This week the EPHL crowns their inaugural Champion and all the games are at the Aviator Sports Complex, home of the Regular Season Champion Brooklyn Aces!
As a bonus for the playoffs the EPHL and the Brooklyn Aces have lowered the ticket prices as a thank you to the fans for their support the entire season.
Don’t miss the action this week of the best of 3 series!!!
Inaugural Championship game
(2) Jersey Rockhoppers Vs. (1)The Brooklyn Aces
Thursday, March, 23rd @ 7:30
Friday, March, 24th @ 7:30
Saturday, March 25th @7:30 (if necessary)
Tickets only $15 for adults (regularly $20) and $9 for kids
For your tickets call 718-758-7585 or 718-977-5930
Showing posts with label brooklyn aces. Show all posts
Showing posts with label brooklyn aces. Show all posts
Monday, March 23, 2009
An Eye On The E
Shameless advertising for them, solely because I had a good time last week:
Thursday, March 19, 2009
An Eye On The E
A quick note: I forgot my camera so I didn't get any pictures (sorry) but Aces Over Brooklyn covers the team quite well and there is a lot of info and shots there. It truly shames the buggy EPHL home site in terms of quality to be sure.
I had every intention of making this a regular feature here but two factors contributed to it's being mothballed - notorious hockey hoodlum Billy Tibbetts leaving the league and the sad fact that I never had time to make it to a game. Well, that changed last Friday as I made the trek from Manhattan to Brooklyn to 'go to the Aces.'
It is a longer ride than at least I anticipated, as you take the 2 train all the way to it's end in Flatbush (an hour ride from midtown) and from there hop on a bus for a 10, 15 minute ride to the rink. But once you hop off of the bus, you can see how the Aces got their name: they play at a small entertainment complex at a small airfield - Floyd Bennett Field to be precise.
Walk in the main entrance and you could be walking into any community rink with kids running about, flashing lights of video games and other amusements and two sheets of ice tucked away behind double glass doors. The Aces have their ticket and merch sales on a couple of folding tables in the lobby and the staff was quite courteous and seemed genuinely happy to be there - quite the change from many of the drones milling about the Garden (season ticket reps excluded). Tickets were cheap - 20 bucks or less - and they give you a 'seat assignment' for the metal bleachers and a wristband to get in the door. The wristband was the only thing really needed as there were maybe a couple of hundred people there when I went so there were plenty of places to sit.
To generalize, the folks who came out for the Friday night game were just happy to be out for the night, seeing something exciting like a hockey game - they were not hockey fans. Not knowing any of the players, not really caring, I was one of (if not the loudest fan when I decided to pipe up. I was also the only one clapping for good penalty kills, of which the Aces had several.
They were facing the Jersey Rockhoppers, a team they clearly outclassed, and dominated much of the game until their starting goaltender got injured. The netminder, Eddie Neville, was ran into and fell awkwardly. He didn't get up. Emergency staff came out to attend to him and eventually players - including the opposition goaltender - helped carry Neville off the ice on a backboard to await an ambulance. When the game restarted Neville's backup didn't fare badly but the game was already well in hand so the forwards let up on the gas a little.
Don't get the low 'Single A' level fool you, these guys have skill. Former junior and NCAA grads, most every one showed some substance but they all had a major deficiency or two that kept them from advancing up the ranks. Several were quite skilled but way too small, the big guys had no skill, speedsters had no hands, many didn't have well developed hockey sense but each and every one worked their asses off. The effort was very impressive, as were some of the goals, the one fight and the play itself certainly had entertainment value.
That proved to be a very good thing as there wasn't much else - no mascot, a chuck-a-puck, the usual blaring arena music and hard-to-hear MC. Aces staff kept walking round handing out slips of paper to remind everyone of upcoming games, deals on tickets, an opportunity to dine with the players and something else I can't remember as after a while all of the flyers looked alike.
While the papers went in the circular file, I did buy a shirt, a puck and a player photo (Neville, since it appeared he was severely injured and I wanted to support the guy). There was a wide variety of shirt designs, which was nice but they had just one kind of hat and - as someone who wears hats daily and owns probably over a hundred ballcaps - the one that they offered was pitiful and ratty looking. The souvenir pucks were black practice pucks with a logo sticker slapped on. Both provided quite the contrast to the quality shirts, hoodies and jerseys that they were selling but I guess everyone has their own priorities.
