After the game got sorted out last night, the Aces were a different club and weren’t forechecking the way they were earlier in the game.  Jersey’s fourth goal, scored by Matt Tyree, was a weak wrister that seemed to have changed direction, but compared to the other goals Jersey has scored in the series, it was by far the weakest one. The Brooklyn defense also allowed Tyree to get a decent enough shot on Eddie Neville and possibly even got in his line of sight, something that wasn’t happening through the game’s first 40 minutes.

If the Aces are to come out today and forget about what happened last night, they’ll have to get on the board early and establish their game. They have to get the “Red Line” of B.J. Kuper, Jesse Felten and Andrew Scampoli involved in the offensive end, so they can pester the Jersey defense and get them off their game. As far as the way the team’s two top lines compare, they pretty much cancel each other out and are both extremely talented. The Aces last line of Kuper, Felten and Scampoli however have been an X-factor of sorts for Brooklyn and will play a huge role in tonight’s game.

In addition, the team will have to find a way to keep their three snipers, C.J. Tozzo, Kyle McCullough and Mike Christensen involved. If they can get these guys to take shots, the offense will come. Tozzo has 15 shots in the series thus far and has been the best player for the Aces aside from Felten. After both Christensen and McCullough were silent in game one, they played much better last night, a huge reason why the team got the game to overtime. If the Aces can find a way to get all three lines going, they’ll be able to tire out a Jersey team that doesn’t have the speed or depth they do.

However, the biggest factor in the game is the powerplay. Last night, the Aces powerplay was void of the cycling, smart shot selection and poise it had in game one and over the last week of the season. Forwards were taking shots from weird angles, forcing the puck hard around the boards to the point where it left the zone. It’s simply a case of some players trying to do too much, rather than depend on each other and play smart, like they were earlier in the season. If that doesn’t stop, things will be that much harder for the Aces tonight.

The trophy is there and waiting for both teams and in the end, it’ll come down to who wants it more.

After last night’s win the Rockhoppers have the momentum in their favor and will be the team to beat early on.

Expect the first period to be an extremely exciting one as both team’s will try to establish their dominance early on.

That is unless the Aces decide to pull a Twisted Sister and decide that they aren’t going to take it anymore.

Photos by Patrick Hickey Jr.

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If the Aces are to win again tonight and claim the EPHL championship, Neville will be asked to rise to the occasion once again.

“Eddie was the man tonight,” said Aces head coach Chris Firriolo after last night’s game. “New Jersey was dynamite tonight and made him work. It was one of the top three hockey games I’ve been a part of in the 14-years I’ve been involved in this sport. Neville was phenomenal.”

Speaking of phenomenal, the Aces “Red Line” of “Super” B.J. Kuper, Jesse Felten and Andrew Scampoli were also a big part of the team’s success, as they were aggressive on the forecheck, in the corners and weren’t scared to take shots on net. Of the Aces three forward lines, the Red Line produced 12 of the team’s 37 shots and drew several penalties with their hard work.

“That entire line was dynamite,” Firriolo said.

While Kuper and Scampoli obviously had their moments, Felten was on fire, registering seven shots on goal and showing the energy of a Jack Russell terrier in the corners.

“This was the Jessie Felten I knew we were getting when he came here this season,” said Firriolo. “He played an amazing game.”

However, things aren’t all peaches and cream for Brooklyn. New Jersey had its share of success last night as well and with Pat Serpico playing his best hockey of the season and Chris Ferazzoli back in the lineup, complimenting the already potent offensive trio of Kyle Bozoian, Matt Puntureri and Tom Boudreau, New Jersey has the potential of causing serious havoc in the Aces end if given an opportunity.

Firriolo is aware of this perhaps more than anyone and will absolutely remind his team to pay special attention while in their own end, limiting turnovers and any sort of breakdowns that could put them behind the eight ball.

“I told Alan [Aces owner Alan Friedman] after the third period that this game could go either way,” said Firriolo. “And it was going to be a shame for whoever lost.”

In order to ensure a victory, the Aces will have to continue to not only get the amazing goaltending they got from Neville last night, but will have to play top notch defense and get the likes of Kyle McCullough, Tony Resendes and Mike Christensen, three players who were noticeably absent from the scoresheet last night, a bit more involved. Three of the teams best offensive players this season, the three produced only nine shots and were a combined -2.

If they can get them going and can shutdown the Jersey offense, the Aces will claim the EPHL championship.

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Defeating the New Jersey Rockhoppers.

That may come to the surprise to some of the conspiracy theorists out there that feel that this is a meaningless game for Brooklyn and they won’t give their all, especially with former Ranger sniper Ron Duguay in the lineup.

Quite the contrary, actually.

Not playing the same dominating hockey against both the Rockhoppers and Danbury over the past month, Brooklyn will look to go out with a bang in the regular season and do not see Duguay as a distraction at all.

“It’s going to be fun having him here,” said Aces forward Jesse Felten after last night’s loss. “We still know what we have to do tomorrow though. We want to beat those guys.”

With that in mind, expect the Aces to come out with some extra energy tonight. Whenever they’ve gotten themselves into trouble this season, most of the time it has to do with the way they start. Combine that with a lack of offense and you’ve got yourself a recipe for disaster. If they can get an early lead and pressure the puck, they’ll be in great shape. However, if Rockhoppers goaltender Nick Niedert decides to go and make 50 saves against them, something he’s done a few times this season, this could be a long night for the Aces.

The last game before the playoffs, the Aces desperately need a win here to reestablish their confidence and get some momentum swinging in their direction. As mentioned in previous pieces over the past few days, this is not the same Aces team anymore and despite the fact that they are dominant offensively and have good goaltending and defense, they cannot afford to make mistakes in their own end with the puck. If they continue to do so, either Danbury or New Jersey will be able to defeat them in the playoffs.

However, if the Aces play their system and are aggressive on defense and play smart offense, meaning they take shots from the point, get traffic and get goals in bunches, they will be the same team that mystified the league earlier in the season and will be able to do a lot more than just hold on the rest of the way.

That’s why getting on track today is so important for them.

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Forget the fact that the Hatters were eliminated from post-season play after New Jersey defeated the Bears in overtime last night. [EDIT 11:09- Danbury will be eliminated with a loss tonight or a New Jersey win on Saturday. My apologies. With some of these games canceled, it's become a rough to know how many games are actually left in the season.]

Something much bigger is at stake here.

Pride.

Always a heated contest, Brooklyn will nevertheless look to continue to fine tune their non-aggressive forecheck and play smart puck pursuit hockey. If they can, Danbury will have no problem rubbing shoulders, which should make for an excellent hockey game from start to finish.

With their last game of the season against the New Jersey Rockhoppers on Saturday, the Aces will also use this game to see what line combinations they’ll end up using during the post-season.

It seems that the “Three Amigos” line of Mike Christensen, Chris Holmes and Jesse Felten will get a shot to see if the chemistry is still there as the trio have been been shifted together several times as of late, but not yet on a regular basis.

Felten especially was happy to be reunited with his former linemates.

“It’s great that the Three Amigos are back,” he said with a laugh a few games ago. “I love playing with those guys.”

With Mike Thomson gone, the Aces will also have to see who will be able to pick up the slack and produce. Garnering three assists in his first game back with the team since early February and showing some mighty impressive stick-handling moves as well, it looks like Eddie Chlanda should get his fair share of ice-time over the next pair of games. If not, Tony Resendes has been his usual firecracker-self as of late and because of that, could earn himself an expanded role for the post-season.

The Aces defense, which played a huge part in the team’s success against Hudson Valley on Tuesday, thanks to a re-energized Doug Hoffman and Andrew Scampoli and some great play by Dan Carney, Rob Miller and Chris Robinson, who will also be tested. Can they continue to move the puck with the same efficiency against a much tougher team in Danbury? Can they generate offense and keep the puck low against Derek MacIntyre, a goaltender that shut them out the last time the two teams played?

If they can, the Aces will have passed one very huge test and will be ready for the post-season. If not, questions will arise in regards to just how good this team really is.

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However, after the team’s 6-4 loss to the New Jersey Rockhoppers, expect Brooklyn to get back on track against the last-place Hudson Valley Bears.

The game can also end up being a pivotal one for two Aces in particular, as both of the team’s assistant captains, C.J. Tozzo and Kyle McCullough, currently find themselves with 90 points. While it’s obvious they won’t both score 10 points tonight, great games against Hudson Valley could play a huge factor in the duo being the first two players in league history to get to 100 points.

While Tozzo has put winning ahead of any personal goals, he did say it was something that has crossed his mind.

“Obviously you think about it and it would be nice,” said Tozzo. “But right now, we’re concentrating on playing well going into the playoffs and getting back on track. The way I feel about it now is that it would be a huge bonus, but we want to make sure we’re all on the same page and create a cohesive unit for when we get to the playoffs.”

The Aces will also have Eddie Chlanda and Bill Horton in the lineup, two players brought in for the playoff push. In five games with the Aces earlier this season, Chlanda, who compares his game to that of current New York Islander Trent Hunter, has five points. While Horton is less of an offensive player than Chlanda, he’s a steady defenseman with size that should be able to give the Aces defense even more depth.

With the new additions and the team’s loss on Sunday still looming in their memories, expect the Aces to come out strong and work on pressuring the puck in all three zones, something that when they’ve done it consistently, has played a huge role in their success. Also expect Aces defensemen Rob Miller and Doug Hoffman to continue to shoot from the point, something they’ve been doing much more of lately and a huge reason why they’ve been averaging over a point through their last five games.

So while it may still appear to just be a sparring match between the best and worst teams in the league, this game should still end up being an important one for the Aces.

Site News:

I will be appearing on WKRB 90.3 FM this Thursday at 6:30 to discuss the Brooklyn Aces on the new talk show “Hockey Night in Brooklyn, with Jonathan Rios.”

Tune in!

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That makes today’s game with the New Jersey Rockhoppers an incredibly interesting one, even though there’s no telling who the Aces will play in the post-season as of yet.

Currently only two points separate the Danbury Mad Hatters and New Jersey with both teams having only five games left to play. If you ask most fans in the league, they probably feel a series between the Aces and Mad Hatters would be great, as both teams aren’t on the friendliest terms with one another, making for a physical and emotional series. However, New Jersey is the better team of the two and if they would play Brooklyn, the quality of the games would be better than if Danbury reached the post-season.

Overall, it’s going o be quite interesting to see who ends up claiming that final playoff spot.

With a win today, the Aces can play a big factor in that eventual outcome.

Nevertheless, Aces head coach Chris Firriolo is trying to keep his team focused the rest of the season and continue to develop the team’s revamped forechecking and puck pursuit systems that have played a big role in the team’s turnaround over the past few games.

