Anchorage Daily News

About the only upside to the end of Bryan Miller's hockey season is that the Alaska Aces' standout defenseman knows what to expect when he recovers from impending shoulder surgery.

Miller, who suffered damage to the ball and socket of his right shoulder in a game in Victoria, British Columbia, last week, will undergo the fourth shoulder surgery of his career.

Miller, 24, previously had two operations on his left shoulder and one on his right, all for dislocations.

"Left, right, left, right,'' Miller said, describing the order of his ailments. "I guess I've got back luck with shoulders.''

Until his injury, Miller had furnished the injury-battered Aces with excellent play on the blue line and was their leading scorer among defensemen. He scored five goals and 13 assists for 18 points in 24 games, and earned a plus-minus rating of plus 4. That work secured him selection to the next month's ECHL All-Star Game, an honor he learned of the day after his injury.

Now, his season is over.

"That's obviously a very tough position to fill, to replace a defenseman like Bryan,'' said Aces coach Keith McCambridge. "It's disappointing, especially with Bryan selected to play in the All-Star Game.''

Miller, a 5-foot-10, 190-pounder, was hurt when Victoria center Kiel McLeod (6-6, 235) drove him chest-first into the boards and then fell on him -- McLeod received a minor penalty for boarding.

"I looked to my right, over my shoulder, and I looked at the video and he came from my left,'' said Miller, whose right arm is in a sling. "He fell on top of me, so I guess his weight on top of my back (caused the injury).

"I knew the feeling. When I got hit, I knew (my shoulder) was out, or partially out. It hurt. I was kicking and screaming.''

The date and location of Miller's surgery is undecided. He is under contract to the Peoria Rivermen, the Aces' affiliate in the American Hockey League, so that organization will be consulted.

For now, Miller is spending time with his family. His mother and father, Linda and Andy, are in town on a previously scheduled holiday visit from Miller's home state of New Jersey. So are Miller's brother, Chris, Chris' girlfriend Nikki, and Miller's cousin Mike. Miller watched the Aces' 5-4 shootout loss to the Utah Grizzlies on Friday with his family at Sullivan Arena.

Miller, who holds a sociology degree from Boston University, said he'd like to get his surgery done as soon as possible so he can begin rehabilitation. He said he knows from past experience that coming back from shoulder surgery to pick up his career requires hard work, but he has successfully completed that work several times.

"That keeps my spirits up and makes me want to recover and come back,'' Miller said.

Find Doyle Woody's blog online at adn.com/hockeyblog or call him at 257-4335.

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