Alaska Strengthens Hold on First Place
March 21, 2009 - ECHL (ECHL)
Alaska Aces News Release
PHOENIX - Brett Hemingway scored the game-tying goal with 9:57 left in regulation and J.P. Lamoureux stopped all four Phoenix attempts in the shootout as Alaska prevailed, 4-3, before 3,618 Friday at US Airways Center.
The Aces (41-22-3) pushed their West Division lead to seven points over second-place Idaho, a 2-0 loser in Victoria Friday. The Steelheads have three games in hand, while the Salmon Kings have played the same number of games as Alaska and remain eight points behind.
The Aces dominated the early going Friday, out-shooting the Roadrunners 10-2 and taking a 1-0 lead on Colin Hemingway's team-leading 23rd goal of the year at 3:42 of the first period on the power play. Phoenix slowly worked itself back into the game and created a 1-1 deadlock at the break when Michael Cohen scored on a backander with 8:50 left in the opening frame.
The Roadrunners grabbed their first lead of the night when David Rutherford scored on the power play with 5:15 left in the secon period, setting the stage for a wild sequence near the end of the stanza. First, with his club on the power play looking to take a two-goal advantage, Phoenix goaltender Kyle Jones had the puck stolen from him by Alaska captain Scott Burt, whose unassisted shorthanded goal tied the game 2-2 with 21 seconds left in the period. However, Mitch Carefoot's power play goal 17 seconds later pushed the Roadrunners back in front, 3-2, heading to the final 20 minutes.
Hemingway's equalizer, a wrist shot just inside the left goal post, came off the rush and was set up by Tomas Kana. After a scoreless second half of the third period and overtime, Kana and Luke Erickson (who is now 5-for-5 in the skills competition) scored in the shootout while Lamoureux, who had 27 saves in 65 minutes, stonewalled the Roadrunners to collect his league-leading 29th victory.
Alaska flies to Las Vegas tomorrow morning and will face the Wranglers, who have won four in a row since losing two straight in Anchorage two weekends ago, Saturday night at 6:30 p.m. AT. The game will be broadcast live on KFQD AM 750, with Peanut Farm Pre-Game Show coverage beginning 15 minutes prior to face-off.
ECHL Stories from March 21, 2009
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- Reign Drop Match To Wranglers, 2-5 - Ontario Reign
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- Salmon Kings Shutout Steelheads - Victoria Salmon Kings
- Alaska Strengthens Hold on First Place - Alaska Aces
- Wranglers Top Reign 5-2 - Las Vegas Wranglers
- Condors keep rolling, 4-1 over Utah - Bakersfield Condors
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