“We’re not really thinking about that now,” said Firriolo. “We just want to get ready for the playoffs.”

Felice Ready- With Eddie Neville out indefinitely with a strained back and neck, the Aces called on a familiar face on Saturday night, signing 35-year-old netminder Anthony Felice, who has had a few stints with the team this season. Making seven saves on eight shots in the third, Felice was solid and told Aces Over Brooklyn that he knows that Brooklyn is in a tough spot right now and is ready to help.

“I told them I’m at their disposal,” he said after last night’s game. “I’m here to do whatever they need me to.”

With a solid backup on the bench, the Aces have one less thing to worry about and should have no problem maintaining their focus against a talented Rockhoppers team that is fighting for their playoff lives.

Should be an interesting one.

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The Brooklyn Aces are the EPHL regular season champions.

But what does that mean for today’s game against the Hudson Valley Bears, a team that has been playing spoiler for the past month and a half when they were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention?

Anyone in the league that knows what they’re talking about will tell you that despite the fact that Hudson Valley have had trouble winning this season, they play hard every game. Full of part-time players that cannot dedicate time to practice during the week, the Bears make the most of what they have, but it’s often just not good enough. Nevertheless, they don’t give up and because of that, they have sent numerous players to the ECHL and AHL this season.

Because of that mindset, the Bears are a great team for the Aces to continue to develop their new forecheck against. While the Aces were powered by an amazing offense and excellent goaltending through their early season success, their game against the New Jersey Rockhoppers proved that they will have to be solid on defense and continue to pressure the puck if they want to induce scoring opportunities and win in the post-season.

Simply put, the speedsters on Brooklyn like B.J. Kuper, Jesse Felten and Tony Resendes were at the top of their games defensively last night, challenging the puck carriers in their own end and giving their teammates and themselves plenty of high percentage scoring opportunities. If they can do that again tonight, expect double-digit goals for Brooklyn.

While the forecheck was stellar last night, the Aces were tougher than usual as well. That had a lot to to do with the physical play of Rob Miller and Chris Robinson, but more to do with Joe Pelle, who in about nine minutes of ice time, was wreaking havoc, doing everything from taunting the Rockhoppers verbally to spraying ice on New Jersey goaltender Nick Niedert in between whistles.

Despite the fact that Pelle won’t be in the lineup tonight, because he too is a part-time player and a full-time college student that lives in Philadelphia, the momentum he’s created should play a very big part in today’s game as well.

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Despite the fact that the rivalry between these two teams pales in comparison to that between the Aces and Mad Hatters, this match-up will pit the two top offenses in league against one another.

However, the game will have a heavy focus on the defensive side of the puck as well, as regardless of who is in net for Brooklyn, expect a top-notch battle between the pipes as both Miro Recicar, Eddie Neville and New Jersey’s Nick Niedert have played stellar hockey all season.

With that being said, expect a tight game from start to finish that will be decided by how well each team recovers from their mistakes. Earlier in the season, the Aces offense and goaltending covered for many of their breakdowns, but as of late, they’ve come back down to earth. Despite playing spirited hockey against Danbury last Friday and generating plenty of shots, turnovers in the neutral zone and a bad decision with the puck by Neville in the first period ended up leading to their demise.

In the end, it wasn’t the team that played better hockey or had the better team that won, it was the team that played their system with more efficiency that ended up the victor.

If the Aces are to snap out of the recent funk they’ve gotten into, they’ll have to establish their forecheck and pressure the puck in all three zones. If they do that, they’ll produce turnovers and high percentage scoring opportunities. With a roster filled with talented offensive players, Brooklyn will then have to put their money with their mouth is and convert.

Struggling for offense over the last three weeks, a win against New Jersey will be a huge confidence boost. It won’t be easy though against Niedert, a goaltender that has had plenty of success against the team this season. Also considering the fact that New Jersey has the pieces on the forward lines and on defense to not only keep pace with the Aces offensively, but on special teams as well, this will be a spirited game from start to finish.

In the end, it’ll be decided by how well both teams can play in their own end and how much they’re willing to do in order to induce offense. This late in the season, expect more physicality on the ice as well. With both teams possessing their own tough guys in Jason McCrimmon and Joe Pelle, the game has the possibility of getting explosive very quickly.

All in all, this has all the intangibles to be one of the best games this season.

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Despite having a 10-point lead over the New Jersey Rockhoppers for the top spot in the EPHL, Brooklyn has been unable to muster offense against them and their arch rivals the Danbury Mad Hatters.

Scoring 14 goals in their last two games against Hudson Valley, look for the Aces to take out their frustration on the last place Bears today.

However, expect a few other things as well.

Over the past few games, the Aces offense has been struggling to get goals. This has stemmed from the defense’s inability to take shots from the point that forwards can control from the rebound or while in traffic in front of the net. Unable to get a forward in front of the net, the Aces have seriously limited their defense’s ability to produce offensively. It’s something that Aces head coach Chris Firriolo wants to see more of, so expect it to be implemented and experimented with more today.

With talented offensive defensemen in Doug Hoffman, Rob Miller, Andrew Scampoli and Ian McLoughlin, if the Aces can get them the puck in that hot zone, in between the blue line and the top of the circles and have a player or two in front of the net looking for a tip, they’ll have no problem producing offensively, against any team in the league. However, as previously stated, it’s been something they’ve had problems with over their last 10 games.

In order for the Aces offense to rekindle their fire, players like Mike Thomson, Chris Holmes and even Jesse Felten will have to be buzzing in front of the net. Guys like Mike Christensen, Kyle McCullough and C.J. Tozzo haven’t let up offensively all season, but somehow, the Aces still find themselves having problems defeating the better teams in this league. If that is going to stop, the secondary scorers will have to start producing more.

Expect some of that today, while the Aces begin to plan for their next game with New Jersey on the Mar. 13.

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You wouldn’t expect the team with the best offense in the league all season to have problems scoring, but that’s exactly the case with the Aces lately whenever they play the Hatters or the New Jersey Rockhoppers, the two very teams that are vying for the playoff spot to meet Brooklyn in the post-season.

With only nine games left, the Aces is concerned, but feel they can turn it around.

“We have to snap out of it; I know we can. We can turn it around,” said Miller. “Hopefully, it’s like a light switch.”

While the offense has been a huge concern, the bigger concern is the lack of grit the team has had since the exodus of Chad Wilcox. Despite adding Joe Pelle to the lineup last night, who did his part, mixing it up with Matt Cosmos, the Aces were unable to match wits physically with Danbury, which played a huge part in the team’s offensive opportunities last night.

Before the game, Aces head coach Chris Firriolo preached that his team get pressure in front of the net. However, because of their inability to get down and dirty, they were unable to and as a result, could not get high percentage scoring opportunities on MacIntyre.

If this continues against a much better team in New Jersey tonight, with a goaltender in Nick Niedert that has success against them, Brooklyn could be in for a long night.

“When you have a player like Joe Pelle in the lineup, you’re more or less allowed to have more liberties,” said Aces captain Rob Miller after last night’s 3-0 loss to Danbury. “I told coach [Firriolo] after the second period that and our guys weren’t doing it. We don’t do the same things other teams do.”

One player that was willing to mix it up though was Aces assistant captain C.J. Tozzo, who fought with Alex Redmond and was consistently finishing his checks all night. However for the Aces to be succesful, the entire team will have to match their former captain’s aggressive skating style and pressure the puck, something they haven’t consistently done as of late either.

While the Aces probably won’t be asked to be as gritty against New Jersey tonight, an overall approach to being tough and giving themselves space on the ice will play a part in their offensive attack.

“We know we have a great team with great players,” said Aces defenseman Chris Robinson. “We just have to put it together.”

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With the addition of enforcer Joe Pelle, the Aces will have the toughness they’ve lacked since former captain Chad Wilcox’s exodus. With Dan Carney and Mike Christensen back from a one-game stint with Elmira of the ECHL as well, the Aces will be fortified on both the forward lines and on defense.

Nevertheless, they’ll still have to be on top of their game, as the Mad Hatters are fighting for their playoff lives, currently five points behind the New Jersey Rockhoppers with only 10 games left to play.

Danbury head coach Dan MacIsaac has also voiced his displeasure with the league as of late, furious over the fact that recently-acquired Zach Flynn wasn’t able to play in the team’s last game against New Jersey.

“Let me go on the record as saying that this league is trying to (mess with) us,” MacIsaac told the News Times on Wednesday. “And our team is just going to stick together and play through all the this. They make up rules as they go along. We couldn’t dress our new player tonight, Zack Flynn, because we were late on calling to get him into the lineup. When every other team has broken rule after rule after rule, that have nothing to do with a five minute late penalty. As far as I’m concerned, I’m done with this league. It’s a joke. Our guys right now are battling right now to win the trophy for them, not for the league, for them.”

Already known as a tough and emotion-fueled team, MacIsaac’s comments should keep his team fired up and ready to fight for their playoff lives. With a 7-3 record over their last 10 games, Danbury has made up serious ground over the past few weeks and will fight tooth and nail against the Aces to keep it that way.

Coming off of a two-game series with the Hudson Valley Bears where they scored 14 goals, the Aces will be looking to avenge their 4-1 loss to Danbury on Feb.21 and create the same type of offense. Having Christensen, Tony Resendes and Rob Miller back has seemingly rejuvenated the team’s offense and with C.J. Tozzo and Kyle McCullough playing some of their best hockey all season as well, Brooklyn will attempt to reproduce their success against a much better team in Danbury tonight.

If they can, expect a very interesting game.

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With another game against the Bears tonight, the Aces will get another chance to employ their neutral zone trap and aggressive forecheck and will have a chance to iron out any kinks for their next game against the Danbury Mad Hatters next Friday.

Using six defensemen in their last game, the Aces had three steady combinations that played a huge part in the team’s success. While Aces head coach Chris Firriolo liked what he saw from his D-men and believes he’ll keep six defensemen on the roster for the time being, he may be forced to cut one when the playoffs begin.

“I liked the way all six D played out there tonight,” said Firriolo. “We may keep six and see what happens.”

With three steady forward lines as well, Firriolo also liked the play of his forwards, who were aggressive on the forecheck all night and induced several turnovers.

“I thought Christensen and Holmes especially were dynamite all night,” he said. “They were all over the puck.”

So with the team seemingly on the same page for the first time in a few weeks, could this be the return of the dominant Aces team that destroyed everything in it’s path through the first two months of the season?

As of right now, that appears to be the case, which does not bode well for the Bears tonight.

