Aces outlast Eagles, take weekend series

ANCHORAGE, AK – The Alaska Aces Sunday came out of the gates like Secretariat, faded like an old plow horse, then finished as pretty as Rachel Alexandra in a 6-4 win over division rival Colorado at the Sullivan Arena.

With the win, the Aces take two out of the three games from the Eagles during the weekend homestand.

Quick start for the home team as Stephen Perfetto opened the scoring just 33 seconds into the first period, blasting a one-timer off passes from Daniel Moynihan and Peter Sivak. It was Perfetto’s fifteenth goal of the season, and third in two days.

Sivak got one of his own, a 5 on 3 power play tally for his league-leading 24th goal of the season from Tim Wallace and Steve Tarasuk at 4:02. That was followed by Vladimir Nikiforov’s breakaway goal off a turnover created by Justin Breton at 6:46. That chased Colorado starter Matt Skoff in favor of Clarke Saunders in goal.

Colorado would tally at 13:40 on Matt Garbowsky’s ninth goal of the season and the period ended 3-1 Alaska, though the Aces were outshot 21-16 in the first twenty minutes.

Tim Coffman at 1:18 of the second and Nolan Descoteaux at 5:40 stretched the Alaska lead to 5-1 and the Eagles were on the ropes. They pulled that rope good and hard and stopped the Aces momentum with Shaun St. Amant doing most of the work. He scored at 10:42 and again at 14:42 to make it 5-3 Alaska, then Kenny Brooks piled on with his goal at 19:47 and the Aces limped into the locker room with a one-goal lead at 5-4.

Blessed relief for Alaska at 7:56 of the third period. Coffman forced a turnover, then immediately fired the puck from the top of the right circle, through a screen and over the shoulder of Saunders for his second goal of the game and twelfth of the season and brought the Colorado momentum to a screeching halt.

Alaska then played smart, shutdown defense the rest of the way for the win.

Lukas Hafner picked up his second consecutive win for Alaska, stopping an ECHL-career high 43 shots.

The Eagles outshot the Aces 47-32 for the game.

Alaska goes on the road to Idaho for three games against the Steelheads Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, January 4, 6 and 7. All games at 5:10pm AST.