Aces head coach Chris Firriolo isn’t like many head coaches in professional hockey.
Despite his team’s 8-4 win over Hudson Valley on Sunday, the enigmatic coach believed his team was lacking something in the physicality department.
It would be a minor concern for most coaches, but Firriolo sees it as an important element that could make or break his team’s season.
“We need toughness,” said Firriolo after the game. “We need some hard-nosed guys.”
He’s even proposed making drastic changes to his team in order to make them tougher on the ice.
“We’re going to try and make a few trades to add some toughness,” he said. “I liked what I saw from a few players on Hudson Valley today, so it’s something we have to look into.”
While the Aces have held on to the top spot in the EPHL all season, despite a plethora of injuries, many believe the team hasn’t had the same snare since captain Chad Wilcox went down with a knee injury in January.
