Aces Wear Down Salmon Kings, 5-3

Published on February 14, 2010 under ECHL (ECHL)
Alaska Aces News Release


VICTORIA, BC, Canada - Brock McBride, Judd Blackwater, and Scott Burt all scored a goal and an assist while Scott Reid collected his first win in 45 days with 40 saves in a 5-3 Alaska win at Victoria before 4,791 Saturday at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.

The victory marked the fourth in five games for the Aces (24-22-4), who also snapped a three-game losing streak on the road and clamied their first win in four tries at Victoria this season. The Salmon Kings, meanwhile, suffered their first loss since January 9 at home and just their second in three months. Victoria had been 19-1-1 in its last 21 home games prior to Saturday, but at 28-18-5 overall, will need to win tomorrow's game in regulation in order to claim the season series. Alaska owns a 5-4-1 advantage heading into the rubber match, scheduled for Noon AT tomorrow, with live coverage on KFQD 750 AM beginning at 11:45 a.m. with the Peanut Farm Pre-Game Show.

As they did on Thursday in a 6-2 romp, the Salmon Kings scored first, when Chad Painchaud beat Reid on Victoria's first shot at 1:57. McBride answered by following up a Scott Burt rebound at 4:06, but with the Aces on the power play, Adam Taylor regained the lead for the hosts at 5:33 with a shorthanded goal. Having given up two goals on three shots, Reid, making only his third start in six weeks, quickly settled down, and stopped Wes Goldie (the ECHL's leading goal-scorer with 34 coming into Saturday) and Randall Gelech on second period breakaways to keep the deficit at 2-1. After the 'Kings failed to convert a nearly two-minute five-on-three power play, Nick Mazzolini buried his own rebound for a shorthanded goal to tie the game at 2-2 with 3:11 left in the middle frame.

Down to only 13 skaters, Victoria nevertheless managed a final push early in the third period, only to be thwarted repeatedly by Reid, who made 39 consecutive saves at one point. McBride set up Burt for the go-ahead goal on a breakaway at 8:24 of the final period, and Judd Blackwater gave Reid some cushion with the eventual game-winner, his 20th goal of the season, only 54 seconds later. An empty-netter by Eric Boguniecki pushed the margin to 5-2 with 1:23 remaining, rendering Mike Hamilton's goal in the final minute relatively meaningless. Mazzolini dished out two assists and finished +2 to go along with his 17th goal of the year, while Blackwater also ended the night +2 and handed out an assist on Mazzolini's shortie. Victoria's Leland Irving played well, especially early, and finished with 32 saves on 36 shots.

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