Anchorage Brawls its Way to 5-1 Win

March 9, 2003 - ECHL (ECHL)
Alaska Aces News Release


ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Anchorage scored two shorthanded goals in a 45-second span late in the third period to seal a 5-1 victory over Long Beach Saturday night in front of 4,428 at Sullivan Arena.

The intense nature of the game was established early, as Anchorage's Jason Boily and Richard Paul went toe-to-toe just three seconds into the game in a rematch of a bout staged the night before. The Aces grabbed a 1-0 lead at 4:54 of the first period when Yvan Corbin tucked a rebound behind Danielle Dube, who was making her second start against Anchorage this season. She had defeated the Aces while playing for Bakersfield January 11, but absorbed the loss last night in relief of Mike Buzak. The first period ended with Ty Jones of Anchorage trading punches with Tyler Willis in the main event, while Carl Drakensjo grappled with Long Beach's Jeff Marshall in a middleweight battle.

Kevin McNeill tipped in a Kimbi Daniels drive from the point at 7:29 of the second period, and Drakensjo registered his sixth goal in the last four games six minutes later to give Anchorage a comfortable 3-0 bulge heading into the final period. Dave Csumrik took a five-minute major for cross-checking midway through the third, allowing Long Beach a glimmer of hope, and the Ice Dogs finally broke through on the ensuing power play as Chris Peyton ended Ryan Person's shutout bid with 9:14 left in regulation. But the rest of Long Beach's man advantage proved to be a disaster, as Daniels and Corbin (whose second goal pushed his league-leading total to 39 on the season) scored at 13:57 and 14:42, respectively to put the game away for the Aces.

But the fisticuffs were far from over, as a scrum in front of the Anchorage net led to a full-scale line brawl, with Jeff Attard going after Person while Willis, who earlier in the period had dropped the gloves with Ruslan Batyrshin, tangled with Boily. With Person still in the mix, Dube left her crease to join the fray, but was quickly intercepted by a linesman. Person was ejected with 5:18 remaining, and Christian Soucy did not face a single shot in relief. The Aces (17-41-3 overall) once again outshot Long Beach decisively, 27-18. Anchorage can escape the WCHL cellar for the first time all season with a regulation victory over the Ice Dogs (17-37-4) tomorrow.

Tomorrow's series finale is slated for a 5:00 p.m. start, with all fans invited to participate in what will be the last post-game "Skate with the Aces" during the 2002-03 season. All games are broadcast live on KFQD 750 AM and at www.anchorageaces.com, with Jack Michaels calling the play-by-play. Coverage begins 20 minutes prior to the opening face-off, presented by GCI.



ECHL Stories from March 9, 2003


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