When the Aces returned to practice Wednesday morning after three days off from practices and games -- that amounted to an All-Star break in a season with no All-Star Game -- they had half as many guys absent (eight) as they had on the ice (16) at Ben Boeke Arena.
Still, one face familiar to Aces fans will be in the lineup, and another could also possibly return, when the club closes an 11-game homestand with a series Friday and Saturday nights against the Idaho Steelheads at Sullivan Arena.
Recently signed defenseman Tyson Marsh, the former Ace who began his season in Germany's second division, went through his first practice with the club. Marsh, who had been skating with a junior team and a college team in Edmonton, said Wednesday marked his first serious practice in about a month. He said he'll have to play his way into game shape.
"Just rust -- chipping away at it,'' Marsh said.
Center Ethan Cox, who has missed the five games with an upper-body injury, practiced for the first time in about two weeks. His return hinges on how he feels in the next day or two.
"It was a bit rough to start,'' Cox said after practice, "but once I got my legs under me, it was fine.''
Aces captain Brian Swanson, who missed the last two games with an upper-body injury, did not practice, but rode the stationary bike. Winger Matt Ambroz, out the last four games with an upper-body injury, did not practice. And team-leading scorer Wes Goldie, who took the brief break to fly home and spend time with his wife and kids in Ontario, wasn't back yet.
Aces coach Rob Murray said there are no indications the club will soon see the return of its players from the AHL. Up at the next level are goaltender Gerald Coleman (Lake Erie), defensemen Russ Sinkewich (Abbotsford) and Brandon Gentile (Bridgeport Sound), and wingers Chris Bruton (Peoria) and Scott Howes (Bridgeport Sound).
Shuffling the deck
The Aces have actually been fortunate, at least in comparison to the four previous seasons, when it comes to injuries.
Through the team's 39 games, 11 different Aces have missed a combined 95 games to injury this season. That's an average of 2.44 players out each game with injury. In the previous four seasons, the Aces averaged 3.15 players out each game with injury.
The Aces haven't dressed a full lineup -- 16 skaters and two goalies -- in the last four games. But they've got nothing on the Utah Grizzlies, who in Monday's 4-1 loss to visiting Idaho, dressed 12 skaters in a game that featured fights and misconducts galore in the third period. The Salt Lake Tribune reported that at one point in the third period, the Grizzlies had six guys in the penalty box and just three on the bench (and presumably one of those was the back-up goalie).
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