However, it’ll be impossible to tell how dominant a re-energized and healthy Brooklyn team can truly be until they face off against the New Jersey Rockhoppers and Danbury Mad Hatters next week.

Nevertheless, today’s game should be a good way of seeing how serious Brooklyn is about getting back in gear.

Notes-

Despite missing the third period on Thursday, Aces leading scorer Kyle McCullough will be in the lineup today.

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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.

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However, against a team with only three wins this season in the Hudson Valley Bears, the last thing the Aces are thinking about is playing consistently. Instead, if the Aces have their way today, they’d like to make a statement, scoring 10 goals and then reverting their focus towards Thursday, when defenseman Rob Miller should rejoin the lineup and the team can begin to prepare itself for the playoffs.

Aces head coach Chris Firriolo especially is looking forward to next week.

“No other team in this league has had to deal with the amount of injuries we’ve had to,” he said on Friday. “Having Rob Miller back is going to be huge for us. By then, we should be as healthy as we’ve been all season and I expect us to continue where we left off.”

While Miller should be ready this Thursday, when the Aces take on the Bears yet again, Mike Christensen, who was medically cleared to play a few games ago, should be ready to go today as well, giving the Aces back arguably the best two-way player in the league.

That’s obviously not good news for the Bears and the rest of the league. Christensen’s return also has serious long-term ramifications as well, as it should go a long way in fortifying the Aces inconsistent offense the rest of the season.

However, after scoring just one goal last night against Danbury, the Aces need more than just a sharp Christensen. Scoring five points the last time the Aces took on the Bears, Eric Frank hasn’t registered a point in two games. Tony Resendes, who scored the game winning goal on Friday against New Jersey, was conveniently absent from the box score last night. If Frank and Resendes can get back on the scoresheet and the dependable C.J. Tozzo and Kyle McCullough can continue to produce at the breakneck pace they have been all season, the Aces should be in great shape tomorrow against the Bears.

If not, someone else is going to have to step up and make sure the Aces can find the back of the net enough to induce a victory.

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This time around however, Firriolo shouldn’t have that problem.

Having Tony Resendes back in the lineup for the first time since Dec. 18 was a huge shot in the arm and it paid quick dividends, as the feisty forward scored the game-winning goal in overtime last night.

Offensive defenseman Andrew Scampoli, who arrived from Holland last night too late to play, will also be in the lineup tonight and will give the Aces’ defense a totally different look. When he originally left the team in November, Scampoli was tied for the league lead in points by a defenseman with eight and considering that alone, he should also provide the Aces offense and powerplay with a huge spark.

If that wasn’t enough, it seems like the Aces have struck gold with new addition Brent Ozarowski, who had three points last night on a line with the team’s top scoring duo of C.J. Tozzo and Kyle McCullough. Looking for chemistry with another player since James Brannigan left for Utah at the end of December, Ozarowski, a guy with over 200 ECHL games and time in Europe under his belt, may be just what the team is looking for.

However, with center Mike Christensen due back anytime, someone will have to go.

The Aces aren’t ready to make a decision on anyone’s status though and instead want to ride the effort the team is putting out and prefer to think about personnel changes later.

“We don’t know how long we’re going to have him, but it was great to see that Tozzo and McCullough were able to play with a guy like that,” said Firriolo. “He’s got a great shot and great vision out there and he definitely helped our boys out there. It was fun to watch.”

Also noticeable last night was the Aces team-wide grit. Mike Thomson and Chris Holmes especially played with a chip on their shoulders, something that has been relatively absent since the loss of enforcer Chad Wilcox.

If the Aces offense can continue to build off of last night’s effort and get the toughness and goaltending they need, Danbury is going to have their hands full.

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Sure, they don’t have the offense on the blue line that Brooklyn has, especially with the addition of Andrew Scampoli, who rejoins the Aces after spending the past few months, but they have an equally as dangerous and deep offense and a more than capable goaltender.

However, this time around, the Rockhoppers will find themselves in unknown waters. Leading scorer Chris Ferazzoli was recalled to Cincinnati of the EPHL during the week, forcing his team to play without him for the first time this season. Relatively injury free all season, it’ll be interesting to see how well the Rockhoppers perform without their primary offensive catalyst.

The Aces on the other hand, in addition to getting the slick skating Scampoli back today, will also have Tony Resendes and Vladislav Kouroedov ready to go, which should go a long way in helping revitalize the team’s struggling offense. Added names on the lineup card alone will not be enough to defeat New Jersey though. After Sunday’s 5-3 loss, the Aces will have to do a better job of finishing and while the returning duo of Scampoli and Resendes and the addition of Kouroedov will help in that process, players like Kyle McCullough and C.J. Tozzo, who have been stellar offensively all season, will have to continue to their solid play.

The way Jersey goaltender Nick Niedert played against them last week however, making 39 saves, the Aces will need more than Tozzo and McCullough firing on all cylinders and will need to produce with the man advantage. If they can, New Jersey will have their hands full defending against the revamped Aces offense. If not, expect another tight game that’ll go down to the last minute of play.

There’s a reason why both of these teams have a combined 19 losses in 71 games this season and because of that and the moves both teams have made over the past few days, the rivalry between these two teams [which still pales in comparison to the one between the Aces and Danbury Mad Hatters] is surely to get much more intense before the season is over.

It all starts again tonight.

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You wouldn’t expect the Brooklyn Aces to think much of last night’s 11-2 win over the Hudson Valley Bears, a team that they haven’t lost to all season, but it may be exactly what the doctor ordered for an extremely talented offense that was in a nasty rut before that game.

Leading the way with five points last night, Eric Frank snapped out of a mini-scoring slump, powering the Aces to victory. Jesse Felten too was on his game, scoring two points and getting back on track as well. The same goes for Mike Thomson, who has two goals and an assist.

While the focal point of the Aces offense this season has always been Kyle McCullough and C.J. Tozzo, who are first and third in scoring with 64 and 62 points respectively, Brooklyn will need to get game-breaking performances out of secondary players the likes of Frank, Thomson and Felten if they wish to continue to pace the league.

Squaring off against one of the best netminders in the league today in Nick Niedert, the Aces will have their hands full today, but can make things much easier if they take some of the pressure off of Tozzo and McCullough.

Speaking of game-breaking performances, Aces goaltender Eddie Neville has been on his game as of late, giving up only two goals in his last two games. In order for Brooklyn to continue their winning ways, Neville will have to continue to be as sharp as he has been. Considering how solid he’s been as of late, today’s opponent, the New Jersey Rockhoppers, will have to get plenty of pressure to ensure their success.

With plenty of offense on the forward lines that feature snipers Chris Ferazzoli, Tom Boudreau and Kyle Bozoian that pressure will come with the territory and it’ll be up to the Aces defense core will have to limit the high percentage scoring opportunities. That means a crease clearer like Chris Robinson will have to do the majority of the heavy lifting down low if Brooklyn is to come out victorious.

Scoring their first powerplay goal in quite some time yesterday, the Aces powerplay will also be a crucial factor in determining their success. With players like Felten and B.J. Kuper skating hard every night, Brooklyn always gets it’s fair share of powerplay opportunities. If they can come through on a few today, they’d make their lives a heck of a lot easier.

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Despite the fact that the Aces have dominated the Bears all season, this time around however, Hudson Valley will have a markedly different look.

For starters, once former Aces forward Josh Coyle was released a few weeks ago by Brooklyn, Hudson Valley quickly snatched him up. The end result has been beneficial for both parties, as Coyle has eight points in his first four games.

The team also signed forward Justin Bodine, former ECHLer Lynn Beedle and defensemen Ken Francis, who was Third Team All-SECHL at Marist last season and Peter Dannenhower, who spent time last season with the Valley Forge Freedom of the MAHL. While these players don’t pack the same punch as Coyle, the Aces will have to make sure they’re on their game and can defend against these new additions. Add in the solid offensive play of John Geverd [37 points in only 23 games] and Scott Estey [16 goals in 23 games] and the return of goaltender Len DiCostanzo last week and it’s possible that the Bears may be at their best tomorrow.

Playing against the white-hot New Jersey Rockhoppers last night, the Bears won’t be the fresher team, so it’s up to the Aces to jump on them early. With problems on the powerplay and producing offensively as of late, scoring only four goals over their past three games, the Aces need someone to tep up. Leading the league by a healthy margin all season, Brooklyn will have to snap out of their recent offensive funk and fast.

Even Aces coach Chris Firriolo was concerned after the team’s last win.

“We can’t finish right now,” he said. “We haven’t scored a pretty goal in a while either. We have to start bearing down more and focus.”

However, with Eddie Neville coming off of his first professional shutout last week, Brooklyn will be heavily fortified in net again. If the offense continues to fail to put up numbers, Neville or the Aces other netminder, Miro Recicar, will have to be on his game.

With Mike Christensen still out of the lineup for at least another week as well, the Aces will be missing one of the best players in the league and will have to find the right combinations and produce where it matters most, on the scoreboard.

Otherwise, this game may end up a lot closer than many may think.

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The Brooklyn Aces, the best team in the EPHL, has lost three games in a row and has had problems on defense and with their usually rock-solid goaltending combination of Eddie Neville and Miro Recicar. However, scoring only three goals their past two games, it seems like their offense, which has been infallible all season, may have hit a bump in the road as well.

“We don’t have the same chemistry going,” said Firriolo. “It’s been hard, we just have to find some stability. It’ll happen, we just have to find some new combinations. It’ll happen during the week.”

With the likes of newbies Mike Baccaro, Matt McGilvray and Sean Walsh all a part of the team’s newly formed checking line, Firriolo’s point couldn’t be any clearer. While all three were solid last night, registering a combined seven shots on goal, it’s obvious that they are still getting accustomed to the league.

With one line needing time to get adjusted, the rest of the Aces squad has to step up. Despite registering 36 shots on goal and producing plenty of quality scoring chances, Aces captain C.J. Tozzo, who is the middle of a 16-game point scoring streak, feels that his team was missing something last night.

“We’re a skilled team, but when we don’t have it here [pointing to his heart] we aren’t going to win,” said Tozzo. “We’re going to bring it tomorrow.”

The sullen looks on the players faces after the game confirmed it. They don’t like losing. Their fifth regulation loss of the season, the Aces still hold a 12-point lead over the Rockhoppers and an 18-point lead over Danbury for the EPHL points lead. Nevertheless, it’s looking like the team has hit it’s biggest wall of the season.

In spite of that, they feel that they have hat it takes to rebound, even against a team like the Danbury Mad Hatters that is playing their best hockey of the season, winning three straight, in spite losing their two best scorers in Igor Karlov and Duane Whitehead a few weeks ago.

