Neville’s First Pro Shutout Powers 1-0 Aces Win

After last night’s loss to the Jersey Rockhoppers, the Brooklyn Aces vowed to play with more heart against the Danbury Mad Hatters, a team with what some might say pride themselves, perhaps a bit too much at times, on theirs.

On this day however, Aces goaltender Eddie Neville proved just how big his heart was, making 41 saves in what ended up as not only being the league’s first shutout, but perhaps the team’s biggest win of the season.

“I was seeing the puck well,” said Neville. “[Aces Assistant Coach] Rob Miller mentioned to me before the game that their hasn’t been a shutout yet this season. It got under my skin a little bit;  it was motivation and I knew that if I had to give up nothing to help this team win, I was going to do whatever it took.”

While there were no goals in the first period, it was raunchy one that featured a multitude of physical play, producing 38 penalty minutes between the two teams. Drew Madeiros alone accumulated 18 minutes in penalties during the period dropping the gloves with Matt McGilvray and Derek Kern. The only problem was the Brooklyn players didn’t drop theirs.

“Hockey is a game filled with passion and emotion,” said Aces head coach Chris Firriolo. “I think that what happens out there, happens. Both team’s played hard and came out with a lot of heart.”

Things continued that way through the second, but changed quickly after Aces captain C.J. Tozzo potted a shorthanded goal at 10:36 after a beautiful give and go with a little hesitation from Kyle McCullough to give Brooklyn a 1-0 lead. Danbury didn’t let up however and got even tougher. Nonetheless, they weren’t able to get anything past Neville, who was confident and poised in goal, making 21 saves through the first two periods.

Danbury’s problems on offense didn’t stop them from throwing the fists again however, as Erik Kent proceeded to punch Eric Frank several times in the face after the two were shoving behind the Danbury net. Again, the Brooklyn player involved did not drop his gloves. However, no fighting major was called.

“I feel beat,” said Frank after the game. “These guys are a pain in the neck to play against. We just realized that we didn’t want to go into the box for five minutes. It wasn’t an equal trade of for us. We wanted to stay on the ice. ”

The third period was just as intense as Danbury again dropped the gloves, this time as Obi Aduba not only boarded Kern, but also began pummeling him with his fists. Nevertheless, Aduba received a minor penalty for roughing, a major penalty for boarding and a game misconduct, but nothing for fighting. The Aces could not make the most of the powerplay however, as the game was deadlocked at 1-0.

Things then got furry over the last 30 seconds as Brooklyn defenseman Chris Robinson went to the penalty box for cross checking. Danbury goaltender Derek MacIntyre was already at the bench at that point, giving the Mad Hatters a two-man advantage the rest of the game.

Neville then rose to the occasion once again for Brooklyn, making a barrage of saves and ensuring a much needed 1-0 win.

Securing the first shutout in EPHL history, Neville looked nothing like the stressed out goaltender he was yesterday. Winning the team’s first game since Jan. 29, Neville was happier to play as big a part in the team’s win as he did.

“Tonight we were on the same page,” he said. “We bought into the team concept. It wasn’t pretty, but it was a win. It feels good.”

Notes-

Not one fighting major was called in the game.

The Aces powerplay was unsuccessful in seven opportunities.

Kern racked up 20 minutes in penalties to lead both teams.

Attendance for the game was 1,098.

Photos by Patrick Hickey Jr.

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