Rob Miller prepared to be the head coach of the New Hampshire Freeze in the fledgling Eastern Professional Hockey League. But when Wall Street collapsed, the Freeze was one of two clubs to withdraw from the league in October, less than a month before opening night.
Miller, like many Americans, needed a job. Coaching wasn’t an option, but Brooklyn Aces head coach Chris Firriolo offered him a roster spot.
“So I decided to play,” Miller said.
A start-up hockey league surviving the economic turmoil, which led to layoffs by the NHL, NBA and NFL, seemed like wishful thinking.
“We had some doubts at the beginning,” Aces forward Jesse Felton said.
The unaffiliated, Single-A league – comprised of the Aces, Danbury Mad Hatters, Hudson Valley Bears and Jersey Rockhoppers – opened in November and is beating the odds. It is expanding. With a club in Hyannis, Mass., already planned, the league might grow to eight sites next season with Exeter, N.H., Rome, N.Y., and Long Island as possible markets.
“With our economic model, even in hard times a team should at least break even,” EPHL commissioner Jim Riggs said. “And, more importantly, have a product to sell to potential expansion markets.”
Each team operates with an annual budget of $600,000 to $700,000. The average player’s salary is $294 per week plus housing costs.
The product, modeled after the affordable, kid-friendly atmosphere of minor-league baseball, is as much an event as a hockey game.
Aces owner Alan Friedman recently held “Bay Ridge Night.” Tomorrow’s “NYPD Appreciation Night” will begin with a game between the NYPD and the Nassau County Police Department prior to the Aces taking on the Rockhoppers.
Friedman, co-owner of Greenpoint Scrap Metal in Brooklyn, defied popular logic about curtailing spending during a recession when he bought the club a month before the season. Brooklyn never had a hockey team and he had no way of knowing how the community would respond.
“I remembered how I built my scrap metal business,” Friedman said. “Grass roots. We bang on businesses doors and say, ‘How can we make you money and build our fan base?’ ”
The Aces are averaging 1,029 fans through 15 home games at Aviator Arena at Floyd Bennett Field. They are in first place with a 24-3-3 record, and seven of the 15 EPHL players called up to Double-A were Aces.
League officials are encouraged by the success of Brooklyn, Danbury (averaging 1,154 fans) and Jersey (averaging 1,025). Each is approaching its break-even point, estimated at between 1,000 and 1,200 fans per game.
Hudson Valley is averaging 309 fans and likely will not reach its goal. A poor record of 2-24-1 and bad weather has kept fans away. The low attendance in Hudson Valley is a reminder of how delicate the situation is for a first-year league, especially during a recession.
Aces players make appearances at schools, talk to youth groups and work with charities.
“Everyone wants to see the league succeed,” Aces forward Eric Frank said. “We need to take it upon our shoulders to do everything we can to make the league work.”
Aces fans embrace Felton, a construction worker from Wisconsin with 22 siblings; Miller, who runs hockey camps in the summer; C.J. Tozzo, a prolific scorer and aspiring coach; and Frank, with his heavy Boston accent. They’re working-class guys, just like the fans.
David Adams, principal owner in Hyannis, is convinced the league will continue to grow.
“We’ve been contacted by hundreds of people already about buying tickets,” Adams said.
That’s a good sign for all involved.
“We’ve learned a lot through the first half of the year,” said Firriolo, who doubles as the Aces’ director of hockey operations. “The players have, coaches have, owners have. It’s really exceeded my expectations.”
dtomasino@nypost.com