Alaska reveals men behind the masks
September 8, 2004 - ECHL (ECHL)
Alaska Aces News Release
ANCHORAGE, Alaska â The Alaska Aces have established their goaltending duo for the 2004-05 season, signing third-year pro Peter Aubry and the returning Lance Mayes to one-year contracts.
During his rookie campaign, Mayes set single-season club records for goals against average (2.60) and save percentage (.908) on his way to an 11-8-3 record in 24 games. The Victoria, B.C. native, who turned 26 Monday, became the first Alaska goaltender in nearly two years to post a shutout on the road when he blanked the Long Beach Ice Dogs 4-0 with 33 saves in his first professional start November 7. His other whitewash came in a 3-0 triumph over Bakersfield March 3 in which he posted 24 saves. Mayes also clinched Alaska's first playoff spot in two years with a season-high 39 stops in a 2-1 victory at Roanoke March 17.
Even prior to his first year with the Aces, Mayes is no stranger to Alaska, having been part of a major turnaround at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, where the Nanooks put together back-to-back winning seasons in his junior and senior campaigns. Lance posted a 13-9-5 record with a 3.16 goals against average over his final two seasons at UAF (2001-03).
At 6-3, 200 pounds, Aubry stands three inches taller and carries 20 more pounds than does Mayes. He also hails from the other side of Canada (Windsor, Ontario), where he was recruited by Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania, in 1998. In 93 games for the Lakers between 1998-2002, the 27-year-old Aubry racked up 55 wins against just 26 losses, including a spectacular 2001-02 season in which he went 19-7-2 with a career-best 2.28 GAA and .925 save percentage. Twice he led Mercyhurst to MAAC regular season titles, and in his junior season, Aubry carried the Lakers into the NCAA West Regional, where they fell to Michigan.
Aubry spent his rookie season of 2002-03 with Johnstown in the ECHL, going 21-18-8 with three shutouts and a 2.93 GAA, numbers that earned a call-up to the Saint John Flames of the American Hockey League. Last year, he moved to the United Hockey League's Elmira Jackals, where he finished 24-22-6 during the regular season with three shutouts and a .905 save percentage. Aubry elevated his game in the playoffs, leading fourth-place Elmira, who had finished a game under .500 during the regular season, all the way to the Colonial Cup Finals with a 2.74 GAA and a .915 save percentage before his Jackals were swept by league champion Muskegon.
The Aces meet the Greenville Grrrowl in two preseason games at Sullivan Arena October 13-14. Alaska starts the regular season October 22-23 on the road against defending Kelly Cup champion Idaho before coming back to Sullivan for the home opener October 29 against San Diego. KFQD 750 AM will once again serve as the flagship station for the Aces, with the live feed also made available at www.alaskaaces.com. For season ticket information, please call 258-ACES.
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