Minard blitzes Victoria with five goals in 8-2 Aces romp
January 9, 2005 - ECHL (ECHL)
Alaska Aces News Release
ANCHORAGE, AK â Chris Minard scored four of his club-record five goals in the first period as Alaska led 5-0 after 20 minutes and never looked back in an 8-2 rout of Victoria in front of 4,303 at Sullivan Arena.
After struggling to a hard-fought 2-1 win Friday, the Aces made quick work of the Salmon Kings, as Minard scored twice in the game's first four minutes, the first of which came with Alaska shorthanded at 2:37. His second goal occurred with the Aces on the power play at 3:55, and the natural hat trick came rather easily, courtesy of a friendly bounce off an upright in the corner, which sent the puck directly in front of the net, where Victoria goalie Jason Stone was caught out of position and watched helplessly as Minard tapped it in with 9:31 left in the period. Chris Heisten scored another shorthanded goal for the Aces less than two minutes later, building the lead to 4-0, before Minard struck again with 1:04 left in the period for his fourth of the night.
Alaska came out a bit flat for the second period, and Blue Bennefield put the Salmon Kings on the board just 20 seconds into the frame, but Victoria would draw no closer. Six different players had scored four goals in a single game for the Aces (most recently Jordan Cameron 2/14/04 in a 6-5 win at Bakersfield), but the 24-year-old Minard became the first to score five when he took a pass from Scott Gomez and beat Stone at 10:31 of the second period. Gomez set up four of Minard's five goals and finished with five helpers for the second time in three games. Gomez now leads the ECHL with 31 assists, while Minard's five goals pushed his league-leading total to 24 on the year. Minard will represent Alaska at the ECHL All-Star Game January 26.
Ryan Moren increased the bulge to 7-1 with the Aces' third power play goal of the night with 6:21 left in the second period, and Heisten registered his third two-goal game in his last four outings with an even-strength tally at 8:44 of the third. Rob Voltera scored for Victoria (7-20-3) with 51 seconds remaining to account for the final margin. Lance Mayes recorded 24 saves to earn the victory in net, while Charles Linglet contributed three assists and Mike Jones added two.
Alaska, winners of five straight and 18-12-2 overall, third in the West Division plays four home games in five nights next week, all scheduled for a 7:15 p.m. face-off. Idaho rolls into town Tuesday and Wednesday, while Fresno makes its first trip to Sullivan Arena this season Friday and Saturday. All four games will be broadcast live on flagship station KFQD 750 AM and at www.alaskaaces.com, where Alaska's home games and selected road contests also can be seen on a pay-per-view basis, courtesy of B2 Networks. Coverage begins 20 minutes prior to face-off.
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