ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Scott Reid (pictured) will start tonight's game for Alaska against Las Vegas after the club announced that Frank Doyle has been loaned to the Worcester Sharks of the American Hockey League.

Reid stopped 40 shots to lead the Aces to a 5-3 victory at Victoria in his most recent outing last Saturday.  He owns an 8-9-2 record for the season to go along with a 3.48 GAA and a .902 save percentage.  Doyle earned his promotion by virtue of a 10-4-2 record with Alaska, and despite losses in each of his last two starts, still ranks third in the ECHL with a .915 save percentage and sixth with a 2.82 GAA.

The Aces and Wranglers hook up tonight at Sullivan Arena in the first of a three-game series this weekend.  Tonight and tomorrow night's face-off times have been set at 7:15 p.m., with Sunday's series finale scheduled for 5:05 p.m.  All three games will be broadcast live on the flagship home for Alaska pro hockey, KFQD 750 AM.

ALASKA ACES GAME NOTES

Alaska Aces (24-23-4) vs. Las Vegas Wranglers (21-23-5)

Home Sweet Home:

For the second time in a month, Las Vegas pays a visit to Sullivan Arena, where the Aces have won five in a row and eight of their last nine, including a weekend sweep of the Wranglers January 15-16, when Frank Doyle stopped 61 of 62 shots to earn ECHL Goaltender of the Week honors with 3-1 and 3-0 victories.  The shutout remains the only bagel turned in by an Alaska goaltender this season. 

Alaska’s struggles on the road continued last week in Victoria, where the Salmon Kings took two of three, including a 5-1 decision in Sunday’s series finale.  Fortunately for the Aces, Las Vegas is one of two ECHL teams with a lower winning percentage on the road than Alaska’s .352.  The Wranglers own a league-low .300 success rate away from home (Ontario is at .345), including their most recent 10-game trip, where they went 2-8.  Las Vegas arrives in Anchorage having gone 3-1-1 in its last five games, however, including a 4-0 shutout victory at Bakersfield last Saturday.

Wranglers Report:

Las Vegas finally recorded its first road win against a team other than Ontario on January 22, winning 6-5 at Idaho.  Beginning with that breakthrough, the Wranglers actually have gone a respectable 3-4 on the road, though the team has lost six straight at Sullivan Arena, including the first two games of last year’s National Conference Finals.  Las Vegas also has won its last five one-goal games decided in regulation and two of its last three that has gone extra time.

The Wranglers took two of three from the Aces in October behind goaltender Michael Ouzas, who ranks third in the ECHL in saves and minutes played and second with 18 defeats.  Ouzas, however, did not make the trip to Anchorage, and Jimmy Spratt, who blanked the Condors in his ECHL debut Saturday, will team with Joel Gistedt, who absorbed a 5-2 loss to Alaska Oct. 22, this weekend between the pipes.

Overall, the Aces are 27-21-5 against the Wranglers during the regular season, including a 17-6-3 mark in Anchorage.  Alaska and Las Vegas have met three times in the playoffs, with the Aces prevailing twice, including last year’s four-game sweep in the National Conference Finals.

Aces Shuffle:

            Nick Mazzolini scored Alaska’s only goal last Sunday and is tied for fourth among ECHL rookies with 45 points and third with 26 assists … T.J. Fast has points in 12 of his last 15 games and is tied for 13^th among ECHL defensemen with 27 points (8g-19a) … Reid stopped 38 shots in his only prior start against Las Vegas Oct. 24, a 6-3 loss … the Aces still lead the league with a 90.2% penalty kill rate at home; that percentage drops to 78.3% on the road … Alaska also boasts the ECHL’s third-best power play on home ice (23.1%), while Las Vegas ranks dead last with the man advantage on the road (10%).