Payne New Blues Head Coach, Aces Add Goalie

Published on January 2, 2010 under ECHL (ECHL)
Alaska Aces News Release


ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Former Aces head coach Davis Payne, who had been in his second year with Alaska's AHL affiliate in Peoria, has been promoted to interim head coach of the St. Louis Blues, replacing Andy Murray.

In other news away from the Sullivan Arena ice sheet, the Aces have acquired 29-year-old goaltender Frank Doyle from the Charlotte Checkers in exchange for future considerations.

The 39-year-old Payne went 185-75-28 (.691) during the regular season in his four years behind the bench with the Aces, leading the team to at least the conference finals in each of his last three seasons and earning ECHL Coach of the Year honors in 2006-07. His 38-21 (.644) career playoff record included the 2006 Kelly Cup Finals, when Alaska defeated Gwinnett in five games to earn the state its first pro sports championship since 1980.

In 2007, Payne accepted an assistant coaching position with the Rivermen, and was named the club's head coach a year later, going 62-44-9 at the AHL level before being promoted today. He will coach his first game for the Blues in St. Louis tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks and their assistant coach Mike Haviland, who collided with Payne in the 2005 ECHL National Conference Finals when he was the head man in Trenton.

Doyle had not played in the ECHL since his rookie year prior to this season, having spent last year in Cologne, Germany (DEL, the top league in Germany) and the previous three seasons exclusively at the AHL level. He won 32 games, earned ECHL All-Rookie team honors, and was named MVP of the 2005 ECHL All-Star Game in his first pro campaign with the Idaho Steelheads in 2004-05. Doyle attended the University of Maine prior to turning pro, helping the Black Bears win the 2004 Hockey East Championship and advance to the 2004 NCAA title game while going 29-8-5 with a 1.96 GAA and a.919 save percentage in his two collegiate campaigns. He went 3-2 in five starts for the Checkers before the trade.

Alaska (13-16-2) has won back-to-back games for the first time in more than a month heading into tonight's series opener against Victoria (16-13-3) at 7:15 p.m. The Salmon Kings, who have won 10 straight coming into tonight, will meet the Aces twice more at Sullivan Arena Sunday at 5:05 p.m. and Monday at 7:15 p.m. The Aces swept Victoria in a three-game series played in Anchorage to open the season but lost a pair earlier this week in Canada. KFQD 750 AM will have live coverage of all three games against the 'Kings, beginning with tonight's Peanut Farm Pre-Game show at 7:00 p.m.

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