Matt Robinson Returns To Aces
July 23, 2007 - ECHL (ECHL)
Alaska Aces News Release
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The Alaska Aces have signed forward Matt Robinson to an ECHL contract for the 2007-08 season.
Robinson started slowly in 2006-07 but came on late in his rookie season, finishing with 21 goals (tied for third on the Aces) in just 59 games. After going more than a month without a goal at one point, Robinson enjoyed a stretch of eight goals in 11 games, including a pair of two-goal outings in wins over Long Beach and Fresno during the month of March. The 6-1, 186-pound winger scored twice in Alaska's first round series win over Victoria and played in all but one of 15 postseason games as the Aces became only the second team ever to reach the ECHL conference finals in three consecutive seasons.
Robinson, who will turn 22 next month, scored 35 goals in 69 games for the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League in his final season of major junior hockey. Four of his 21 goals for the Aces last season proved to be game-winners, and defensively, he proved to be more than adequate, turning in a solid +13 rating.
Alaska also has hired Greg Svarczkopf to replace Jared Crawford as its head athletic trainer. Svarczkopf, who completed his undergraduate studies at Temple University in Philadelphia, previously worked in a similar capacity for both Trenton and Pensacola in the ECHL.
Meanwhile, former Ace Chris Minard recently signed an NHL contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Minard, who scored 49 goals while playing on a line with Scott Gomez for the Aces in 2004-05, led the Lowell Devils with 32 goal in only 65 games last season in the AHL. The 25-year-old Minard played a second season in Alaska in 2005-06, burying 26 goals and assisting on 16 others in 33 games and then leading the club to the Kelly Cup with a team-best 14 goals in 22 postseason contests.
In 2007, Alaska finished second overall in the ECHL during the regular season and lost to the eventual Kelly Cup champions (Idaho) for the third time in four years, having won its own ECHL title in 2006. The Aces also lost to the Steelheads in 2004 and Trenton in 2005.
2007-08 Alaska Aces season tickets start at just $396 and are now available; please call 258-ACES or visit www.alaskaaces.com for more details. The Aces open next season on the road in Fresno on October 23. Alaska opens its home schedule Friday, November 2, against the Florida Everblades at 7:15 p.m., while pre-season games in Anchorage have been scheduled against the Texas Wildcatters October 10 and 11 at 7:15 p.m.
ECHL Stories from July 23, 2007
- Last Chance for Jerseys - Dayton Bombers
- Matt Robinson Returns To Aces - Alaska Aces
- Next Care-A-Van With Goodwill Industries Set For Friday At Lake Isabella - Bakersfield Condors
- Falcons Stack Roster With Hay - Fresno Falcons
- Stingrays Add Wesolek to Front Office - South Carolina Stingrays
- Royals and Devils Flip-Flop Dates In February - Reading Royals
- Trenton Devils Make Changes To Game Schedule - Trenton Devils
- Food drive tonight - Fresno Falcons
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