And if you can make it out, I recommend that you do make it a priority - if not this season then next. The Aces clinched the regular season title in the four team league on the night that I went and from what I gleaned from a flyer, the playoffs are a three game championship series at the end of this month. There are talks of the league expanding for the fall and I, for one, would love to see it (especially if rumours of a Long Island team are true).
While the EPHL clearly lacks the grandeur of the NHL game, it localizes the sport and allows fans to get up close and personal. The players all realize this and sign autographs. After an Aces goal, the scorer went to the boards and high-fived a little kid through the glass. It is the small touches that make the game fun and the Aces were a good time. Highly recommended, even if they are featuring some old geezer this weekend ...
I had every intention of making this a regular feature here but two factors contributed to it's being mothballed - notorious hockey hoodlum Billy Tibbetts leaving the league and the sad fact that I never had time to make it to a game. Well, that changed last Friday as I made the trek from Manhattan to Brooklyn to 'go to the Aces.'
It is a longer ride than at least I anticipated, as you take the 2 train all the way to it's end in Flatbush (an hour ride from midtown) and from there hop on a bus for a 10, 15 minute ride to the rink. But once you hop off of the bus, you can see how the Aces got their name: they play at a small entertainment complex at a small airfield - Floyd Bennett Field to be precise.
Walk in the main entrance and you could be walking into any community rink with kids running about, flashing lights of video games and other amusements and two sheets of ice tucked away behind double glass doors. The Aces have their ticket and merch sales on a couple of folding tables in the lobby and the staff was quite courteous and seemed genuinely happy to be there - quite the change from many of the drones milling about the Garden (season ticket reps excluded). Tickets were cheap - 20 bucks or less - and they give you a 'seat assignment' for the metal bleachers and a wristband to get in the door. The wristband was the only thing really needed as there were maybe a couple of hundred people there when I went so there were plenty of places to sit.
To generalize, the folks who came out for the Friday night game were just happy to be out for the night, seeing something exciting like a hockey game - they were not hockey fans. Not knowing any of the players, not really caring, I was one of (if not the loudest fan when I decided to pipe up. I was also the only one clapping for good penalty kills, of which the Aces had several.
They were facing the Jersey Rockhoppers, a team they clearly outclassed, and dominated much of the game until their starting goaltender got injured. The netminder, Eddie Neville, was ran into and fell awkwardly. He didn't get up. Emergency staff came out to attend to him and eventually players - including the opposition goaltender - helped carry Neville off the ice on a backboard to await an ambulance. When the game restarted Neville's backup didn't fare badly but the game was already well in hand so the forwards let up on the gas a little.
Don't get the low 'Single A' level fool you, these guys have skill. Former junior and NCAA grads, most every one showed some substance but they all had a major deficiency or two that kept them from advancing up the ranks. Several were quite skilled but way too small, the big guys had no skill, speedsters had no hands, many didn't have well developed hockey sense but each and every one worked their asses off. The effort was very impressive, as were some of the goals, the one fight and the play itself certainly had entertainment value.
That proved to be a very good thing as there wasn't much else - no mascot, a chuck-a-puck, the usual blaring arena music and hard-to-hear MC. Aces staff kept walking round handing out slips of paper to remind everyone of upcoming games, deals on tickets, an opportunity to dine with the players and something else I can't remember as after a while all of the flyers looked alike.
While the papers went in the circular file, I did buy a shirt, a puck and a player photo (Neville, since it appeared he was severely injured and I wanted to support the guy). There was a wide variety of shirt designs, which was nice but they had just one kind of hat and - as someone who wears hats daily and owns probably over a hundred ballcaps - the one that they offered was pitiful and ratty looking. The souvenir pucks were black practice pucks with a logo sticker slapped on. Both provided quite the contrast to the quality shirts, hoodies and jerseys that they were selling but I guess everyone has their own priorities.
And if you can make it out, I recommend that you do make it a priority - if not this season then next. The Aces clinched the regular season title in the four team league on the night that I went and from what I gleaned from a flyer, the playoffs are a three game championship series at the end of this month. There are talks of the league expanding for the fall and I, for one, would love to see it (especially if rumours of a Long Island team are true).
While the EPHL clearly lacks the grandeur of the NHL game, it localizes the sport and allows fans to get up close and personal. The players all realize this and sign autographs. After an Aces goal, the scorer went to the boards and high-fived a little kid through the glass. It is the small touches that make the game fun and the Aces were a good time. Highly recommended, even if they are featuring some old geezer this weekend ...
