Cole finishes late rally for sixth straight Aces victory
December 5, 2014 - ECHL (ECHL)
Alaska Aces News Release
STOCKTON, Calif. - Brad Cole's first goal in an Alaska Aces uniform with 41.7 seconds remaining completed a late, spectacular rally to lift the Aces to a 4-3 overtime victory over the Stockton Thunder before 2,402 fans at Stockton Arena on Thursday.
The win for the Aces, their sixth in a row and their first in overtime since Dec. 1, 2012, moved them to the .500 mark for the first time since Opening Night. Olivier Archambault leveled the game with 19 seconds left in regulation while Brendan Connolly and Greg Wolfe also contributed with first and second period goals, respectively. Chris Francis paced the Aces offense with three assists and fired seven shots.
The game began with a scrap between Justin Johnson and Garet Hunt, with the Aces forward landing several blows which energized the Aces in the first several minutes. Connolly broke through for a 1-0 lead on a deflection at the net with 4:51 left in the first period, converting Chris Francis' set-up at Kent Simpson's glove side.
Stockton answered with back-to-back goals 1:59 apart for a 2-1 lead, beginning on J.T. Barnett's screen from Austin Levi's point shot at 2:29 and followed by Ryan Constant's second goal of the season, a snapshot from the top of the right circle.
The Aces regrouped and tied the game on Greg Wolfe's sixth goal of the season with 19 seconds left in the second period, on a centering feed by Francis from the right circle. But Jack MacLellan's fifth goal of the year restored the Stockton lead at 3-1 on a three-on-one rush, which MacLellan converted from the left circle.
With the Aces continuously pounding the Stockton net in the final minutes, head coach Rob Murray called a timeout with over a minute left in regulation and a face-off set in the offensive zone. The Aces lost the draw but worked the puck into the corner, cycling to Francis at the left circle. His deflection found Archambault open at the right circle and he promptly fired a wrister under the bar to tie the game with 46 seconds left, lifting the Aces bench into delirium.
Both teams traded chances in overtime and after Dustin Molle smothered a scoring chance in the slot, Wolfe feathered a lead pass to Connolly, who hit Cole as the trailer in the Stockton zone. Cole's wrister, from the mid slot, beat Simpson blocker side to seal the victory.
Simpson, in his return from the AHL, made 37 saves for the overtime loss.
NOTES: The Aces scratched Justin Breton, Ryan Tesink, Tyler Currier and Corey Syvret ... the win improved their record to 5-1-0 against Stockton ... Connolly's goal and assist moved his mark to nine points in six games, in the series ... the Aces have fired over 170 shots on goal in the last four games of the series ... their road record improved to 3-3-0.
The two teams return to play with a 6:30 p.m. (KFQD/ECHL.TV) rematch tomorrow at Stockton Arena.
For Kelly Cup championship merchandise, 2014-15 season tickets, corporate sponsorship packages, and more information, please call 907-258-ACES. The Aces can also be visited on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/alaskaaceshockey.
Three Stars:
1. AK - B. Cole
2. AK - C. Francis
3. STK - J. MacLellan
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