“I know that we have the character we need in this dressing room,” said Neville. “We’re going to come out hard and win tomorrow.”

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Armed with plenty of scoring ability and the uber-dependable Nick Niedert in net, the Aces know things won’t be easy against their New Jersey neighbors.

Relatively injury free all season, the Rockhoppers have gotten better with every game this season and will provide Brooklyn with a more than tough test tonight.

Battling injuries for over a month, Brooklyn has had a cast of players brought in to help keep the ship sailing at top speed. While the new additions have all been moderately succesful, the team hasn’t had the same type of chemistry they had earlier in the season. At 24-4-2-1, it would be crazy to think the team was in jeopardy of losing their spot in the playoffs [They'd have to suffer a fate worse than the 2007 Mets for that to happen.]. Nevertheless, their play as of late hasn’t been inspiring.

Coming off his second ineffective start of the season, it’s most likely Miro Recicar will be on the bench in favor of Eddie Neville. Unfortunately for Brooklyn, Neville isn’t coming off of his best performance of the season either, giving up four goals on 36 shots against the Hudson Valley Bears on January 29. Nonetheless, in spite of their recent play, both Neville and Recicar have been a huge factor in the team’s success this season. If either one can step up and regain the form they’ve had for most of the season, the team should regain their winning ways.

Another thing that could help the Aces is their powerplay. Going 0 for 6 last night, the team’s play with the man advantage has to be better if this team wants to take two points tonight. Consistent for most of the season, the Brooklyn powerplay will need to get their defensemen involved, especially Doug Hoffman, who has been slumping offensively as of late. If the big man can get a few shots from the point, Brooklyn’s crafty forwards like Jesse Felten and Chris Holmes may be able to slap in a rebound. Establishing Hoffman’s shot from point could also give C.J. Tozzo and Kyle McCullough some more space to create, which could nab the team a few goals as well.

With quality goaltending and a few powerplay goals, the Aces should be in adequate shape to end this losing streak. However, any lapses in judgment will be ones they’ll pay for, as the New Jersey offense, featuring the likes of Kyle Bozoian, Logan Bittle, Chris Ferazzoli and Tom Boudreau is not one to be fiddled around with.

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Leading by two with less than three minutes left in the third, the team gave up a pair of goals in less than a minute and soon forfeited a point when Danbury tough guy Hank Carisio scored in the shootout to give his team the win.

Because of their play that night and a regulation loss a week later to the New Jersey Rockhoppers, the Aces will look to put an exclamation point on the ice tonight when they take on Danbury on the road.

Two players in particular that will look to put their best foot forward tonight are Aces’ goaltenders Miro Recicar and Eddie Neville, both of whom are coming off less than stellar performances in their last appearances.

Regardless of whom is in net however, Aces head coach Chris Firriolo isn’t concerned.

“They’ve been great all season,” he said. “They know what they have to do out there and I talked to them after practice about how important they are to the team. They are both very tough on themselves and are very proud goalies. They’ll be fine.”

With Carisio and Obi Aduba back in the lineup after getting called up to Elmira a week ago, the Mad Hatters will have a bit more toughness to support the likes of talented offensive players in Erik Kent, the recently activated Eric Lind, Dan Hickman and crafty grinder Drew Madeiros.

Carisio, especially, who has nine goals and 24 points this season, has proven himself to be more than an enforcer and has become a more than formidable thorn in Brooklyn’s side.

While acknowledging Carisio’s ability, Firriolo believes his team can overcome the gritty player’s prescence by simply playing tougher as a team.

“He’s the heart and soul of that team,” said Firriolo. “He got a lot of ability and is as tough as they come. We can’t let players like that cause problems for us though and if we work hard in the corners and take the body as a team, we should be in good shape regardless of who we play.”

With 6′5 defenseman Gabe Yeung on waivers, the Aces will need a pinch of grit with a side order of offense from new additions Sean Walsh and Matt McGilvray in their first appearances with the team. With center Mike Christensen possibly out of the lineup with a lower-body injury as well, the importance of Walsh’s and McGilvray’s performances tonight become even more pivotal. Pests like B.J. Kuper and Jesse Felten will also have to keep their legs moving and get under the collective skin of Danbury, drawing penalties and keeping the Mad Hatters on their toes.

If the Aces can find a way to spend considerable time on the powerplay and can avoid a flat effort early on and avoid another third period collapse, both of which have been a problem for the team at moments this season, they should be able to get back in the win column. However, if Carisio, Madeiros and company are allowed to play physical, the Aces will have their hands full.

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Tonight’s game against the New Jersey Rockhoppers is going to be a huge test.

Calling it the most important game of the season after their win against the Hudson Valley Bears, the Aces know they can’t afford another sloppy third period if they want to come out victorious tonight. Giving up a big portion of their goals in the third period over the past few games, Brooklyn knows they’ll have to be on top of their collective games.

Forced to sign the likes of Derek Kern, Eddie Chlanda and Chris Robinson last week to rejuvenate their team, all three have been solid and have played a part in the team’s continued success. However, with ECHL veteran Dan Carney and Mike Christensen back after dealing with a personal matter for the past few games, the Aces will have an extremely experienced defenseman in the lineup who can play both sides of the puck and one of the best two-way forwards in the league. That alone should give the Aces an even bigger jolt tonight.

Nevertheless, the team is still battling injuries to key players such as Rob Miller, Tony Resendes and Nick Grove. Defenseman Joe Lyle’s status is also unknown after he spent the last two periods of the game in the stands. With that being said, the Aces chances at winning tonight may not depend on their ability to score goals, but on how well Carney and the rest of the Aces defense can work together and limit New Jersey’s opportunities.

Despite making 32 saves last night, Firriolo also didn’t seem too impressed with the play of Eddie Neville, who looks to have become the team’s backup after being returned from Elmira a few weeks ago. Firriolo also announced that Miro Recicar, who hasn’t lost a game in regulation all season, will be in net tonight.

With New Jersey possessing extremely talented forwards and a top-flight goaltender in Nick Niedert, they’ll be a formidable opponent for Brooklyn tonight. Coming off a huge win against the Danbury Mad Hatters last night, the Rockhoppers will be in great spirits and will push the Aces to their limit.

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For Brooklyn, it couldn’t have come at a better time.

Dealing with a multitude of injuries, the Brooklyn Aces fell apart over the last 2:58 of their last contest, giving up two goals and later losing in a shootout in a game that many feel the team should have won.

Headed in a completely different direction with nearly the polar opposite overall record, the Bears may have 25 games left to play this season entering tonight’s game, but make no mistake, they will be playing the role of the spoiler the rest of the way.

Sure, players the likes of Dan Malloy (5g-23a-28pts), John Geverd (7g-17a-24pts) and Scott Estey (10g-12a-22pts) are having good seasons and should be factors, but considering the fact that the Aces have six players on their roster [not including the departed James Brannigan] that have more points than the Bears’ top trio, it’s obvious that Hudson Valley will lose tonight’s game if it turns into a shootout.

With goaltender Len DiCostanzo called up to Bridgeport as well, Hudson Valley will be forced to use someone else in net. Using eight other goalies this season, all with GAA’s of over 4.00, the Bears have not been the recipient of quality goaltending to say the very least. That, combined with their lack of scoring depth make it extremely difficult for them to compete with the other teams in the league.

Things get even tougher for Hudson Valley when you think about the fact that Brooklyn have had three and a half days to think about their last loss and three and a half days for key players the likes of Kyle McCullough and Nick Grove to get healthy after dealing with nagging injuries. Tony Resendes may be even closer to his return after suffering an MCL injury on Dec. 18 and Mike Christensen, arguably the best two-way player in the league, is expected back after missing two games for personal reasons.

With those intangibles in play, the Hudson Valley Bears will have a very small margin for error tonight. However, if they get quality goaltending and the Aces can’t rebound after their worst three-minute effort of the season on Sunday, this game can become a hairy one.

Update- 6:10 P.M.

After being put on waivers by the Aces on Sunday [AOB was originally informed he was released] Josh Coyle has been picked up by the Bears, but won’t be in the lineup tonight.

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As a matter of fact, he sees it as a real challenge for his team.

“This is going to be a tough weekend for us,” he said after the Aces defeated New Jersey on Friday. “It’s going to be rough.”

However, it appears that Firriolo’s ability as a general manager has paid dividends for Brooklyn once again, as the trio signed by the team on Friday, forwards Derek Kern, Eddie Chlanda and defenseman Chris Robinson have all been factors.

With Wilcox out, Robinson has provided that physical prescence the team needs, which has taken a ton of pressure off Gabe Yeung. He’s also been silently steady on the blue line. Speaking of steady, Kern has an assist in both games this weekend and Chlanda came through in the clutch yesterday, nabbing a goal and an assist.

If the injection of spunk provided by the team’s new trio wasn’t enough, both Aces goaltenders are coming off solid games in their last appearances as well, with Recicar getting the win on Friday against New Jersey and Neville, who made his first start since being returned from Elmira last week, winning on a 26-save effort last night against Danbury.

With Danbury losing leading scorer Igor Karlov last week, after he decided to go play in Russia, their offense lacks a true sniper. Erik Kent is a dangerous scorer with 24 points in 23 games and Obi Aduba and Dan Hickman, alongside Drew Madeiros provide solid secondary scoring, but without Karlov, the team lacks that offensive star that can steal games for them. That of course means that Danbury will have to work extra hard in the offensive end in order to keep pace with Brooklyn.

However, with tough customers like Aduba, Madeiros and Hank Carisio in the lineup, in addition to agitator Mykul Haun, the Mad Hatters always have a few tricks up their sleeves. Add in goaltender Derek MacIntyre, who should be on his game after a mediocre performance last night and this should be an entertaining game to say the very least.

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Last night however, without captain Chad Wilcox [who could miss even more time after he returns from Injured Reserve due to an incident that occurred last night between him, a few fans and the New Jersey Rockhoppers], veteran defenseman Nick Grove and Mike Christensen [who Aces head coach Chris Firriolo called “the best two-way player in the league.”] last night, Brooklyn played like champs.

Coming out flat through the first two periods, the Aces got an amazing performance from C.J. Tozzo and Eric Frank, who together combined for three goals in the third to lead the team to a stellar 4-2 come from behind win.

However, the Aces offense wasn’t the real story here. Miro Recicar proved again last night that he doesn’t need a huge amount of offensive support to win. Making 29 saves, many of which were in traffic, Recicar kept the team afloat throughout and gave them a chance to win.

Even bigger than Recicar’s performance though was the play of the defense and especially rookie Chris Robinson, who, in his professional debut last night, was not only taking the body, but was making smart passes in his own zone and poke checking the puck free in corners. Signed on an emergency basis to fill in for the injured Grove, Robinson, who caught Firriolo’s eye last week skating on the rink as an instructor for one of Aviator’s youth hockey clinics before the Aces game, may see extended time this season.