Sunday, November 9, 2008
An Eye On The E
I will try to keep this a regular feature where I check in with the fortunes of the Brooklyn Aces and the Eastern Professional Hockey League. After telling you who they are, and giving a season-starting update, here is the first edition of "An Eye On The E" - a quick update with game info based on the box scores (unless I actually make it out to a game this season):There was one midweek game and in it, Brooklyn beat Danbury 6-4 despite being outshot 39-29. Six different players scored for the Aces, who played two men short after a brawl midway through the first period (I woulda liked to have seen that). Mad Hatter Billy "Hard Time" Tibbetts led all skaters with seven shots but didn't score. He had one assist and amazingly managed to stay out of the penalty box. Listed attendance was 838 at the Danbury Arena.
A bigger crowd of 1,339 turned out Saturday in Connecticut. Hard Time was named the first star after collecting two assists in the Mad Hatters 6-4 win over the Hudson Valley Bears. Igor Karlov, a former Russian league player, had a goal and two assists for Danbury while Chris Seifert, who played with Elmira (ECHL) last year, put up two goals and an assist in the losing effort. The Corner of Section 420 and Glendale has a first-hand account of the game.
Meanwhile, Nick Niedert put on a goaltending clinic in Brooklyn. He stopped 60 shots to give the Jersey Rockhoppers a 3-2 win over the Aces. For that, the diminutive (5'8) netminder and former Pensacola Pilot was called up to the Reading Royals today. James Brannigan, who also saw time in the ECHL, put nine shots on Niedert and got just one past him. Aces Over Brooklyn has the game story. Both Brooklyn goals were with the man advantage so that goes to show just how good Niedert was, and over 1,600 fans were able to watch his stellar performance at Aviator Sports.
This week has two games at Aviator. On Friday the Aces play the Bears and on Saturday they face the Mad Hatters. Also on Saturday the Rockhoppers will visit Newburgh to play the Bears. Looking forward, Ranger fans will be interested to see fan favourite Nickie Fotiu guesting as an assistant coach with the Aces as they take on the Rockhoppers on November 21st.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
EPHL Update updated
In the time since I introduced you to the Brooklyn Aces and the Eastern Professional Hockey League, there have been some significant changes. First off, the 'Single A' league lost two teams - the New Hampshire Freeze and the Rome Copper City Chiefs - and added the Hudson Valley Bears, who will split their games between Newburgh and Poughkeepsie, NY. With one less team, the schedule was re-written and cut to 50 games per team, which should make for some good rivalry hockey. The rosters are set for the moment and, looking through them, three names leap out - Billy Tibbetts, Peter Ferraro and Phil Esposito. As reader Ryan Bouwens pointed out to me, the Ferraro that is in the EPHL is not the one that was a former Ranger. In the initial copy of this post, I saw a Ferraro from New York and immediately thought he was the distasteful person I dealt with in Binghamton - after all, it wouldn't surprise me to see him sink so far. However, Ryan thankfully pointed out that it was not the same sob so I dutifully made the fix. And, just fyi, there is Hall of Famer Phil Esposito, and there is EPHLer Phil Esposito - clearly two different people.
But there is only one Tibbetts, and he is worth the price of admission. You get to see an undisciplined psycho on the ice who also happened to have no discipline off of it either apparently - and that isn't a link to the story about his jail stay. Tibbetts has been given chance after chance after chance in hockey due to his pure skill and size but he was just too loose a cannon. But as Sean Avery said, we need villains and, judging by the comments here, Tibbetts should fit the bill for Danbury. For a league looking to delight fans, his lack of sanity should be great.
The rest of the players in the league are what I expected - some guys with Single A experience from the UHL, CHL, MAHL and SPHL and other guys just outta college trying to put off the real world. You may scoff, but they will work hard and probably put on a good show for a cheap ticket. Not that I am trying to sell people on going - I won't do that until I actually see a game - but I am a big fan of minor league hockey and hope that this league has some lasting power. The Danbury team looks like it is the most organized and if you want to root for them, the guys at the Corner of Section 420 and Glendale have been keeping close tabs. I wanted to keep up with the Aces but they never sent me press releases or anything. Oh well, I will still try to check out at least one game this season.
