NORTH CHALRSTON, SC -The Alaska Aces and their goalie Jean-Philippe Lamoureux rebounded from their worst loss of the season and the playoffs Friday night with a thrilling hard-earned 3-2 win at the 17:22 mark of overtime over the South Carolina Stingrays Saturday night. The Aces’ win sends the best-of-seven games Kelly Cup series back to Anchorage for a Game 6 and a Game 7 if needed. The Stingrays have a 3-2 lead in the series that resumes Thursday.
A crowd of 7,564 at the North Charleston Coliseum saw a thrilling battle as both teams played at a heart-stopping pace in the third period and throughout the overtime until Colin Hemingway was able to stuff the last of three point-blank attempts into the net past ‘Rays goalie James Reimer. Lance Galbraith was able to gain possession of the puck behind the boards, skate in and forced a shot that rebounded off Reimer. Hemingway then cashed in on his second swat at the puck. Defenseman T.J. Fast also got a helper on the game-winner.
Lamoureux was tested several times himself in the OT but came up big stopping 36 of the 38 shots he faced to win his 14th game of the post season. The Alaska goaltender had stopped a Spencer Carbery one-on-one attempt just about 30 seconds before Hemingway started the Aces’ celebration.
Alaska jumped on the Stingrays hard in the first period dominating play and had a tremendous edge in puck possession playing mostly in the South Carolina end of the ice. Tenacious forechecking by the Aces kept the ‘Rays bottled up in their own end as the Aces defensive effort held the ‘Rays to only three shots in the period. The first South Carolina shots on goal did come until the 9:50 mark of the game.
Reimer meanwhile, who faced 42 shots on the evening, was hammered with 11 shots in the first period. He stood his ground making four great saves to keep Alaska off the scoreboard despite their dominance. The Stingrays arguably had only one possible scoring chance coming near the end of the period. Reimer was particularly good on a save around the five minute mark when Josh Soares received a long pass at the offensive zone blue line that caught the home team in a line change.
Coming down the far side boards Soares blasted a shot on Reimer that the goalie was able to get in front of and steer to the corner. Thus, despite the Aces’ dominance in the opening period, the teams skated off with 0-0 showing on the scoreboard.
Each team scored twice in period two as Alaska gained two leads only to have South Carolina come back and tie the game. The period ended 2-2, a score that stood up during the third period and until the OT winner.
The Stingrays also erased the deficit in play as they outshot the Aces in this period 15-7. However, Lamoureux was able to regain some of his swagger after Friday night’s loss with a number of great stops. He was tested at least three times when South Carolina forwards walked around Alaska defenseman to go one on one with the rookie but he stood his ground on thirteen of the fifteen shots in the period.
Galbraith beat Reimer at 6:23 for a 1-0 lead beating the goalie off a three-on-one rush against one defenseman. He beat the ‘Rays goalie high on the stick side taking a Tomas Kana pass that somehow eluded a sprawling Scott Romfro trying to block his pass to Galbraith. Nick Tuzzolino, who was in the lineup in place of Matt Shasby on defense, got the other assist.
Carbery tied the game 1-1 for South Carolina off a bit of a strange goal at 11:58 when Nikita Kashirsky was able to force a turnover near the Aces’ blue line. Kashirsky skated into the offensive zone but the Moscow-born center lost possession of the puck that somehow still slid over to right winger Carbery. He promptly banged a wrist shot that bounced off of the glove of Lamoureux into the net. Jeff Corey got a secondary assist on Carbery’s 4th playoff goal.
Alaska jumped into the lead again 2-1 when Alexandre Imbeault got a centering pass from Cam Keith and with his blade on the ice directed it past Reimer at the 12:48 mark. Ryan Turek also was credited with an assist on the initial pass to Keith.
Once more South Carolina answered, this time on perhaps the prettiest goal of the evening, in terms of style. Nate Kiser cycled the puck down low behind the net to Travis Morin. The ECHL’s regular season assist leader made a centering pass while still facing the boards to Maxime Lacroix coming down the slot. Lacroix’s high shot became his 12th goal of the post season. He has five of this total in this series. The goal coming at 17:32 tied the score 2-2 and set up a thrilling but scoreless third period.
Each team had opportunities to win the game in period three as each goalie faced 10 shots in the period and made several game saving stops that helped send the game into overtime and eventually back to Alaska. The big crowd roared on each scoring opportunity, save and defensive gems for the next 37 plus minutes of intense thrilling end to end playoff hockey.
The teams will play Thursday night at Sullivan Arena in Anchorage with a starting time at 7:15 local time.
Notes: For the fourth time in five games no penalties were called in the third period and in tonight’s game no penalties were called in OT. It appeared there were at least two that should have been called in OT one on the Stingrays for an open ice trip and one to the Aces on a check to the head that bloodied Kashirsky late in OT. Both teams also had goals disallowed in the game by the referee. The Aces lost one on an interference penalty as the shot was being fired into the net. Later the ‘Rays had a goal waived off as it came just as play was stopped because Kashirsky had fallen into the goal on top of Lamoureux on his rush to the net.
Contact the author at Phil.Brand@prohockeynews.com Catch all the playoffs at Intotheboards.net
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