Stockton hangs on for win
Published on January 23, 2010 under ECHL (ECHL)
Alaska Aces News Release
STOCKTON, Calif. - Igor Gongalsky scored twice, including the game-winner, as the Thunder overcame a goal and an assist by Nick Mazzolini and dealt Frank Doyle his first loss as an Ace, 4-3, in front of 6,508 at Stockton Arena.
The loss ends Alaska's three-game winning streak and drops the club back to .500 overall (19-19-3) and 7-13 on the road. Meanwhile, Stockton (17-16-6) remains unbeaten in its last six games heading into tomorrow's game against Bakersfield. The Aces meet the Condors at Rabobank Arena Wednesday night at 6:00 p.m. AT, broadcast live on KFQD 750 AM, with coverage getting underway 15 minutes prior to the opening face-off. Alaska lost three straight at Bakersfield just before Thanksgiving.
The Aces came out smoking Saturday night, scoring just 12 seconds into the game on Alexandre Imbeault's 17th goal of the year. Imbeault has at least a point in seven straight games, with 14 points (7g-7a) over that span. The Thunder rallied with three unanswered goals, beginning with Matt O'Dette's power play tally at 7:09 of the first period. Gongalsky's first of two and Chris D'Alvise's second goal in as many nights came 57 seconds apart later in the frame, and Stockton enjoyed a 3-1 advantage at the break.
Mazzolini scored the only goal of the second period, his first in 13 games dating to December 27, to cut the gap to 3-2 heading to the final 20 minutes. Halfway through the final period, Alaska came in on a three-on-one, only to see Imbeault's bid for the equalizer ring off the crossbar. At the other end on the ensuing rush, former Ace Colin Hemingway set up Gongalsky for what turned out to be the game-winner. The man for whom Hemingway's ECHL rights were traded, Judd Blackwater, scored his first goal as an Ace with 6:42 remaining, but Andrew Perugini (21 saves) held on to remain unbeaten in five starts (3-0-2) against Alaska this season.
Doyle finished with 29 stops in seeing his personal mark with the Aces drop to 6-1-1. Six of the seven meetings between Alaska and Stockton this season have decided by one goal (the other was by two), while Saturday's game marked the first time the home team prevailed.
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