Aces Notebook- Statement Games On the Way

While the Brooklyn Aces will gladly take the points that came along with their last three wins over the Hudson Valley Bears, they know full well that their next two games on Friday and Saturday against the Danbury Mad Hatters and New Jersey Rockhoppers will be a much better measuring stick of their future success.

With Rob Miller, Tony Resendes, Andrew Scampoli and Mike Christensen back in the lineup over the past few games, Brooklyn has looked much more like the dominant team they were earlier in the season. However, they’ll have to prove just how much better they’ve gotten against much tougher competition and will need to step up their physical games as well if they want to continue their winning ways.

With only seven points separating the Rockhoppers and Mad Hatters for second place in the EPHL, with less than 10 games remaining, both teams will be playing with a playoff mentality and a level of desperation this weekend that Aces haven’t seen all season. When you take into consideration how Danbury has dominated Brooklyn physically in the past and how comparable New Jersey’s offense is to the Aces’, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that Brooklyn will have to bring it’s A game this weekend if they want to silence the critics that believe they are far from the team they were earlier in the season.

One way the Aces can accomplish that feat is if they can continue to get offense from all three lines. While C.J. Tozzo and Kyle McCullough have been consistent and potent offensively all season, Brooklyn has had problems at times getting production from other sources. However, having Christensen back in the lineup fortifies the team’s second line, as Chris Holmes, who is already a dangerous offensive threat by himself, plays even better when paired with Christensen.

The same thing can be said for Scampoli’s and Miller’s prescence on the blue line. Already proving his worth to the team, Scampoli has three points since returning and is well on his way to giving the team the added offense they need from the defense position.

With two points in his first two games back, Miller too has produced when needed, but will be asked to take the body over the last stretch of the season as well. If the Aces captain can get back to the physical game he possessed before his injury and players the likes of Chris Robinson and Mike Thomson can continue to play gritty, the Aces will have enough toughness to hold water with a team like Danbury. Will they be able to dominate them? Probably not, but with their offense, all they have to do is be able to hold their ground and let their offense do the talking.

In the end, that’s how they’ll have to make their statement.

Photos by Patrick Hickey Jr.

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