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Brooklyn Aces defenseman Doug Hoffman, who led all full-time defensemen in the EPHL with 36 points this season, came by the basic journalism class I’m teaching this semester at Kingsborough Community College today in order to let the class interview him.

Talking for about a half hour about his goals in hockey and the rest of his life, Hoffman was on his game, answering questions from all comers.

He even spoke at length about his love of music and aspirations for a career in media one day.

You can listen to the interview here @

http://media.switchpod.com//users/patrickhickeyjr1/DougHoffmanInterview.mp3

Or if you’re one of those trendy I-pod owners, you can download it here:

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=294739484

Photo by Patrick Hickey Jr.

Brooklyn Aces third-string goaltender Anthony Felice may have only played 50 minutes this season, giving up two goals in three appearances, but don’t let his numbers fool you.

He is a one of a kind netminder.

While several of the goaltenders in the EPHL have great goalie masks, such as Eddie Neville’s, which features “The Thing” from Marvel Comics, or Derek MacIntyre’s “Mad Dog” or even Nick Niedert’s “Skull” mask, Felice’s is by far the coolest.

Sporting a Star Wars-themed goalie mask, Felice is able to pay homage to his favorite movie, while playing the game he loves.

To him, it’s a match made in heaven.

“Everyone loves the mask,” Felice, who is a big fan of Yoda, the elder Jedi master, said. “It’s just like my own little creation. I’m a big Star Wars fan.”

I still remember the day in June when I found out that a professional hockey team was coming to Brooklyn. I was at Keyspan Park, covering the Cyclones, three hours early as usual, working on a story and watching batting practice, when I got an e-mail from a buddy of mine telling me the news.

Aside from being completely overjoyed as a lifelong hockey fan, I knew I had a chance to do something very special.

I soon after spoke to my editor and publisher for the two websites and newspapers I do most of my writing for and was assured I had the beat. However, by early October, for reasons that I’d like to not get into, both of the publications I wrote for felt it would be best if they didn’t cover the team at all or at a pace that to me, wasn’t going to be worth my time.

Aces captain Rob Miller felt like he was a rookie all over again, as his former coach, teammate and former Rangers star Ron Duguay laced up his skates on Saturday on the other side of the Brooklyn locker room.

23 years old and a first-year pro with the Jacksonville Barracudas the last time the two shared the same sheet of ice in 2003, Miller was probably too young to remember Duguay’s heyday with the Rangers and Detroit Red Wings, when he was an enthusiastic and dangerous center with an excellent shot and great hockey instincts.

However, despite his ability on the ice, Duguay will always be remembered for captivating the women wherever he played, with his trademark Jon Bon Jovi-esque long hair, earing and sasson jeans.

Oo- La-La.

This time around, Duguay, despite over 27-years since his last 40-goal season, still maintained his devilish good looks, but at 51, he acknowledged his game isn’t what it used to be.

Growing up watching hockey movies like “Slapshot” and “Youngblood,” I thought I knew what to expect when I embarked on a journey with the Brooklyn Aces on their team bus last Friday.

Boy, was I in for a shock.

On my way to my seat, I saw the very same players I’ve been writing about over the past few months in ways that I never thought I’d see them before.

Aces defenseman Dan Carney had his feet up on the seat in front of him, reading an article on hand gestures in what appeared to be Time Magazine, looking like a college professor and not a guy with over 700 pro games under his belt.

Goaltender Miro Recicar was invisibly playing solitaire on his I-Pod, not making a sound.

Armed with a blanket and slippers, Mike Christensen, known for his energy on the ice, was comfortable and ready for the long haul.

After last night’s loss to the Jersey Rockhoppers, the Brooklyn Aces vowed to play with more heart against the Danbury Mad Hatters, a team with what some might say pride themselves, perhaps a bit too much at times, on theirs.

On this day however, Aces goaltender Eddie Neville proved just how big his heart was, making 41 saves in what ended up as not only being the league’s first shutout, but perhaps the team’s biggest win of the season.

“I was seeing the puck well,” said Neville. “[Aces Assistant Coach] Rob Miller mentioned to me before the game that their hasn’t been a shutout yet this season. It got under my skin a little bit;  it was motivation and I knew that if I had to give up nothing to help this team win, I was going to do whatever it took.”

At 9:45 this morning, Aces assistant coach/assistant captain Rob Miller came to Kingsborough Community College as a guest speaker for the basic journalism class I teach. Fielding questions from nearly 30 young and rambunctious journalism students for almost an hour, Miller discussed everything from his childhood to his future prospects in hockey.

At times the questions got personal, as some students asked Miller if he was married and what he’d do if he wasn’t a hockey player, but the Aces D-man never flinched and did his best to answer every students questions. At other times, Miller let loose and discussed everything from the sensation of laying an open-ice hit, the dynamics of fighting and his love of New York City.

While any team in the EPHL would kill to have the Aces BMT line of James Brannigan, Kyle McCollaugh and C.J. Tozzo, they wouldn’t exactly cry their eyes out if they got stuck with Chris Holmes, Jesse Felten and Mike Christensen instead.

Combining the NHL-caliber speed of Felten, the 95-mph slapshot of Holmes and the two-way ability and slick shooting of Christensen, the “Three Amigos” line have made opposing defensemen miserable this season.

However, the trio didn’t get their name for being friendly on the ice. As a matter of fact, all three, despite being under six feet tall, are gritty players that if forced to, will drop the gloves.

With that being said, how did they get their name?

Being the equipment manager of a professional hockey team is a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it.

For the Brooklyn Aces, that person is Dan Barry.

Armed with an outgoing personality and a plethora of hockey knowledge, Barry may in fact be the team’s secret weapon, as the skates he’s sharpened and sticks he’s taped have been on the feet and hands of a Brooklyn Aces team that has a 9-1 record through their first 10 games.

Chatting with Aces Over Brooklyn during the team’s last homestand, Barry talks about how he joined the ranks of his profession and how tough it is to have one of the best seats in the house every night.

Aces Over Brooklyn- How did you get into managing equipment?

With five points in his first four games, Brooklyn Aces defenseman Doug Hoffman has proved to be more than a force at the blueline this season.

However, it wasn’t until a few weeks ago, that he decided to come strut his stuff in the EPHL.

Joining the team during the last week of training camp and just a few days before the season began, the 6′4, 210-pound defenseman has a renewed sense of vigor and is paying big dividends for the Aces.

“I took a few years off; I kind of came out of retirement,” Hoffman said. “I lost that desire for a while, but I was still skating every day. Now, I got that itch back and I’m ready to play and produce for this team. I was down South playing with a team down there and heard about what was going on here, so I figured I’d give this a shot.”