Aces Hold off Wranglers 4-3
February 25, 2011 - ECHL (ECHL)
Alaska Aces News Release
In a battle of the two division leaders in the Western Conference, the Alaska Aces held off a late charge to slip past the Las Vegas Wranglers 4-3 on Thursday night at Sullivan Arena in Anchorage. The Aces extended their winning streak to five games, and won for the eighth time in the last nine games. They extended their lead atop the Mountain Division, and moved within one point of Las Vegas for the Conference lead. Alaska improved to 32-19-3 on the year. The Aces and Wranglers return on Friday night to continue their three-game series. Tickets are on sale now. For more information, and the latest promotional news and updates, fans can visit the Aces at their Facebook page for more information, or call the Aces at 907.258.ACES.
The Aces took early control of the hockey game with a pair of quick goals. First Scott Howes made a nifty play, gloving the puck to himself, and then found Garry Nunn in the slot, who redirected a puck past Michael Ouzas to make it 1-0 Aces at 4:07 of the first. Alaska extended their lead when Kory Falite scored his 14th of the year at 6:27 to extend the lead to 2-0. The Aces outshot the Wranglers 15-10 in the opening period.
The second period opened with Las Vegas getting on the board early. Aces netminder Adam Courchaine came out to play a puck and fell down, giving Chris Francis an empty net, and he buried it at 1:10 to cut the Aces advantage to 2-1. The Aces made it 3-1 when Chris Langkow scored on a redirection during a power play at 12:43. The Aces extended their lead to 4-1 in the final minute when Dan Kissel stretched his goal scoring streak to four games at 19:05. Kissel's shot from the left wall caught Ouzas off guard and gave Alaska their largest lead of the night. The goal was erased shortly thereafter when Nick Ross scored at 19:52 capping a furious Vegas attack. The Aces took a 4-2 lead into the third period.
The Aces took a two-goal lead into the final period, but Las Vegas came out aggressively and outshot Alaska 15-4 in the frame. They got back within a goal when josh Lunden scored from the slot at 11:19. The Wranglers pulled their goalie in search of the equalizer, and Aaron Power hit a post in the final minute, but that's as close as Las Vegas came, and Alaska held on for the 4-3 win.
Adam Courchaine (11-6-1) made 32 saves on 35 shots, earning the win. Michael Ouzas (14-10-1) suffered the loss, making 25 saves on 29 shots. The Aces power play went 1-2, while the Wranglers went 0-1. The Aces were outshot by the Wranglers 35-29 in the game.
The Aces and Wranglers are back at the Sully on Friday at 7:15pm and Sunday at 5:00pm as they continue the matchup of the Western Conference Division leaders. Tickets are on sale now. For the most up-to-date team and promotional information, please visit the Aces on Facebook. Fans can also call the Aces office at 907.258.ACES.
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