Posts Tagged ‘Defense’

While the Aces forward lines for the most part didn’t hold up their end of the bargain in the championship series with the Jersey Rockhoppers this past weekend, the defense is another story. Taking away the empty-net goal and the fourth goal Jersey scored in game three, the Aces defense was rather solid overall.

In game one and most of game two, Rob Miller, Dan Carney and Chris Robinson especially were making great first passes out of their zone, springing guys like C.J. Tozzo, Mike Christensen, Kyle McCullough and Jessie Felten on numerous occasions. This was perhaps one of the biggest reasons why the Aces offense was able to hold it’s ground for the first half of the series.

On the powerplay, while the team went one for 12 throughout the series, a far cry from the regular season, when they led the league in powerplay efficiency, the defense did its part to induce opportunities. Miller, Carney and Doug Hoffman combined for 13 shots through the first two games, with most of them coming with the man advantage.

With Mike Christensen and Rob Miller back in the lineup last night, the Brooklyn Aces had the depth at the blue line and on the forward lines that they’ve lacked recently and as a result were able to skate over a beleaguered Hudson Valley Bears team in an 8-1 impressive win.

“I’m happy with the way we played defensively tonight,” said Aces head coach Chris Firriolo. “All three lines played well out there as well; I liked the combinations out there.”

While the defense was solid all night, the Aces wasted no time building a lead, getting a goal from Christensen at 3:38 of the first period on a shot that banked in off a Hudson Valley defenseman. Just 21 seconds later, Christensen scored again after Tony Resendes fed him the puck on a two on one, making it a 2-0 game. At 9:29, the Aces made it a three-goal game after Eric Frank tapped in a rebound in front while on the powerplay.

While the Brooklyn Aces struggles as of late have had more to do with a lack of team-wide grit and the ability to produce offensively, it’s fair to say the defense hasn’t been on it’s best behavior either.

Veteran Nick Grove has been battling injuries for most of the season and Doug Hoffman has been battling offensive consistency for the past few weeks. Dan Carney is still getting in the thick of things after being out of hockey for a few months. Chris Robinson has quietly carved out a solid niche for himself as a stay at home defenseman and can even land a big hit when he has to, but hasn’t been as noticeable the past few games. The forward turned defenseman combination of Ian McLoughlin and Mike Thomson has been eerily solid, but may be served better on the forward lines, especially considering how inconsistent the offense has been lately, against every team not named the Hudson Valley Bears.

Losing two of their last three games, the Brooklyn Aces have hit their biggest low of the season.

Battling injuries to key players the likes of Joe Lyle, Nick Grove, Rob Miller and Tony Resendes and not to mention the half dozen other players like Kyle McCullough and Chris Holmes that have been playing injured over the past few weeks, the team is in desperate need of a few days off.

Despite their record this season and a 16-point lead over the Rockhoppers, the Aces can’t afford to finish the season on one leg. Aces head coach Chris Firriolo knows that better than anyone and feels that once the team can get healthy, they’ll regain the consistency that got them to where they are this season.

“Once we get a few guys back, things are going to be very different,” Firriolo said. “Things are really tough and we’re battling. I’m really proud of them for that, but once we get healthy again, I don’t think we’re going to be having some of the problems we’re having right now.”

With defenseman Rob Miller already out and speedster Tony Resendes now on the shelf, the Brooklyn Aces’ contest with the New Jersey Rockhoppers last night was looking to be one of the team’s first true tests this young season.

Powered by a three-goal second period, the Eddie Neville-powered Aces [28 saves] forgot about all their bumps and bruises and played one of their most complete games of the season, beating the Rockhoppers 4-2.

Their first win since Dec. 11, the Aces are back in the win column and are ready to continue their reign of dominance atop the EPHL.

“We kept battling,” said Aces head coach Chris Firriolo. “We played smart. It was a great win; we needed it. Our whole defense was great tonight and so was Neville. I thought he was our MVP.”