“I thought he was our best defenseman out there tonight,” Firriolo said after the game last night. “He was physical and made smart decisions with the puck. He looked like Scott Stevens out there. We’d like to see where this goes with him.”

With Wilcox out, Robinson, who had 146 PIM in 46 games with the Lincoln Stars of the USHL in 2004-05, may be asked as well to drop the gloves in his tryout with the team, especially when you consider the fact that the team’s next two games will be against the tough and tumble Danbury Mad Hatters. Add in the fact that Danbury has lost leading scorer Igor Karlov, who is now playing in Russia and it seems possible that the team will become even grittier and won’t hesitate to go with what they know best… the rough stuff.

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Despite that shocking information however, the Rockhoppers that wear skates in New Jersey aren’t worried about going extinct any time soon.

With three of the top offensive players in the league in Kyle Bozoian (17 goals & 18 assists), Chris Ferazzoli (15 goals & 20 assists) and Tom Boudreau (15 goals, 19 assists) and a pair of solid danglers in Drew Sanders (30 points in 24 games) and Logan Bittle (19 points in 15 games), Jersey can take it to any team in the league offensively. They also have a more than solid netminder in Nick Niedert (9-10 3.87 GAA), who has stopped the top flight Brooklyn offense before.

With Danbury Mad Hatters top scorer Igor Karlov gone to Russia, it appears as well that New Jersey has clearly become the second-best team in the EPHL.

Well, at least on paper.

However, the way the Aces defense has played in 2009, giving up 25 goals over the past seven games [which averages out to about a 3.60 GAA, which is stellar in this league], New Jersey is going to have a tough time producing.

Playing a huge part in that transformation has been the development of two converted forwards, Ian McLaughlin and Mike Thomson, who have made the transition to defense seamlessly and quickly. Solid at both ends of the ice and capable of playing in all game situations, Aces head coach Chris Firriolo has looked like a genius over the past few weeks for throwing the pair on the blue line.

“A few people were wondering what I was thinking at the time,” said Firriolo, with a grin, in reference to moving McLaughlin, a spare forward and Thomson, a depth player, to defense after injuries nearly decimated it a month ago. “I told them I’d been around the sport a little longer than they have.”

With the Aces defense playing their best hockey this season and 10 players in the lineup currently averaging a point a game or more [not counting the still injured Tony Resendes either], New Jersey will have their hands full. Nonetheless, if Niedert can step up again and the Aces fall victim to a flat start, a predicament that has occurred on several occasions this season, the Rockhoppers can and will win tonight’s game.

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Already without steady blue liner Rob Miller and speedy forward Tony Resendes, the Aces may be without veteran D-man Nick Grove and captain Chad Wilcox for tonight’s game.

It’s a rough situation and a situation Aces head coach Chris Firriolo isn’t happy about.

“The gang is banged up,” he said after last night’s 6-1 over the Rockhoppers. “I don’t want to think about it until tomorrow. It’s going to be tough.”

On a positive note, despite those injuries to their defense, Firriolo is thrilled with the play of Mike Thomson and Ian McLoughlin, two forwards who have gone to the blue line and stepped up over the past 10 games.

“I think they’re on their way to becoming two of the best defensemen in the league,” he said last night. “I really believe that. They move the puck extremely well and look good on the powerplay. If you ask me, aside from Miro Recicar, they were probably the MVPs of tonight’s game.”

However, defense has never been a problem against the Mad Hatters. Rather, a gritty, tough and passionate team, Danbury plays hard for 60 minutes and isn’t scared to get rough, a trait that has shown an ability to wear down Brooklyn this season. With as many scorers on the team, the Aces have to find a way to match Danbury in the grit department and yet not get forced to play the physical type of game the Mad Hatters want to play.

The way Mike Christensen and the line of Eric Frank, Jesse Felten and B.J. Kuper have played as of late, the offense should not be a problem either. Lighting up the scoresheet over the past ten games, Christensen, Kuper and Felten have gone from excellent depth players to key players in a matter of weeks. Frank, coming off an excellent college hockey career and some solid play in other pro leagues has also made an impact, feeding Felten and Kuper the puck in front of the net where they can bury easy goals.

“He’s so smart,” said Firriolo of Frank. “He’s the catalyst on that line. We knew once he got going he’d be something special. He hasn’t let us down.”

Notes-

Despite not garnering as many headlines as of late, the Aces Kyle McCullough and C.J. Tozzo have continued to produce at a point a game or more offensively and rank first and second in the league with 47 and 41 points.

The jury is still out on who will start in goal for tonight’s game. Recicar has won the first two games of the team’s current third-game homestand, but with Eddie Neville back with the Aces last night, Firriolo may want to go with the rested goalie, rather than the hot one.

It also appears that recently signed forward Joe Lovell was more of an emergency signing than an attempt to bolster the forward lines. While Firriolo didn’t rule out a return this season, he made it clear that he wouldn’t be in the lineup in the near future.

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The New Jersey Rockhoppers have the weapons on offense, defense and in net to play 60 solid minutes against the Aces and have done it before. Coming off a tough loss to Danbury last night, the Rockhoppers will look to rebound and it’ll be up to the Aces to stop them in their tracks.

Wilcox back in full swing- Making his return to the team last night after nursing a few injuries over the past few games, Aces captain Chad Wilcox nabbed two assists and was on his game, forechecking, fighting and getting the crowd involved. While he may only play about 10 minutes a game, Wilcox can play on any line and is capable of switching the momentum of a contest in a heartbeat. Getting him back in the lineup is definitely a good thing.

Changes on defense coming?- In spite of the Aces defense playing excellent hockey for most of the game last night and for most of the season, Aces head coach Chris Firriolo has a difficult decision to make soon.

“They’re battling right now,” he said. “They know I’m going to cut the defense down to five. Right now we have six.”

The question is, who do the Aces part ways with? Gabe Yeung can play both forward and defense and is a big body that can clear the front of the net and drop the gloves. Ian McLoughlin is a speedy two-way presence that can contribute offensively. Joe Lyle is a guy that Firriolo is very high on as well. It’s safe to say that Doug Hoffman and Nick Grove are safe as they anchor the powerplay and can play in all game situations.

With Rob Miller still on IR with an injured hand and Mike Thomson capable of manning the blue line effectively, Firriolo’s decision will only get tougher.

Notes-

Grove is questionable for tonight’s game, as is forward Tony Resendes.

Despite taking a puck off his knee and sitting out the third period last night, Yeung is expected to play tonight.

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Adding 24-year-old Josh Coyle to the roster a few days ago, the Aces will also have even more firepower in an already intimidating lineup.

This is not good news for the Hudson Valley Bears, a team that has been searching for a winning formula all season to no avail.

Things may be on the mend for the Bears however, as Len DiCostanzo was returned from Bridgeport a week ago and should be back in net. In spite of a decrepit 6.94 GAA in five games this season, DiCostanzo holds a .891 save percentage, proving his 0-5 record has more to do with his lack of defensive support than his own ability to stop the puck. If the Hudson Valley defense shows up to play and supports their goaltender, this will be a great game to watch.

On the Aces side of the ice, it looks like Miro Recicar will get the start in net with Eddie Neville getting the callup to Elmira two days ago. The league’s only undefeated goaltender, Recicar also has gotten a plethora of offensive support from his teammates.

The Bears may have the best offensive D-man in the league in Dan Malloy [one of my picks for first team All-Stars this season] and a good scoring forward in Scott Estey to compliment the veteran experience of Tom Westfall, which will provide the team with some chances offensively, but it doesn’t stack up to the depth and firepower in both ends that the Aces have.

If the Aces come out strong and avoid a flat start, someone will step up and spark the team. On every single forward line, the Aces possess a player that is capable of taking over the game. In any league, that’s not good news for opposing defenses.

With their new additions on defense as well, Aces D-men Nick Grove and Doug Hoffman can jump into the play more and be the slick puck-moving defensemen they were before injuries rattled the team’s blueline. The notion of those guys springing white-hot forwards the likes of Jesse Felten, B.J. Kuper and Mike Christensen all game doesn’t exactly help Hudson Valley’s cause either.

The fact that these guys will be rested and will be able to strut their stuff on the powerplay should also benefit the Aces tonight.

Because of all of this, it looks like Hudson Valley will have to be mistake-free in if they want to come out victorious.

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At 17-2-2, the Aces are coming off a rare loss and at 2-16, Hudson Valley is coming off of an equally as rare win.

So with both team’s current predicaments spoken for, the questions become simple ones. Do the Aces have the strength to bounce back after a tough loss to a gritty and driven Danbury Mad Hatters team and have the Hudson Valley Bears finally found out what it takes to win this season?

Because of these questions, this game should be an entertaining one, as both teams have everything to prove, with the Aces trying to get back on track and the Bears attempting to make a statement that they aren’t ready to lay down for the rest of the season.

Players to watch-

Brooklyn

Kyle McCullough- The EPHL’s scoring leader, McCullough hasn’t been phased by the call up of linemate James Brannigan to Utah of the ECHL at all and is still averaging close to two points a game.

Jesse Felten- This week’s EPHL player of the week, Felten has rattled off a pair of multi-point games and is beginning is show the rest of the league just how talented he really is.

Eric Frank- Despite being out of professional hockey for nearly two years, Frank has been a revelation since joining the team a few weeks ago, scoring 11 points in eight games.

Hudson Valley

Dan Malloy- The league’s premier offensive defenseman with 24 points this season, you can bet to see an appearance by Malloy on the scoresheet tonight.

Scott Estey- A great skater with good hands, Estey has 17 points in 14 games.

John Gevard- With 17 points in just 11 games, Gevard may be the most talented forward the team has.

Quotes-

“We’ve had a lot of guys working really hard for a long stretch here and it felt really good to finally see that work pay off,” said Bears forward Tom Westfall on the EPHL’s official site last night after the team’s second win of the season.

Photo by Patrick Hickey Jr.

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The way the did it was even more shocking however, as three powerplay goals on the usually stellar Brooklyn penalty killing units paved the way for that victory.

Scoring three goals through the first 26:13 of the game on tallies by Erik Kent, Igor Karlov and Stephen Schofield, Danbury looked to finish the Aces off early. Brooklyn then made it a hockey game when they got a pair of goals 1:10 apart from Eric Frank and C.J. Tozzo at 8:13 that cut the Mad Hatters lead to 3-2. 4:10 later however, Danbury got two goals within 48 seconds as Hank Carisio and Karlov scored to give them their three-goal lead back at 5-2. The scoring in the period continued after a Mike Thomson marker with just 1:42 remaining that cut the Hatters’ lead to 5-3 going into the final period.

