Aces-Rockhoppers Pregame Thoughts

Tonight, the two top teams in the EPHL, the Brooklyn Aces [8-1] and the New Jersey Rockhoppers [5-3] will square off in what looks to be another interesting contest.

If any team has the overall talent to catch the Aces in first place, the Rockhoppers definitely have the pieces in place. Coming off a pair of wins against the Hudson Valley Bears, it seems like the New Jersey offense is starting to come into it’s own. While they don’t have three lines that can produce as dominantly as the Aces, they have a handful of players in, Kyle Bozoian, the reigning EPHL player of the week, Chris Ferazzoli, Drew Sanders and Tom Boudreau, all who will do whatever it takes to get themselves on the scoresheet on any given night. Add in a quality goaltender like Nick Niedert [5-3], who seems to have bounced back after a pair of shaky starts and it’s easy to see that the Aces cannot afford to take the Rockhoppers for granted.

During the Aces first home game this season, that was exactly the case, as Niedert was stellar, making 60 saves in a 3-2 Rockhoppers win. After the game, it wasn’t difficult to see how frustrated the Aces were.

“We took this team for granted,” said Aces coach Chris Firriolo after the game. “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.”

Since then, the Aces have addressed those concerns and made sure that New Jersey and the rest of the league know just how potent their offense can be, winning six games in a row, outscoring their opponents 41-15 in the process, including an 8-2 rout of New Jersey a few weeks ago.

With a week off and New Jersey playing last night against the Bears, the Aces may be the fresher team out there as well, but it may take a while to kick in. If that is the case, it’s in New Jersey’s best interest to get on the board early and then focus their attention on shutting down all three of the Aces forward lines, each one with a legitimate finisher that can light the lamp at any time. James Brannigan’s 14 goals still lead the EPHL and with Kyle McCollaugh and C.J. Tozzo, the Aces “BMT” line is always a serious threat.

With Chris Holmes back from a one-game stint with the Elmira Jackals of the ECHL, the team’s second line of Holmes, Mike Christensen and Jesse Felten, AKA “The Three Amigos” are back and business as well and will be a force to be reckoned with. The third line, which was primarily an energy line earlier in the season, with Aces captain and league penalty minutes leader Chad Wilcox and grinder Jerry Cardinale sharing time with “Super” B.J. Kuper and Mike Thomson, has now turned into an offensive force. Adding speedster Tony Resendes, who has quickly taken over full-time duties on the line, leaving Wilcox to get a spot shift with any three of the team’s lines, the Brooklyn offense has unparalleled depth and diversity.

The move has paid off as well, as Wilcox had two assists in his new role two games ago against the Hudson Valley Bears, while Resendes has six points in his first five games with the club.

Because of all of these intangibles, this game should be a hectic one from start to finish.

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