Aces Notebook- Looking for Toughness

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.

Even Firriolo himself acknowledged Wilcox’s presence on the ice.

“We really miss Chad Wilcox out there,” he said. “I didn’t think I’d say it, but we do.”

However, with the team’s offensive problems recently, Brooklyn may be hard pressed to trade talented offensive players, even ones that are having trouble finishing, for those that can provide the team with the physical edge they need to dominate teams like the Danbury Mad Hatters and New Jersey Rockhoppers.

Nevertheless, Firriolo would like to see the matter addressed- and soon.

“We have three lines that can go out there and produce offensively, but we’ve gone the whole season without a line that can just bang and bang,” he said. “We need more than just a grind line. We need a few hard-nosed players that aren’t scared to take the body. I think that’s what we have to try and do.”

Photos by Patrick Hickey Jr.

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