WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah – Rookies have been the headliners of this playoff series and while Alaska netminder Jean-Philippe Lamoureux was the star in the first two games it would be Utah’s Brett Beauchamp who would shine in the limelight after this game. Lamoureux’s success as a pro has been highly chronicled this year while Beauchamp’s first pro season has seen him dealt two separate times while bouncing around with three different teams.
But all the differences between the two were erased the second Beachamp’s blast defeated Lamoureux and pulled his Grizzlies back into the series. Thanks to Utah’s 3-2 win the series is now sitting two games to one for Alaska, but game five on Saturday night has now become necessary.
For over half of the game it appeared to be that game five would never take place as the Grizzlies simply could not solve the Aces defense despite carrying the play through two periods.
Alaska’s Matt Stefanishion beat Utah’s Michael Mole near the midway point of the contest when his backhander off a T.J. Fast feed went into the net. The game would remain that way until Utah’s Vladimir Nikiforov tied the game when he beat Lamoureux with a wrist shot after taking a pass from Mike Walsh. The goal was Utah’s first off Lamoureux in 280 minutes and twenty-seven seconds over a stretch of five games.
Although they had been outshot by a 29-16 margin through two periods the resourceful Aces forged into the lead once again when Matt Shasby converted a pass from Cam Keith just past the midway point of the third period, one in which the shots would be even at twelve apiece.
Just when it appeared Alaska was primed to take a three-game lead in the series Utah, snake-bitten through the entire series, received a fortunate turn of events. With 14:57 expired in the third period Walsh fired a shot at the Alaska goal and Nikiforov surprised even himself when he deflected the puck past Lamoureux to knot the game at two apiece.
At that time it would be Mole’s turn to shine. Although he has been outstanding in the series Mole’s efforts had been dimmed by Lamoureux’s now-shattered perfection. Without Mole’s key saves in the clutch on Josh Soares in regulation and then Vladimir Novak in overtime there is no telling how this game could have turned out.
Enter Beauchamp. With three and a half minutes expired in overtime the defender accepted a drop pass from Tyler Wooddisse and blazed a shot past Lamoureux to set the stage for a possible tying game on Friday night. Ex-Aces forward Bo Cheesman was initially credited with the tally, but in the end he was assessed an assist on the play.
Note
Each of the clubs received players from the AHL prior to game three. Utah received the services of James Sixsmith from the premier minor-pro league while Alaska added defenders Fast and Tyson Marsh.
To date the Grizzlies have been doing an excellent job limiting Soares production. Soares scored 22 points in just 12 games with the Aces this year and has 103 regular season points in 73 games over his career. While Soares production in the playoffs had previously been held to “just” a point-per-game as he had nine points in nine playoff games last year, Soares has been restricted to a measly assist in the first three games of this series.
Contact tom.schettino@prohockeynews.com
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