Another Aces Comeback Comes Up Just Shy

Published on December 13, 2009 under ECHL (ECHL)
Alaska Aces News Release


ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Trailing 4-1 with seven minutes to play, Alaska again rallied against Stockton, but failed to notch the equalizer and lost its third straight to the Thunder, 4-3, before 4,334 Sunday at Sullivan Arena.

Alaska had pulled within a goal once in Friday's 6-4 defeat and twice in Saturday's 5-4 setback, but suffered its first three-game sweep at home since November 2006. 56 three-game series have been played at Sullivan Arena since the Aces entered the ECHL in 2003, and Stockton joined Las Vegas as the only teams who have managed to take all three games. The Thunder, who came into the series mired in the Pacific Division basement, have won five in a row after a slump that had seen them win just once in 11 outings.

Now 11-12-2 on the season, the Aces head to Boise for two games next Friday and Saturday against the 19-5-2 Steelheads, with live coverage on KFQD 750 AM getting underway at 4:45 p.m. both nights. Idaho leads the West Division by 10 points over second-place Utah and by 16 over Alaska.

Bryan Leitch, a late replacement for the injured Matt Stefanishion in the Aces lineup, opened the scoring with a wrist shot at 3:50 of the first period, his second goal in four games with an Alaska sweater on his back. But the Thunder responded with three unanswered goals against Aces goalie Scott Reid, the first two by Oren Eizenman and the last by Judd Blackwater with 3:07 left in the frame. The three goals in less than six minutes left Alaska with a 3-1 deficit in the first period and ended Reid's night. He was replaced by Sebastian Dahm at the start of the second period after stopping 11 of 14 shots.

Dahm was perfect in the second period, but so was Stockton goalie Andrew Perugini, and when Anthony Aiello scored a power play goal with 7:53 left in regulation to increase the gap to 4-1, victory seemed certain for the visitors. But a floater by Alexandre Imbeault from beyond the blue line 49 seconds later hit the heel of Perugini's glove and caromed behind him for a gift that cut the margin to 4-2. Two quick penalties against the Thunder led to a power play blast by T.J. Fast that left the score 4-3 with 2:27 remaining, and the Aces still enjoying a power play for another 1:41.

However, Alaska failed to convert that six-on-four situation and another for the final 12 seconds of regulation that cropped up after yet another Stockton penalty. Dahm finished with 27 saves on 28 shots while Perugini posted 37 stops. Imbeault had two assists to go along with his sixth goal of the campaign. The Aces have not been under .500 this late in the season in their ECHL history dating to 2003.

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