Powerplay goals by Kyle McCullough and Frank tied the game and sent it into overtime, but it was Danbury sniper Duane Whitehead that lit the lamp in the sudden death period, giving the Hatters their second win against Brooklyn this season in eight games.

Now 9-8-1 for the season, Danbury finds themselves just two points behind the Rockhoppers for second place.

With Hudson Valley’s win, the Aces didn’t lose any ground in the standings and still maintain a 15-point lead over New Jersey for the EPHL lead.

Notes-

Danbury had 20 of their 37 shots on goal in the first period.

The Aces went two for nine on the powerplay and gave up three Danbury goals with the man advantage.

Newly acquired forward Joe Lovell had five shots on goal.

Aces goaltender Eddie Neville gave up a season high six goals on 37 shots.

Attendance for the game was 1202.

Photo by Patrick Hickey Jr.

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This time around, it’ll be extra physical.

In the prior three games with Danbury, Brooklyn, despite winning all three, were roughed up physically and were dealing with injuries, which made it even tougher for them in battle in the corners and in front of the net. However, with newly acquired 6′5 D-man Gabe Yeung in the lineup for the first time against Danbury, the Aces just got a whole lot tougher. That’s not to say that Yeung is a talentless goon either. It’s actually quite the opposite, as he’s the stay at home D-man the team was in desperate need of with various injuries to their blueline over the past few weeks. With Yeung’s presence in the neutral zone and the rambunctious play of Chad Wilcox, the days of Brooklyn being pushed around by Danbury may be over.

Brooklyn will also have a different look offensively, with a healthy Tony Resendes back in the lineup for the first time since December 18, giving the Aces have another top six forward that can score a point a game. Considering the fact that B.J. Kuper, Jesse Felten, Eric Frank and Mike Christensen are all playing their best hockey of the season as well, the Brooklyn offense is as dangerous as ever.

If they can continue to produce the way that they have been, Brooklyn will not only be able to defeat Danbury tonight, they should be able to pad their first place lead even more over the next few weeks.

Getting a two-goal game from Obi Aduba in their last game, Danbury’s offense beginning to take shape a bit more with star forward Igor Karlov and young speedster Duane Whitehead starting to get the help and support that they need from the rest of the team. Add in tough guy Hank Carrisio, whose 119 PIM are second only to Brooklyn’s Wilcox and solid netminder Derek MacIntyre and there’s a reason why the Mad Hatters play the Aces tough every game- they’re a good team.

The question remains however how good they can be against a Brooklyn team that has a healthy and tougher blueline. With the infusion of speed and spunk a player the likes of Resendes gives the Aces as well, Danbury may be in over their heads.

Photo by Patrick Hickey Jr.

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Now they’ll have to face an improved Hudson Valley Bears team and prove once again that they have the personnel to stay on top of the EPHL standings.

Against New Jersey on Friday, Brooklyn got a two-point night from winger Jesse Felten, who will be asked again today to be a factor for the Aces. While his 17 points in 19 games this season aren’t exactly eye-popping, Felten is one of the speediest players in the league and has the ability to take over a game. Working hard in the corners and playing a physical game as well, despite his size at 5′8, 165 pounds, Felten is one of the best two-way players in the league and someone who will be counted on down the stretch for the Aces.

Speaking of players who will be counted on today and in the future for Brooklyn, Ian McLoughlin, who registered an assist on Friday against the Rockhoppers, is beginning to look more and more like a defenseman every game. After starting the season as the team’s spare forward, McLoughlin has started to establish himself as a solid two-way defenseman. While the addition of 6′5 behemoth Gabe Yeung on the blue line takes a bit of the pressure off him, make no mistake about it; McLoughlin is a valuable member of the Aces defense.

When the Hudson Valley Bears got Jerry Cardinale and Dan Rohanna from the Aces in mid-November, it was supposed to be a turning point in their under-performing season. Placing Cardinale on waivers, despite five points in nine games on Dec.31 and having Rohanna on injured reserve until yesterday, the Bears haven’t been able to find a winning formula. Problems between the coaching staff and ownership have created an even bigger burden for the team as well.

However, in spite of all of their problems, the Bears now have Rohanna back in the lineup and have newbie Elvis Tomanovic, who scored in his first game with the team yesterday, in addition to Jason Szerszen, who was a second team all-state goaltender in 1994 for West Haven in Connecticut in the net.

With these new faces, Hudson Valley should have a different look out there, but it’s unknown if that look will be much different than the one that gave them a 1-14 record in 15 games this season.

Photos by Patrick Hickey Jr.

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Forget the fact that they have a more than comfortable lead over both New Jersey and Danbury and are sitting pretty atop the EPHL. Forget the fact that no team has even been close to showing the offensive firepower they have this season. While you’re at it, forget how good they’ve been defensively as well.

It’s not that the Aces aren’t a dangerous team. They still have a pair of amazing two-way players in C.J. Tozzo and Mike Christensen and two of the best wingers in the league in Kyle McCullough and Chris Holmes, alongside dependable defensemen the likes of Doug Hoffman and Nick Grove. They also have players like BJ Kuper and Jesse Felten that will run through a wall for a puck.

Add in the recently acquired Joey Grasso and Gabe Yeung and it’s easy to see that the Aces are also bigger and spunkier than they’ve been all season as well, which could easily propose problems for a team like Danbury in the future.

However, without the league’s leading scorer, James Brannigan, the Aces will have to make the appropriate adjustments on the ice if they want to continue to be as successful as they have been this season. Like I said, it’s not as if the Aces still aren’t a team that deserves to be in first place, they are just a different one.

Once players like Tony Resendes and Rob Miller come back from injuries, Brooklyn will be in much better shape, but as of right now, they have to play smart in their own end and make the best out of their powerplay opportunities if they want to continue to dominate. Even without Brannigan, the Aces offense is still extremely scary. Nevertheless, they’ll have to be on their game and playing focused and intelligent hockey. Otherwise, the Rockhoppers have the ability to beat them.

Following a 4-2 loss to the Danbury Mad Hatters on Tuesday, the New Jersey Rockhoppers will have quite a test today as well. Can they bounce back against a battered, but mentally tough and dedicated Aces team? Can they generate enough offense against the Brooklyn defense and their top-notch goaltending duo of Miro Recicar and Eddie Neville?

With players the likes of Kyle Bozoian, Chris Ferazzoli, Drew Sanders and Brice Boudreau, all with comparable offensive numbers to the Aces top four offensive players in McCullough, Tozzo, Christiansen and Holmes, New Jersey isn’t in a situation to be lose a dogfight with the Aces [no pun intended] anymore. With Nick Niedert in net as well, the Rockhoppers have a more than solid goaltender that has proven he can stop the Brooklyn offense.

With all these intangibles in play, this has the makings of one of the best games this season.

Photos by Patrick Hickey Jr.

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Outscoring their opponents 98-49 this season, the Aces have gotten amazing offensive production from all three lines for most of the season. However, in spite of the balanced production, the Aces top line of James Brannigan, Kyle McCullough and C.J. Tozzo, aptly dubbed the “BMT” line, has been the team’s bread and butter offensively the majority of the time. That hasn’t been the case recently though, as center Mike Christensen has been on a tear, recording 11 points in his last four games. Already averaging a point a game and playing exceptional two-way hockey all season before his recent hot streak, Christensen has now put himself on center stage and has quickly become one of the league’s best all-around players.

With Christensen streaking and the BMT line continuing to thrive, the Aces have the top four scorers in the league in their lineup.

They also have the two best goaltenders in the league on paper in Eddie Neville and Miro Recicar, who will get the start tonight. Making 20 saves in his return, Recicar got better as the game went on and played a big part in the team’s 3-1 win yesterday.

“The first five or six minutes, I was a bit nervous; it’s been almost two weeks since I played,” he said after the game. “After that though, I felt good and I’m ready to play again tomorrow. I know the team is tired right now, but I haven’t played in a while and I feel great. I’m ready for what ever comes my way.”

On defense, despite missing the injured Mike Richards, who apparently was admitted to a hospital two nights ago with an ailment and Rob Miller, the Aces have been getting solid defensive play all season from Doug Hoffman and Nick Grove, who have both sacrificed the flair of their impressive offensive games to make sure the team is well supported in their own end. Add in converted forwards Ian McLoughlin and Mike Thomson, who will also see time on the forward lines and the Aces patchwork defensive core can still hold down the fort well enough until they get healthy again.

Using 55 players already in just 14 games, it’s extremely hard to assess what the Hudson Valley Bears can do on the ice. With apparent problems between their coaching staff and ownership, that process becomes an even more difficult task. Sure, they have a top-notch offensive defenseman in Dan Malloy, who leads the team in scoring with 20 points and the gritty Jerry Cardinale, who has five points with the team since coming over from Brooklyn via waivers, alongside the massive Gabe Yeung on defense, but with a 1-13 record and no real force behind the pipes, this game is not going to be pretty.

Unless the Bears can find someway to shut down the Aces offensive attack with a solid defensive effort and even better goaltending, this game will be over before the National Anthem is sung.

Photos by Patrick Hickey Jr.

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Nevertheless, after surrendering three goals in the third period, Aces head coach Chris Firriolo wasn’t happy and he let his team know it.

“I was disappointed,” he said on Tuesday night following the Aces 7-3 win over the Hatters. “As a coach, I’m not as concerned with the score of the game. I just want them to come out and give a complete 60-minute effort. That didn’t happen tonight and it’s something I’m going to be concerned with until it happens consistently. In spite of that though, they got back on track afterwards and put the pieces together. I was impressed with that.”

Another thing Firriolo was impressed with was the play of the newly formed line of Eric Frank, B.J. Kuper and Jesse Felten, who were a force on both ends of the ice.

“They looked good out there,” he said. “They work really well together.”

With all three lines clicking the way they have as of late, the Aces injuries on defense have not been a factor and the team has found a way to build momentum in their favor, making them a true force to be reckoned with.

Danbury on the other hand, isn’t too shabby a team either.

Scoring three goals in just under five minutes of play on Tuesday, Danbury proved that they can skate on the same ice as Brooklyn, they just have to show the same type of hustle they exhibited when they beat the Aces on Dec. 18; the kind of effort that absolutely wasn’t there on Tuesday.

With players such as Igor Karlov, Duane Whitehead,Mike O’Sullivan and Dan Hickman, the Mad Hatters have the offensive firepower to hold the ice with Brooklyn. However, if Ian McLoughlin, Mike Richards and the rest of the Aces defense continues to step up to the plate, Danbury’s offense will be stopped in it’s tracks.

