Aces nip Steelheads 4-3
January 31, 2005 - ECHL (ECHL)
Alaska Aces News Release
ANCHORAGE, Alaska â Alaska's depth and power play proved to be too much for Idaho, as the Aces held off a late rally to claim a 4-3 victory in front of 4,131 Sunday in the rubber match of a three-game series at Sullivan Arena.
Chris Heisten opened the game's scoring as for the first time in the series, the Aces scored first, at 11:29 of the opening period. Idaho goaltender Frank Doyle stopped an initial shot by Kimbi Daniels, but lost track of the puck and watched helplessly as Heisten flipped in a backhander when no whistle sounded.
Alaska had scored three power play goals in a span of 3:25 midway through the second period to break open Friday's 6-3 win, and once again, the power play would extend the lead midway through the second period of Sunday's contest. Mike Scott fed Scott Gomez for a one-timer from the right circle at 8:01, and only 1:22 later, Chris Minard redirected a drive from Charles Linglet by Doyle for a 3-0 bulge and his league-leading 29th goal of the season. The Steelheads answered on a power play of their own at the 11:08 mark of the second period when Darrell Hay's blast from the point whistled by a screened Lance Mayes top shelf.
The Aces slowed the pace considerably in the third, and a one-timer by Mike Lee, set up by Daniels, increased the margin to a seemingly insurmountable 4-1 with 4:47 left in regulation. But Idaho (20-19-3) refused to fold, as Dave Cornacchia hammered a slap shot by Mayes with 1:14 remaining and Billy Tibbetts pulled the Steelheads within one by banging in a loose puck in front with 12.3 seconds left on the clock.
Mayes made the final of his 24 saves on a drive from beyond the blue line by Brett Draney after the center-ice face-off to clinch the victory, which boosts Alaska's record to 24-14-4 (5-4-1 vs. Idaho) heading into its three-game series at home against second-place Bakersfield this week. The Condors are six points ahead of the Aces at 26-10-6, including a 5-2 win over Alaska in their only previous meeting in Bakersfield November 2.
Wednesday and Thursday night's games at Sullivan Arena start at 7:15 p.m., while Saturday's series finale against the Condors will begin at 2:05 p.m. All three games will be broadcast live on flagship station KFQD 750 AM and be made available via video webcast for only $6.00 per game at www.alaskaaces.com, courtesy of B2 Networks. Coverage begins 20 minutes prior to the opening face-off.
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