ANCHORAGE, AK – If you run through the statistics it would make you wonder why this series is even being played. The Aces were the best team in the Western Conference, led the league in penalty killing and have the league’s top goaltender in Jean-Philippe Lamoureux. On top of it all the Aces have posted a 7-2 record against the Grizzlies this season and have played in the three recent conference finals.
But underneath it all the Grizzlies have some hope. They beat the Aces handily in the first and last games they played this year and hold a 2-2 record against the Aces on home ice this year. If they could steal one of the first two games in Anchorage this weekend it could put pressure on Alaska. Impossible? Don’t be so sure, Fresno and Victoria came into last season’s playoffs ranked ahead of the Grizzlies and were mere speed bumps for the Utah club on their way to the conference finals when they took on, and lost to, the Las Vegas Wranglers.
Sure Alaska deserves to be heavily favored heading into the match up based on their regular season success, but the beauty of the playoffs lies in the fact they hold nothing over the Grizzlies now.
Forwards
The Aces can roll lines with the best of them and to top it off their ringer, Josh Soares, who averaged two points per game in limited action, is back from Chicago (AHL). They are so deep up front they need to play roster games in order to keep everyone eligible for the playoffs. The Hemingways, Colin and Brett are valuable players (Brett did suffer a knee bruise in the season finale’), Cam Keith, Alexandre Imbeault, Lance Galbraith, Matt Stefanishion, Vladimir Novak, Tomas Kana, Luke Erickson and Scott Burt all had nice seasons and would have had better numbers if the ice time was divided so evenly. Utah coach Kevin Colley is going to need to be prepared to shut down Soares, but his club will also need to watch out for the others.
Dan McDonald potted four goals in the Grizzlies 5-2 victory in the season-closing game against the Aces. Guys like McDonald are going to need to chip-in in numbers for Utah to make life miserable for the Aces. Things would be better for Utah if Rob Hennigar (Bridgeport) and James Sixsmith (Milwaukee) were available, but at this time they are not and their respective AHL clubs are headed for the playoffs. So the team will need to get Tim Verbeek (29 goals), Tom May (31 goals) and Ryan Kinasewich going. The team took a flyer on Bo Cheesman who had a steep decline in production this year after scoring 30 times with the Aces last year. The club will need players such as Scott Thauwald, Peder Skinner, Mike Walsh and Mike Pavli amongst others going after the Aces with energy in order to win.
Defensemen
Andy Sertich and Tim Maxwell will be counted on to help the Grizzlies slow down the Aces attack. Sertich picked up 36 points this year and will be a key on the power play. Tyler Wooddisse, Chris Brooks, Jordan Hart, and Brett Beauchamp round out the defensive corps. Will Bodine was placed on the 3-day injured reserve list, so he could play in the series before it is completed.
ECHL Second Team All-Star Matt Shasby leads the Aces transition game. Nick Tuzzolino and Bryan Miller also produced points. Solid defender Derick Martin, Ryan Turek and Corbin Schmidt all play key roles for the club. Tyson Marsh is currently playing with Chicago (AHL) but that team has been eliminated from the post-season and Marsh could find himself back in Alaska for the postseason.
Goaltending
There isn’t an ECHL goaltending award Lamoureux has not received this year and the Aces are going to hang their hopes with him. Although a rookie, Lamoureux has played well in the postseason before while playing with the University of North Dakota. Kevin Nastiuk is on the playoff roster, but he is with the playoff-bound Providence Bruins and may not return until they are eliminated. Matt Lundin, who was recently playing with Mercyhurst, is the backup, but he was strafed for five goals in front of albeit a disinterested Aces club in the season finale’ against Utah.
Michael Mole has been a workhorse for the Grizzlies this year and he played well in last season’s playoffs splitting time with Nathan Lawson, who graduated to play for Bridgeport (AHL). Utah’s hopes for an upset will be greatly improved if Mole can steal one of the first two games in Anchorage. Robert Gherson is a solid backup who can be turned to if Mole stumbles.
What to expect
The Grizzlies have nothing to lose, there is no pressure on them to win and they will use that to their advantage. Colley has to get strong goaltending, timely scoring, disciplined play and a boatload of hard work in order to pull off the upset. In other words lots of things have to go right for Utah to have a chance.
Alaska coach Keith McCambridge has the horses; he needs to keep them loose and playing to their capabilities. Because Nastiuk is in the AHL the club has to keep Lamoureux healthy and steadily in his first professional playoff tournament. Basically this series is theirs to lose; if they can keep their cool and play to their capability they probably will win the series.
Contact tom.schettino@prohockeynews.com.
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