Daniels Propels Aces

February 27, 2003 - ECHL (ECHL)
Alaska Aces News Release


ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Kimbi Daniels scored on a breakaway with 8:38 remaining and the suddenly defensive-minded Anchorage Aces permitted just one shot the rest of the way in a 5-4 win over Fresno in front of 2,251 Wednesday at Sullivan Arena.

Anchorage took a 2-0 lead after the opening frame, with both goals coming on rebounds. Kevin McNeill scored for the sixth time in seven games at 4:33, while Paul Williams converted an Aces' power play for his first goal in 10 games at 11:46. Dean Larson, who did not play on the same line with Yvan Corbin for the first time all season, and Ryan Moren assisted on each of the goals in the first period. Jordan Landry put the Falcons on the board only 1:28 into the second period, but McNeill found Jason Modopoulos for a one-timer three minutes later to push the margin to 3-1.

Anchorage starter Christian Soucy made a costly turnover shortly thereafter, leading to a Kris Porter goal at 5:56 that trimmed the gap to 3-2. The Aces gained a two-man advantage later in the period, but instead of going up two goals, found themselves tied when Jason Weaver converted a breakaway at 14:27. The goal marked the seventh scored by Fresno shorthanded against Anchorage this year. The Aces have surrendered a league-high 14 shorties on the season. But Anchorage bounced back, regaining the lead on the very same power play as Larson fired home his 24th of the season to give the Aces a 4-3 edge heading into the final period.

Landry scored at 2:09 of the third to lift the Falcons back into a tie, but the Fresno offense would soon go quiet, finishing with just 23 shots, which tied Anchorage's best showing in that department all year (the Aces had been giving up 36 per game heading into tonight). Meanwhile, Anchorage had just four shots in the third period, but one of those proved to be the game-winner as Daniels broke into the clear when Falcon defenseman Kirk DeWaele fell down, then deked goaltender Mark Gowan and roofed the puck just underneath the crossbar to provide the margin of victory. Fresno never seriously challenged, even with Gowan pulled in favor of the extra attacker in the closing seconds. The Aces (14-40-3) snapped a nine-game winless streak against the Falcons, who dropped to 29-20-5.

Anchorage welcomes Bakersfield to Sullivan Arena for Friday and Saturday night games at 7:00 p.m. The Aces have taken seven of the 10 meetings with the Condors this 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 February 27, 2003


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central