While the Aces forward lines for the most part didn’t hold up their end of the bargain in the championship series with the Jersey Rockhoppers this past weekend, the defense is another story. Taking away the empty-net goal and the fourth goal Jersey scored in game three, the Aces defense was rather solid overall.
In game one and most of game two, Rob Miller, Dan Carney and Chris Robinson especially were making great first passes out of their zone, springing guys like C.J. Tozzo, Mike Christensen, Kyle McCullough and Jessie Felten on numerous occasions. This was perhaps one of the biggest reasons why the Aces offense was able to hold it’s ground for the first half of the series.
On the powerplay, while the team went one for 12 throughout the series, a far cry from the regular season, when they led the league in powerplay efficiency, the defense did its part to induce opportunities. Miller, Carney and Doug Hoffman combined for 13 shots through the first two games, with most of them coming with the man advantage.
Nonetheless, in spite of their ability at the point through the first two games, just like the forward lines, they made several small mistakes that ended up hurting them throughout the series.
In game three, Miller registered a whopping eight shots on goal while Carney and Hoffman had none.
In addition, after playing sound in their own zone in game one by playing physical and making the smart first pass, the last period of game two and the entirety of game three, the Aces defense lacked the snare and poise it needed to get the best of Jersey.
Limiting Chris Ferazzoli to just one shot in game one, the Aces defensemen did a decent job of keeping the sniper out of the play. The rest of the series however, Ferazzoli was allowed to take high percentage shots, which of course led to goals. Gone was the tough board play and crease-clearing the team’s defense was actively partaking in through the first half of the series.
You could say that the Aces never recovered the momentum after referee Michael Geoffrion’s 25-minute penalty calling flub that ended up giving the Aces an extra attacker when the on-ice manpower was supposed to three on three and Jersey seized an opportunity and made the most of it, playing with an intensity they lacked through the first 40 minutes of game two.
However, the truth of the matter is had Ferazzoli been kept in check, via physical play or better neutral zone and defensive zone coverage, the Aces may have come out victorious against Jersey.
Grade- B
Photos by Patrick Hickey Jr.
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on Apr 1st, 2009 at 4:04 pm
aces played great just out coached