Alaska Continues Mastery of Idaho
December 14, 2008 - ECHL (ECHL)
Alaska Aces News Release
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Nick Tuzzolino scored his first goal of the season and assisted on Vladimir Novak's shorthanded goal that gave Alaska the lead for good in an eventual 3-2 win over Idaho in front of 4,153 Saturday at Sullivan Arena.
The Aces remain unbeaten in their last 12 meetings (11-0-1) with the Steelheads, including a 4-0-1 mark this season and a four-game sweep of Idaho in the first round of the 2008 Kelly Cup playoffs. Goaltender Jean-Philippe Lamoureux allowed two goals for the first time in his five starts against the Steelheads, but still earned his 13th victory of the season with 27 saves.
For the second straight night, the first period elapsed without any scoring, despite a 10-3 advantage in shots on goal for Idaho. Unlike Friday, the Steelheads solved Lamoureux and scored first, as Bryan McGregor tapped home a cross-crease pass at 2:04 of the second period. Idaho's lead proved to be short-lived, however, as Tuzzolino's goal came less than three minutes later after a prolonged shift in the attacking zone for Alaska. Novak's goal came off the rush at 7:15 of the middle frame and marked his first shortie since the 2006-07 season, when he finished third in the ECHL with six.
Both teams have struggled against one another on the power play this season (Idaho 1-34, Alaska 2-31), but the Aces finally capitalized on a season-high eight chances with the man advantage when Cam Keith flicked in a backhander from the hashmarks with 4:07 left in the second period, giving Alaska a 3-1 cushion. The score remained that way until the closing seconds, when a loose puck in the slot was punched home by Riley Weselowski. But with only 6.6 seconds remaining, all the Aces needed for Novak to win the ensuing center ice face-off, which he did to push Alaska's winning streak to three games and overall record to 16-7-1.
The Aces have regained first place in the West Division by a point over idle Victoria, while the Steelheads (13-10-2) have dropped five points behind. Tomorrow marks the final game of the regular season between the two clubs. The game starts at 5:05 p.m. and features a post-game "Skate with the Aces," presented by Fred Meyer. Peanut Farm Pre-Game Show coverage on KFQD AM 750 begins at 4:45 p.m.
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