Aces Notebook- Can Offense and New Additions Continue to Thrive?

It’s safe to say that the discussion of whether or not this team can win and win big without sniper James Brannigan in the lineup is over.

The answer is a profound yes on both parts.

After defeating the Bears 10-5 on Sunday, Brooklyn got key contributions from a slew of players including B.J. Kuper, Jesse Felten, Mike Christensen, Eric Frank and new addition Gabe Yeung, all of whom had at least had three points.

While Christensen has proven himself as an offensive force over the past ten games, Felten, Kuper and Frank have come around offensively over the past handful of games as well, making themselves viable options on the ice and giving the Aces the offensive depth needed to win hockey games by wide margins. Garnering player of the week honors last week for scoring three goals and adding three helpers, Felten is beginning to prove that he can in fact be the point a game player he and Aces head coach Chris Firriolo envisioned he’d be before the season began.

Out of professional hockey for a year and a half, Frank is quickly getting his legs back and as a result, is producing very similar numbers to when he was a star at U-Mass-Dartmouth a few seasons ago. With nine points in seven games as well, Frank gives Brooklyn another dangerous passer to compliment Kyle McCullough, making sure that the snipers on the team always have someone to feed them the puck.

Coming off a four-point game on Sunday, Kuper, who appears to be a personal favorite of Firriolo due to his responsible defensive play and hustle, is in a similar situation to Frank and has gotten better with every game the team has played. Another player that has been out of the game for a while, Kuper’s ability in the defensive end has always made him one of the team’s most important players, but his recent resurgence in the offensive department has made him one of the best two-way players in the league.

Obviously not known for his offensive play, the three-point night of Gabe Yeung on Sunday isn’t going to happen every night, but it could be a sign of what may be on the way for some of the other Brooklyn D-men. With Rob Miller out and Ian McLoughlin and Mike Thomson filling in for the then injured Mike Richards, guys like Nick Grove and Doug Hoffman, who are known for their offensive skills, were forced to commit themselves in their own end over the past fewgames. Now with a shutdown defenseman like Yeung in the lineup, Hoffman and Grove will now have an opportunity to create on offense.

For those who didn’t know, that’s a good thing.

If Felten, Frank and Kuper can continue to produce at a point a game clip over the next stretch of games and Yeung can be the crease clearer the team needs right now, the Aces can and will start to put themselves in a position to separate themselves even further from the New Jersey Rockhoppers and Danbury Mad Hatters, perhaps clinching a playoff spot before March.

Photos by Patrick Hickey Jr.

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