Aces streak by Lynx, 8-3

February 3, 2007 - ECHL (ECHL)
Alaska Aces News Release


AUGUSTA, Georgia - Alaska exploded for four first period goals, three coming on the power play, and never looked back in an 8-3 victory over the Augusta Lynx before 3,077 Friday at James Brown Arena.

Early Friday, the ECHL awarded defenseman Corbin Schmidt its HOK Sport Plus Performer of the Month honor for the month of January. The second-year pro from Anchorage finished +12 with two goals and five assists as the Aces went 11-2-1 during the month of January, and contributed a playmaker Friday with three assists against the Lynx.

Augusta took two penalties in the first 1:11, and Alaska took advantage as Barrett Heisten slipped a pass across the top of the crease to Kevin Croxton, who beat his former college teammate at RPI, Lynx goalie Nathan Marsters, for an early 1-0 lead at 2:32. As a Lynx power play ended, Heisten hit Ryan MacMurchy coming out of the box with a pass on the right wing, leading to a MacMurchy blast and a 2-0 edge at 7:01. Less than five minutes later, Heisten tipped in a Kimbi Daniels drive and the Aces assumed control at 3-0. Mark Erickson got one back for Augusta at 12:56, but Daniels answered with his 13th goal of the year, on a shot that caromed off Lynx defenseman Ken Scuderi with 4:57 left in the period.

Brian Passmore stuffed home a loose puck to cut Alaska's lead to 4-2 at 7:29 of the middle frame, but Heisten scored his second of the night and 12th of the year off the rush after a feed from Daniels to push the lead back to 5-2 less than three minutes later. With less than a minute to play in the period, Julian Talbot found Olivier Filion streaking out of the penalty box for a breakaway that Filion converted for his team-leading 21st of the year and a 6-2 bulge heading to the locker room.

Daniels set up Croxton for the rookie's second of the night and 18th of the year off the rush at 6:27 of the third period to push the lead to five goals. Two minutes later, Weston Tardy banked a shot off the knee of Aces defenseman Steven Later to trim the gap to 7-3, but Alaska managed the last goal, Vladimir Novak's 15th of the year and the team's fourth power play tally of the night with 8:52 left in regulation. The game was marred by 132 minutes in penalties, 60 of which occurred in the final 29 seconds, which featured four fights in a span of eight ticks of the clock.

Alaska, now 30-11-2 overall and winners of 11 of its last 12, heads back to Gwinnett for a rematch with the Gladiators tomorrow at 3:35 p.m. AST, four days after Novak scored 52 seconds into OT for a 5-4 win. The game will be broadcast live on KFQD AM 750, with coverage beginning at 3:15 p.m. Alaska's next home games will be Tuesday and Wednesday against Fresno, followed by a three-game set with the Phoenix Roadrunners beginning February 9. Tickets are available by calling 258-ACES or logging onto www.alaskaaces.com.



ECHL Stories from February 3, 2007


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