Alaska stymied by Fukufuji, 4-1

March 20, 2005 - ECHL (ECHL)
Alaska Aces News Release


BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – Yutaka Fukufuji again took a shutout into the final five minutes, finishing with 42 saves as Bakersfield scored three goals in four minutes to break open a close game and defeat Alaska 4-1 in front of 5,758 Saturday at Rabobank Arena.

After a scoreless first period in which the Aces out-shot the Condors 14-11, fleet rookie Connor James exploded through the middle, splitting defensemen Ryan Bast and Cal Benazic and beating Lance Mayes on a breakaway to give Bakersfield a 1-0 lead at 6:05 of the second period. That score held up until Mayes, who saw his nine-game winning streak come to an end, lost sight of a loose puck behind the Alaska net early in the third period, and Condor veteran Kevin St. Jacques took advantage, banking a centering pass off the back of the Aces goaltender's skate for a 2-0 edge at 4:21.

Mike Scott took an interference penalty two minutes later, and James tipped in a Luis Tremblay drive from the point to extend Bakersfield's lead to 3-0 at 6:58. Paul Rosebush pushed the margin to four with a blast from the left point less than 90 seconds later, and suddenly the game was out of hand, with the Condors having scored three goals on four shots to begin the final period.

Chris Minard scored on a rebound for his ECHL-leading 43rd goal of the year with 4:33 remaining, but Alaska would draw no closer, losing its fourth straight game to Bakersfield and dropping into a first-place tie with the Condors in the West Division. The Aces (39-18-7) had not dropped consecutive games since a home loss to Victoria November 21 and a road defeat at Idaho three days later.

Six of Alaska's final eight regular season games will be against Las Vegas, beginning with three at home next week. The Wranglers, who have lost just two of their last 11 games despite being out of the playoff chase, and Aces meet Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday night at Sullivan Arena. Alaska has won two of the three prior meetings this season, but the two clubs have not seen one another since the Aces outlasted the Wranglers 4-3 in a shootout December 4.

All three games start at 7:15 p.m. and will be broadcast live on KFQD 750 AM and made available on a pay-per-view basis at www.alaskaaces.com, courtesy of B2 Networks. Coverage begins 20 minutes prior to the opening face-off. For tickets and 2005 playoff information, please call 258-ACES.



ECHL Stories from March 20, 2005


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