players the likes of Jason Blake and Brian Gionta in his short tenure as an Ace, he’s always noticeable and is never without a spark, even when Felten is off his game.

That’s one reason why Firriolo isn’t worried about the speedster’s production.

“He works so hard on the ice,” Firriolo said. “A guy his size isn’t supposed to be as strong as he is in the corners and every night, he surprises me. Every night, regardless of if he scores or not, the effort is always there and it’s always contagious. It’s just a matter of time until things start to go his way more often.”

Already one of the top forwards in the league, Firriolo sees Felten as something truly special and doesn’t feel that his play over the team’s first nine games is even close to being indicative of his true skill.

“I think he can be one of the most dominant forwards in this league,” Firriolo said. “With his speed, energy and talent, I think that as the season goes on, people are going to see a much different player out there. I think he has the power to take over a game if he wants to.”

Notes-

In other news, according to the team’s official website, Aces goaltender Eddie Neville has been called up the the Elmira Jackals of the ECHL [the AA affiliate of the Ottawa Senators]. In five games with Brooklyn this season, Neville has a 4-1 record with 2.07 GAA. He will be in the lineup for the Jackals when they take on the Florida Everblades on Wednesday.

Also, it appears that Aces defenseman Andrew Scampoli is headed to Holland. According to a message board posting on IntotheBoards.net, Scampoli, the team’s second leading-scorer among defensemen is on his way abroad, but may return to the team in a few months. The message was soon confirmed by someone saying they were Scampoli, who had nothing but good things to say about the organization, but was eager to prove himself in Europe.

“From my conversations with key people in the Aces organization, when I come back in late February, I believe I will have an opportunity to try and get my spot back, and I hope that is the case.”

You can view the board here: http://intotheboards.net/vbforums/showthread.php?t=21735

Photos by Ron Hatcher and Patrick Hickey Jr.

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