Aces, Bears Pregame Thoughts

With Rob Miller and Mike Christensen back in the lineup today against the Hudson Valley Bears, the Brooklyn Aces will have the added toughness, grit and offense that they have been missing over the past few weeks.

That’s not to discount the efforts of players like Derek Kern, Eddie Chlanda and Matt McGilvray over the past few weeks, who were productive offensively and did an admirable job, but before the time of their injuries, Miller and Christensen were both without a doubt playing at an optimal level. Now that they’re back in the lineup, you can expect to see a much more polished Aces team with the cohesion and chemistry they had back in December, when they were virtually unbeatable.

“We’re going to be in much better shape once we get Robbie Miller and Mikey Christensen back,” said Aces head coach Chris Firriolo last Sunday. “With them back in the lineup we can see what we’re going to look like for the rest of the season and into the playoffs.”

While Miller and Christensen will undoubtedly help the team on even strength, both can be positive additions on the powerplay and penalty kill as well, two areas where the Aces haven’t been as solid as they’d like to be as of late. With stronger special teams, the Aces will have a much easier time on even strength and will be able to make the most of their opportunities on offense.

Averaging close to 40 shots a game this season, Brooklyn hasn’t been able to finish lately. One reason for that has been that many of the same players have been asked to kill penalties and play on the powerplay, making them less effective during even strength. With Miller and Christensen back, the players that have been overworked over the past few weeks will be fresh enough to cash in if they have an opportunity to.

If that wasn’t bad enough for the Bears, they will also be without one of their  leading scorers in Scott Estey who has been called up to Reading of the ECHL. While Jon Gerverd and former Ace Josh Coyle has been rock solid this season and Peter Alden also has seven points in eight games, will that be enough firepower to match wits with Brooklyn? Hudson Valley has also been playing with added grit as of late and haven’t given up on a game all season despite their record, but in spite of that, things don’t look very good if you’re a Bears fan today.

Photos by Ron Hatcher and Patrick Hickey Jr.

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