
Aces wallop Thunder, 8-2, lead West by five points
February 5, 2006 - ECHL (ECHL)
Alaska Aces News Release
STOCKTON, Calif. - Alex Leavitt scored twice and assisted on two others as the Alaska Aces rolled to their ninth straight victory, 8-2 over the Thunder in front of 8,923 Saturday night at Stockton Arena.
The first period of Saturday's game proved to be a near replica of the night before, as the Thunder again struck early, with Kevin Gardner firing home a rebound just 1:25 into the game. As was the case Friday, Alaska tied the game on a power play, as Mike Scott blasted a one-timer past Stockton goalie Jeff Weber at 5:59 for his 19th goal of the year and third of the series. The game remained deadlocked 1-1 until Alex Leavitt, the sixth skater on the ice in a delayed penalty situation, found a wide-open Olivier Filion in the right circle for a virtual tap-in at 17:48. Justin Maiser redirected a shot by Peter Metcalf for another power play goal with 30 seconds left in the period, giving Alaska a 3-1 edge at intermission.
Steve Slonina scored on a rebound to pull the Thunder within 3-2 at 7:24 of the second period, but less than two minutes later, Vladimir Novak flipped in a backhander to put the Aces back in front by two goals. The long reach of Leavitt accounted for Alaska's fifth goal, as the ECHL Rookie of the Month stretched fully to tip in a centering pass from Ryan Gaucher at 11:14. Gaucher built the lead to 6-2 with a shorthanded goal at 13:58, and Leavitt capped a run of four straight Alaska goals with his second of the night and 13th of the year with 1:32 left in the frame.
Maiser scored his second goal of the night shorthanded just 43 seconds into the final period after Louis Mass was ejected for head-butting at the tail end of the second. Matt Underhill stopped all 19 shots he faced in the third period and finished with 37 saves on the night, tying his single-season high, to win his ninth consecutive start between the pipes.
Alaska, 36-6-3 overall and winners of nine straight by a combined score of 52-15, will bus to Las Vegas tonight and practice at Orleans Arena Monday in preparation for a Tuesday night game against the Wranglers at 6:00 p.m. AST. The Aces, who maintained their five-point lead in the West have not faced Vegas (33-8-4) since a three-game sweep of the Wranglers in Anchorage November 16-19, a series in which Las Vegas scored only three goals. All Alaska Aces games are broadcast live on KFQD AM 750 and at www.alaskaaces.com. In addition, all home games and selected road contests will be available on a pay-per-view basis on the internet, courtesy of B2 Networks.
ECHL Stories from February 5, 2006
- Condors soar past Thunder - Stockton Thunder
- ECHL Today - ECHL
- Second shootout, second victory, 4-3 - Dayton Bombers
- A Tough Exam to Ace - Stockton Thunder
- Rubber match bounces off Wall - Victoria Salmon Kings
- Ice Dogs Win Again, 3-2 - Long Beach Ice Dogs
- Aces wallop Thunder, 8-2, lead West by five points - Alaska Aces
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