Photo by Ron Hatcher.

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For those who missed the Brooklyn Aces’ last game on December 20, you may have missed a big time moment in the team’s season.

Already without Tony Resendes and Rob Miller, the Aces were forced to skate with four defensemen, with forward Mike Thomson getting double shifted at both positions, but were still able to fight off a New Jersey Rockhoppers team that seems to get better every time it comes to Aviator.

That, my friends, means something.

However, the Aces are still shorthanded and things may get worse before they get better. Out for nearly a period on Saturday, Aces defenseman Nick Grove, who has been extremely steady on both ends of the ice this season, looked extremely uncomfortable on the ice the rest of the game, grimacing with every stride. If the steady Grove is indeed out of the lineup, the Aces will not only need Thomson to play defense the entire game against Danbury, they may need an emergency call up at forward.

Nevertheless, in spite of all of the injuries, the Aces are anything but a down and out team. For the first time in nearly two weeks, the team has all three lines contributing offensively. All three lines also provide extremely different looks, which could tire the Danbury defense out after a period or two.

Everyone knows what the Aces “BMT” line of James Brannigan, Kyle McCollaugh and C.J. Tozzo is capable of, but the team’s new line combinations are also extremely dangerous. Mike Christensen, Mike Thomson and Chris Holmes can be a first line on any other team in the league and with Thomson on the wing now instead of speedster Jesse Felten, that line just got a big injection of grit and shooting ability. The team’s other line of “Super” B.J. Kuper, new addition Eric Frank and the league’s new “heavyweight champion” in Felten is speed personified. However, Frank’s ability to pass, combined with Felten’s hustle and Kuper’s more than solid two-way ability make this a line that can do a lot on the ice as well. If the Aces can find a way to come out hard out of the gate and avoid an early flat effort, the Mad Hatters will have their hands full on defense, which can produce a big period offensively for the team.

As the Aces have proved a handful of times this season, all they need is one big period.

Coming off a 10-2 win against the lowly Hudson Valley Bears on Saturday, Danbury got a hat trick from stud defenseman Dan Hickman, who now has 16 points in 12 games this season. Forward Erik Kent had two goals as well, while leading scorer Igor Karlov [five goals, 18 points] had two assists and Duane Whitehead, the team’s hottest offensive threat as of late, had a goal and an assist.

Simply put, this is not good news for Brooklyn.

Already the grittiest team in the league, if Danbury can now score goals and has options offensively, they will challenge the New Jersey Rockhoppers for second place in the EPHL and perhaps even the Aces in the top spot if they get hot enough. Add in a quality goaltender in Derek MacIntyre [5-2, 3.25 GAA, .905 SP], who has gotten better with every game this season and this has the makings of another quality hockey game.

Photos by Ron Hatcher.

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However, following an overtime loss to New Jersey and a tough loss to a gritty Danbury team on Thursday, the Aces find themselves in unfamiliar waters.

Add in injuries to assistant captain Rob Miller and speedster Tony Resendes and it’s obvious that the Aces have hit their lowest point of the young season. Nevertheless, the team has shown a camaraderie and togetherness that looks like it will help them weather through the storm.

In spite of the loss, the Aces still have the top line in the league with James Brannigan, C.J. Tozzo and Kyle McCollaugh and a host of other players who can put the puck in the net.

The problem right now isn’t so much with the Aces offense as much it is the team’s defense.

Recent addition Tom Collingham looked solid offensively in his first game with Brooklyn, joining the rush and pinching on several occasions, but didn’t get on the scoresheet and gave up on the puck on the powerplay and in the neutral zone a few times. Released by the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL earlier in the season, the Aces need Collingham to step in and be the same player who scored 41 points in 54 games in Germany last season in order for the defense to stay as solid as it has been.

Other D-men Ian McLaughlin and Mike Richards are still getting used to being back or to the position and are getting better with every game under their belts. Steady blueliners Nick Grove and Doug Hoffman didn’t have their best game defensively against Danbury Thursday night and will have to bounce back quickly. At the end of the day, in order for the Aces to get back in the in column, the entire defense has to limit the neutral zone breakdowns and make the smart first pass. Over the past two home games, Aces goaltender Eddie Neville has been facing a plethora of quality shots. That has to stop if the Aces want to turn their recent fortunes around.

The New Jersey Rockhoppers, on the other hand, are surging, getting quality goaltending from Nick Niedert and a point a game offensive production from Chris Ferazzoli, Kyle Bozoian, Tom Boudreau, Drew Sanders and Russell Spence. They also have Teague Willits-Kelley, who according to the Rockhoppers official website, is in the running for professional hockey’s most popular player. While I’m not sure exactly what that means, I do know that Kelley has an extensive collection of fight video on YouTube and is an accomplished energy player that can annoy the hell out of the opposition.

With that being said, the Aces will have their biggest test of the young season tonight against New Jersey.

With their game last night against Danbury postponed due to inclement weather, New Jersey will also have plenty of energy, making this a great game to watch.

Photo by Ron Hatcher.

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With no indication of how long sniper James Brannigan’s suspension is for or how long assistant captain Rob Miller will be sidelined, the Aces may be shorthanded once again against Danbury.

In spite of being without two of their best players, the Aces can still play with any team in the league, evidenced by their overtime loss to the New Jersey Rockhoppers. However, they’ll have to be on top of their game to make sure Danbury doesn’t squeak out a win.

Armed with a dangerous forward in Igor Karlov, a talented defenseman in Dan Hickman and a surging goaltender in Derek MacIntyre, Danbury has all the pieces in place to challenge Brooklyn. What is not to be overlooked about the Mad Hatters either is their toughness, as Hank Carisio and Mykul Haun can help out offensively as well as drop the gloves with they have to, giving this team just enough diversity to make a run at the second place New Jersey Rockhoppers as the season progresses.

As far as this game goes though, Aces captain Chad Wilcox may have his gloves off longer than he’d like to in this one.

Nevertheless, the Aces, even without Brannigan and Miller, have the most dynamic offense in the league and a more than solid defense to protect goaltender Eddie Neville, who looks to get the nod tonight with the Aces other goaltender, Miro Recicar still on the shelf. However in order to win tonight, they’ll have to continue to get offense from Tony Resendes, who has 13 points in only seven games and has filled in admirably for Brannigan on the team’s top line with C.J. Tozzo and Kyle McCollaugh, as well as “Super” B.J. Kuper, who has eight goals and four assists in 12 games in an energy role. If the Aces do indeed get a team-wide performance and can get a solid performance from their defense, this could be one of the best games of the season.

Stay Tuned.

Photo by Ron Hatcher.

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Knowing full well that New Jersey is the only team that has beaten them this season, Brooklyn isn’t about to take any chances against Nick Niedert and the Rockhoppers.

“This is going to be a real test,” said Aces coach Chris Firriolo after the team’s win last night. “I’d rather coach a one-goal game where you see a great effort from both sides than what happened tonight out there. When a game gets as sloppy as this one did, you don’t really know what to expect the next day.”

What the Aces can expect in tonight’s game is another quality effort from newly returned defenseman Mike Richards, who in spite of sitting out the third period due to fatigue last night, was a solid +4 with a shot on goal. The same goes for defenseman/forward Ian McLaughlin, who was also a +4, but also notched an assist. With Rob Miller possibly out for the game as well, it’s crucial that the Aces get a repeat performance from these two.

Another guy coming off a good game last night is Doug Hoffman, who is now second in scoring among EPHL defensemen with 14 points in 10 games. In spite of his great game last night however, where he lit the lamp twice and dished out two helpers, Hoffman, like his coach, knows the team has to continue to work hard if they want to keep on winning.

“We have to keep that same intensity and passion,” he said. “Games like this are rare, so we have to keep our composure and come out strong against New Jersey. They’ll be ready for us.”

Coming off a 6-5 win against Danbury on Thursday, New Jersey is beginning to establish themselves as the clear-cut second place team in the league. With a quality goaltender in Niedert and plenty of solid offensive players in Chris Ferazzoli, Kyle Bozoian and Drew Sanders to go along with the toughness of Teague Willits-Kelley, the Rockhoppers will indeed give the Aces a run for their money tonight.

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At 9-1, the Aces have the league’s best offense, best defense and best duo in net. Aside from one hiccup against the Rockhoppers and a few slow starts, Brooklyn has been as perfect as you can be up to this point.

In order for the Hudson Valley Bears to be able to hold their own tonight, they’ll have to do a pair of things.

1- Shutdown the Aces BMT Line of James Brannigan, Kyle McCollaugh and C.J. Tozzo.- So far this season, Brooklyn has scored 61 goals. The Aces top line has been responsible for 30 of those tallies, so obviously keeping them off the scoresheet, something no team has really been able to do this season, will prove to be pivotal.

What is even scarier is the Aces offensive firepower as a team. Minus the production of their top line, Brooklyn would still have a better overall offense than Danbury [25 goals on the season] and would be extremely comparable to Hudson Valley [31 goals] and New Jersey [39 goals]. Simply put, the Aces have three lines that can give you nightmares. Nevertheless, the top line is the one that has to be stopped if Hudson Valley wants to stay in the game.

2- Make the Aces defense work hard- With Andrew Scampoli off playing in Holland, the Aces will be leaning heavily on the trio of Doug Hoffman, Rob Miller and Nick Grove. Ian McLaughlin, a converted forward has proved to be a solid d-man, but hasn’t been given enough ice-time to prove how solid he can be in the crunch. Mike Richards was activated off IR a week or so ago, but it’s unknown how much of a factor he’ll be. If Hudson Valley can make the Aces defensemen work hard in both ends and play physical, they may be able to get a few second chance opportunities that they wouldn’t have gotten otherwise.

If they can get that done, this is going to be a great game to watch. If not, expect another six-goal affair from Brooklyn that results in a ton of shots and even more penalty minutes.

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If any team has the overall talent to catch the Aces in first place, the Rockhoppers definitely have the pieces in place. Coming off a pair of wins against the Hudson Valley Bears, it seems like the New Jersey offense is starting to come into it’s own. While they don’t have three lines that can produce as dominantly as the Aces, they have a handful of players in, Kyle Bozoian, the reigning EPHL player of the week, Chris Ferazzoli, Drew Sanders and Tom Boudreau, all who will do whatever it takes to get themselves on the scoresheet on any given night. Add in a quality goaltender like Nick Niedert [5-3], who seems to have bounced back after a pair of shaky starts and it’s easy to see that the Aces cannot afford to take the Rockhoppers for granted.

