Mar 4th, 2009
by Patrick Hickey Jr..
While the Brooklyn Aces will gladly take the points that came along with their last three wins over the Hudson Valley Bears, they know full well that their next two games on Friday and Saturday against the Danbury Mad Hatters and New Jersey Rockhoppers will be a much better measuring stick of their future success.
With Rob Miller, Tony Resendes, Andrew Scampoli and Mike Christensen back in the lineup over the past few games, Brooklyn has looked much more like the dominant team they were earlier in the season. However, they’ll have to prove just how much better they’ve gotten against much tougher competition and will need to step up their physical games as well if they want to continue their winning ways.
Feb 25th, 2009
by Patrick Hickey Jr..
Aces head coach Chris Firriolo isn’t like many head coaches in professional hockey.
Despite his team’s 8-4 win over Hudson Valley on Sunday, the enigmatic coach believed his team was lacking something in the physicality department.
It would be a minor concern for most coaches, but Firriolo sees it as an important element that could make or break his team’s season.
“We need toughness,” said Firriolo after the game. “We need some hard-nosed guys.”
He’s even proposed making drastic changes to his team in order to make them tougher on the ice.
“We’re going to try and make a few trades to add some toughness,” he said. “I liked what I saw from a few players on Hudson Valley today, so it’s something we have to look into.”
While the Aces have held on to the top spot in the EPHL all season, despite a plethora of injuries, many believe the team hasn’t had the same snare since captain Chad Wilcox went down with a knee injury in January.