In case you are interested, here is their schedule at home, Aviator Sports in Brooklyn:
November 2008
# 5: Saturday 8th: Jersey @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
# 6: Friday 14th: HudsonValley @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
# 7: Saturday 15th: Danbury @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
# 9: Friday 21st: Jersey @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
December 2008
#21: Friday 12th: HudsonValley @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#24: Thursday 18th: Danbury @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#26: Saturday 20th: Jersey @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#28: Tuesday 23rd: Danbury @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#31: Saturday 27th: Danbury @ Brooklyn (2:00pm)
January 2009
#46: Thursday 15th: HudsonValley @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#47: Friday 16th: Jersey @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#49: Saturday 17th: Danbury @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#52: Friday 23rd: Jersey @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#55: Sunday 25th: Danbury @ Brooklyn (2:00pm)
#57: Thursday 29th: HudsonValley @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
February 2009
#63: Saturday 7th: Jersey @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#65: Sunday 8th: Danbury @ Brooklyn (2:00pm)
#74: Friday 20th: Jersey @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#78: Sunday 22nd: HudsonValley @ Brooklyn (2:00pm)
#79: Thursday 26th: HudsonValley @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
March 2009
#89: Friday 13th: Jersey @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#91: Saturday 14th: HudsonValley @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#94: Tuesday 17th: HudsonValley @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#96: Friday 20th: Danbury @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#98: Saturday 21st: Jersey @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
You can get some more info on the league's website but just a warning, it is incomplete and buggy. The season started tonight with Brooklyn beating on Jersey and Hudson Valley edging out Danbury.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Brooklyn In Da House
Minor league hockey is coming to Brooklyn this fall in the form of the Aces of the new Eastern Professional Hockey League. The league is expected to be on par with the SPHL and the MAHL, which would make it 'single A.' These aren't guys who are going to grace the Garden ice anytime soon; they are players who didn't want to give up the game after college or juniors despite not having enough to make the show. They get paid to play (lucky bastards) and work hard to put on a good show for the fans. The EPHL and the Aces websites are buggy as all hell and they never replied when I sent requests for more info on the team or employment but I was able to dig out some details. The league will mainly stick to the NHL's rule book with some exceptions: primarily a lessened instigator penalty (yeah fighting), no trapezoid, tag-up offsides and auto icings.
The Aces will be led by former junior coach Chris Firriolo, who will hold pro tryouts September 5–7. They will play at Aviator Sports, which appears to be a pain to get to via public transportation so beware. There are just four other teams in the league: the Danbury Mad Hatters, the Jersey Rockhoppers (who are based out of West Orange), the New Hampshire Freeze and the Rome Copper City Chiefs.The schedule was just released and the season will start November 1st. Brooklyn's home opener will be on the 8th against New Hampshire (they play their first two on the road). Most games are on the weekends, and only five of the 25 home games conflict with the Rangers. Here is the full regular season home sked:
November 2008
# 7: Saturday 8th: New Hampshire @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
# 9: Friday 14th: Jersey @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#10: Saturday 15th: Rome @ Brooklyn (7:30pm) - Rangers play Boston
#13: Friday 21st: Danbury @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
December 2008
#29: Friday 12th: Rome @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#33: Thursday 18th: Jersey @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#36: Saturday 20th: Danbury @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#38: Tuesday 23rd: Rome @ Brooklyn (7:30pm) - Rangers play Caps
#42: Saturday 27th: Jersey @ Brooklyn (2:00pm) - Rangers play Devils at night
January 2009
#59: Thursday 15th: Rome @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#60: Friday 16th: Danbury @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#63: Saturday 17th: New Hampshire @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#66: Friday 23rd: Jersey @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#69: Sunday 25th: Danbury @ Brooklyn (2:00pm)
#71: Thursday 29th: New Hampshire @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
February 2009
#80: Saturday 7th: Jersey @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#82: Sunday 8th: Danbury @ Brooklyn (2:00pm)
#92: Friday 20th: New Hampshire @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#96: Sunday 22nd: New Hampshire @ Brooklyn (2:00pm) - Rangers play Leafs at night
#97: Thursday 26th: Jersey @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
March 2009
#112: Friday 13th: Rome @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#115: Saturday 14th: New Hampshire @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#117: Tuesday 17th: Rome @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#120: Friday 20th: Danbury @ Brooklyn (7:30pm)
#123: Saturday 22nd: New Hampshire @ Brooklyn (7:30pm) - Rangers play Senators
Being in a major market like Brooklyn, this team is sure to sell out most games as long as they do a little bit of marketing. They need to improve their website so fans can follow easier and it wouldn't take much to broadcast their games - at least on tape delay on MNN. If you clicked on the link to the coach, apparently he spoke at a press conference but it never saw the light of day to my knowledge. But before anything, the EPHL needs to make sure that the foundation that they are building is a solid one.
The MAHL seems to be getting their stuff together after having to abort last season. No one wants the kind of publicity that they got and the Aces would do well to hire upstanding citizens so they can survive here where others could not.
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