ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Alaska scored four unanswered goals in the third period to overcome a 2-1 deficit in an eventual 5-3 victory over Utah before 3,479 Wednesday at Sullivan Arena.
Alaska's third period dominance began with the first shift, when the Grizzlies were forced to take a penalty. John Lammers scored his 19th goal in 23 ECHL games on the ensuing power play off the rush, and the Aces never trailed again. After Kotsopoulous won a face-off in his own end, defenseman Ryan Turek went coast-to-coast, stickhandling through Maxwell and beating Mitch O'Keefe with a wrist shot for Alaska's first lead at 3-2 with 13:11 remaining. Matt Stefanishion, making his return to the lineup after a 10-game absence, blasted home his 11th goal of the year with 5:28 left to play. An empty-netter by Nick Tuzzolino (whose seventh goal of the season surpasses his total with the Aces from a year ago) with 1:47 on the clock pushed the margin to 5-2 rendered Hugo Carpentier's goal in the final seconds meaningless.
Alaska now owns a 21-2-1 record against Utah in games played at Sullivan Arena since the teams began battling one another in 2005. Imbeault recorded three assists and a +2 rating, Doyle posted 32 saves to earn the victory, and Tuzzolino and Boguniecki each finished +3. Alaska was out-shot 35-26. Lammers and Nick Mazzolini will be joined at the ECHL All-Star Game by their equipment manager Mike Burkhead, now in his second year with the Aces. A graduate of Ohio State University with AHL experience in Philadelphia and Bridgeport (Conn.), as well as a prior ECHL stop in Columbia (S.C.), Burkhead lives in downtown Anchorage with his wife, Mandy.
The Aces have begun their 10-game homestand 4-1-1 and have not suffered a regulation defeat in three straight games for the first time in two months. Alaska (15-17-3) also has tied Utah in points, though the Grizzlies (who have just one win in their last 12 games) have played three fewer games. The teams meet again Friday and Saturday night 7:15 p.m. Both tilts will be broadcast live on KFQD 750 AM, with the Peanut Farm Pre-Game Show beginning at 7:00 p.m. each night.
In a game that marked Lance Galbraith's return to Alaska for the first time since the Aces had acquired Evan Kotsopoulos in exchange for the veteran forward, the Grizzlies grabbed a 1-0 lead when defenseman Tim Maxwell tucked home his fourth goal of the season with 1:47 left in the opening period. Alexandre Imbeault, runner-up for ECHL Player of the Week honors last week, set up Eric Boguniecki in the slot for the equalizer at 15:04 of the second period. But with just 1.3 seconds remaining in the frame and Utah on the power play, Tim Crowder slipped a rebound past Aces starter Frank Doyle and the visitors were back on top at the break.