During the Aces first home game this season, that was exactly the case, as Niedert was stellar, making 60 saves in a 3-2 Rockhoppers win. After the game, it wasn’t difficult to see how frustrated the Aces were.

“We took this team for granted,” said Aces coach Chris Firriolo after the game. “We’re a very skilled team, but we played poorly tonight. When you take 62 shots on goal, you have to score more than two goals. We handled them easily in the preseason and I think the guys thought we were going to walk all over them. It’s not good enough. We have to be a team that finishes. It’s a problem.”

Since then, the Aces have addressed those concerns and made sure that New Jersey and the rest of the league know just how potent their offense can be, winning six games in a row, outscoring their opponents 41-15 in the process, including an 8-2 rout of New Jersey a few weeks ago.

With a week off and New Jersey playing last night against the Bears, the Aces may be the fresher team out there as well, but it may take a while to kick in. If that is the case, it’s in New Jersey’s best interest to get on the board early and then focus their attention on shutting down all three of the Aces forward lines, each one with a legitimate finisher that can light the lamp at any time. James Brannigan’s 14 goals still lead the EPHL and with Kyle McCollaugh and C.J. Tozzo, the Aces “BMT” line is always a serious threat.

With Chris Holmes back from a one-game stint with the Elmira Jackals of the ECHL, the team’s second line of Holmes, Mike Christensen and Jesse Felten, AKA “The Three Amigos” are back and business as well and will be a force to be reckoned with. The third line, which was primarily an energy line earlier in the season, with Aces captain and league penalty minutes leader Chad Wilcox and grinder Jerry Cardinale sharing time with “Super” B.J. Kuper and Mike Thomson, has now turned into an offensive force. Adding speedster Tony Resendes, who has quickly taken over full-time duties on the line, leaving Wilcox to get a spot shift with any three of the team’s lines, the Brooklyn offense has unparalleled depth and diversity.

The move has paid off as well, as Wilcox had two assists in his new role two games ago against the Hudson Valley Bears, while Resendes has six points in his first five games with the club.

Because of all of these intangibles, this game should be a hectic one from start to finish.

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With all three lines firing on all cylinders and even spot shifters like Ian McLoughlin and captain Chad Wilcox playing their best hockey all season, Brooklyn’s offense alone is enough to skate the daylights out of any team that shares the ice with them.

Unlike the Aces however, Danbury has struggled offensively this season and have only two players averaging over a point a game, compared to Brooklyn’s 11. That wasn’t originally supposed to be the case though, as Danbury possessed former NHLer Billy Tibbetts, who was not only projected to lead the team and league offensively, but was going to serve as a constant reminder to the youngsters as a player that knew what it took to get to higher levels.

According to an article in The Danbury News-Times however, the 34-year-old was suspended for an unspecified violation of team rules on 11-20 after just three games and left the team on his own accord soon after. This simply put, just put a damper on the Mad Hatter’s season, forcing them to quickly find a new identity, this time forged on grit and team play, rather than offensive superiority.

With captain Mike Payne [who handily defeated former Ace Jerry Cardinale in a scrap a week ago at Aviator], Hank Carisio, Mykul Haun and Obi Aduba, it’s obvious that the Mad Hatters have the grit to compliment their offensive players like Igor Karlov and Dan Hickman, but can they put it together against the Aces? The last time these two teams played, Danbury could not beat Aces goaltender Eddie Neville [who looks to get the start, especially considering the flip-flopping him and Miro Recicar have gone in net for most of the season] and went 1 for 11 on the powerplay. If they want to change their fortunes this time around, playing well on special teams is a good start.

However, if players the likes of Tony Resendes, B.J. Kuper and Mike Thomson can continue to play the way they played on Wednesday and the rest of the team still maintains the killer instinct they’ve had all season, Brooklyn will not have a problem producing offensively against either of Danbury’s goaltenders, Derek MacIntyre [4.28 GAA, 2-2 .871 SP] or Jeff Hill [4.55 GAA, 0-2, .836 SP].

Notes-

In addition to having the leagues top three scoring forwards, the Aces also possess the league’s four of the top six offensive defensemen in Doug Hoffman, Andrew Scampoli, Nick Grove and Rob Miller.

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Despite picking up former Aces Jerry Cardinale and Dan Rohanna [who has yet to appear in a game for the team and may be still nursing a hand injury he suffered two weeks ago in a fight with Joe Pelle. However, at this time, his current status is unknown.] last week, the Bears [1-4] were defeated 9-2 by Brooklyn in their last game on Saturday. In spite of possessing a handful of capable offensive players in Chris Seifert [4 goals & 5 assists, good for 4th in the EPHL in scoring], former Ace Scott Estey [4 goals & 4 assists good for 6th in the EPHL in scoring] Scott Horvath [1 goal & 7 assists] and Dan Malloy, the Bears have looked out of sync on the ice this season.

Hudson Valley’s defense, which includes 6’5 behemoth Gabe Yeung, has had their problems as well, as they have yet to prove their shutdown ability. Because of this, the Bears goaltending trio of Jim Pelligrino, Len DiCostanzo and Ryan Hull have yet to show their real ability on the ice and have instead been left befuddled with wanton scoring opportunities all season.

The way the Aces offense and defense has played over their past four games, outscoring their opponents 31-11, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to tell that Brooklyn should be in great shape if they can continue to play their game. In spite of getting great goaltending from Eddie Neville and consistent play from their defense, the offensive firepower the team has is truly the thing the coaching staff and fans have been most thankful for this season.

However, much the case with the team earlier in the season, the Aces will need a 60-minute effort in order to dominate and cannot get themselves into penalty trouble. All three lines have the potential to contribute offensively and it’s important that they get started early, which would force an already thin Hudson Valley defense to not take a shift off all night. As the Aces have proven on multiple occasions this season, they have unparalleled depth on both their forward lines and defense and if the cinergy and gelling can continue to take place tonight, they should be able to put up big time offensive numbers against whoever is in between the pipes for the Bears.

Photo by Marty Bromberger.

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After speaking to various members of the team and the Aces coach Chris Firriolo yesterday, I got a feeling those rosters moves were made for a variety of reasons:

1- On any other team in this league, Cardinale gets a regular shift, as to the Aces where he and new captain Chad Wilcox were only getting spot shifted.

2- The Aces team is stacked from top to bottom and a guy like Cardinale could really help the Bears round out their top two lines or be a extremely solid grinder on the third.

3- Dan Rohanna, while being one of the best defenseman in this league, plays a very similar game to Doug Hoffman, except the always smiling Aces defenseman doesn’t possess Rohanna’s toughness. With the Aces already possessing the Derek Boogaard of the EPHL in Chad Wilcox and two other experiences and capable defensemen in Nick Grove and Rob Miller, Rohanna’s immense talent would be to much better use somewhere else.

4- With Rohanna and Cardinale out of the fold, a young speedster like Tony Resendes can come in and now give the Aces three lines that can contribute offensively every single night, which also allows Firriolo to play more of the high intensity, puck pursuit game that he wanted to.

5- With that being said, hockey today is all about league parity. It’s in the best interest of the league right now to have four strong teams that battle for a playoff spot all season long. The way the league was going before, it looked like [and still does] that Brooklyn is light years ahead of the competition. However, in my opinion, rather than giving away grit and size like the Aces did, every team in this league needs to go and find themselves a good goaltender. Aside from the Aces Eddie Neville, pretty much every other goaltender has had a pair of sloppy games already. In any league, goaltending is key and so far this season, it seems that Brooklyn is the only team in the league that truly understands that.

In spite of all of that however, tonight’s game with Hudson Valley should be a battle of offenses as the BMT line of James Brannigan, Kyle McCollaugh and C.J. Tozzo will see if they can keep the fire burning a bit longer, while Bears stars Chris Seifert and Scott Estey, who are fourth and sixth in league scoring respectively, will try and keep pace with Brooklyn and pot a few of their own.

Things even have the potential to get hairy, Cardinale, who isn’t scared to fight anyone, may look to make a statement by taking on Wilcox. Look for Rohanna to log plenty of ice-time tonight as well, as he quickly becomes the Bears new number one defenseman.

Site News:

Be sure to check out the site’s new fight page, located on the page index sidebar for some great videos that will be updated during the season.

Also, after tabbing the Brannigan, McCollaugh and Tozzo line, the BMT line last week, I got the itch to do the same with the second line of Chris Holmes, Mike Christensen and Jesse Felten. Talking to Christensen and Felten last night, I found out the trio are all rooming together as well. Christensen also told me he thinks of his line as something like the “Coneheads” line in the hockey classic “Miracle,” because they’re always clowning around off the ice. That alone has given giving me a few ideas for a name of their line, which will be the subject of a new poll this week on the site. If you have any ideas for the name of the Aces second line that aren’t mentioned there, please feel free to e-mail me as well.

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Well, every goalie except Nick Niedert that is.

The last time the Rockhoppers were in town on November 8th, the Aces took 62 shots on the New Jersey goaltender and lost 3-2 after the team’s powerplay ended up going 2 for 13.

Since then, Brooklyn has lit the lamp 14 times in their past two games and have come full circle as a team. After winning 7-6 over the Hudson Valley Bears last Friday, despite playing their worst defensively all year, the Aces defeated Danbury 7-1 in their best overall performance of the young season.

With Aces goaltender Eddie Neville and the Aces defense core playing their best hockey of the season as well, Brooklyn head coach Chris Firriolo saw the game as a step in the right direction.

“We did the things we had to do in order to be succesful out there,” he said after the game. “I know it’s a long season, but after five games, you can’t ask for much better than 4-1.”

The only question is, what Brooklyn team shows up on Friday?

Defeating the Bears 10-4 in their last game on November 14, the Rockhoppers have plenty of momentum of their own and with players the likes of Kyle Bozoian, Justin Todd, Drew Sanders and Russell Spence all with six points in just three games, the Rockhoppers offense can fight fire with the Aces “BMT line” of James Brannigan Kyle McCollaugh and C.J. Tozzo.

After the team’s last loss against New Jersey however, the Aces felt quite different, believing they came out flat and failed to put a team away they beat twice during the preseason.

With both teams riding two-game winning streaks and obviously not liking each other very much, this game should be an entertaining one.

“We lost this game because we made mistakes. We know we’re better than this team,” Aces assistant captain Chad Wilcox said. “A bunch of us didn’t pick our spots and it ended up costing us. We know we’re better than these guys. We beat them two times before.”

Notes- Former Ranger Nick Fotiu, who scored 62 goals and amassed over 1300 PIM in 646 games played in the NHL from 1976-1989, will be on hand for the game and will also serve as the team’s assistant coach for the contest. He’ll also sign autographs and take pictures with fans after the game.

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