Aces win 4-3 in OT
March 13, 2005 - ECHL (ECHL)
Alaska Aces News Release
LONG BEACH, Calif. â Cal Benazic scored the game-winner with 55.3 seconds left in overtime as Alaska regained sole possession of first place with a 4-3 victory over the Ice Dogs Saturday at Long Beach Arena.
As they did last night in an eventual 3-1 loss at Bakersfield that ended a club record-tying 13-game unbeaten streak, Alaska scored first, as Mike Scott found Joe Talbot on an odd-man rush at 14:41. Talbot chipped a backhander by Long Beach starter Olivier Michaud, and the Aces took a 1-0 lead into the dressing room.
Marco Rosa tied the game at 5:26 of the second, blistering a slap shot by Alaska goalie Peter Aubry from the top of the right circle. The Aces regained the lead with another beautiful finish by Talbot off the rush, assisted by Scott and B.J. Young with 3:17 left in the middle frame. But only 16 seconds later, Cory Urquhart pulled the Ice Dogs even once again with a wrist shot from the left circle, sending the teams into intermission deadlocked 2-2.
Long Beach took its first lead when Michael Lambert finished off a two-on-one with 14:02 left in regulation, but the Ice Dogs, who had three-goal leads twice last weekend in Anchorage and failed to hold them, saw the Aces tie the game with a desperate flurry as the period wound down. Charles Linglet rung a shot off the post, and although Michaud stopped Chris Minard's drive on the rebound, he was unable to control the ensuing rebound and could only flail helplessly as
Scott Gomez tapped the loose puck home for the equalizer and his 11th goal of the year at 14:59. In the final minute of overtime, Ryan Bast fed Benazic for a drive from the top of the right circle that sailed cleanly by Michaud, giving the Aces a two-point edge over Bakersfield and a three-point bulge over the Ice Dogs in the West Division at the end of Saturday's play
Alaska (37-16-7) wraps up a busy weekend in San Diego, currently seven points out of a playoff spot, at 4:00 p.m. AST, a game that can be watched on a pay-per-view basis at www.alaskaaces.com, courtesy of B2 Networks, as well as heard on KFQD, with coverage beginning 20 minutes prior to the opening face-off. The Aces have not faced the Gulls since Minard scored in overtime to give Alaska a 5-4 victory on New Year's Eve.
ECHL Stories from March 13, 2005
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- Rivermen Come to Town fighting for Playoff Spot - Wheeling Nailers
- Falcons Defeat Rival Condors 4-2 - Fresno Falcons
- Salmon Kings and Steelheads finish the home schedule for Victoria - Victoria Salmon Kings
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- Wranglers Edged By Gulls 2-1 - Las Vegas Wranglers
- Aces win 4-3 in OT - Alaska Aces
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- Zepp, Everblades Shut Out Sea Wolves 3-0 - Mississippi Sea Wolves
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