Alaska Aces advance to Western Conference Finals

STOCKTON, Calif. – The Alaska Aces are headed to the Western Conference Finals after handing the Stockton Thunder their third straight loss at home.   The Aces won game five in a 4-1 blowout before 3,914 hopeful fans at the Stockton Arena.
 
The first period started with an interference penalty on the Thunder’s Matt Foy only eight seconds into the game.   The Thunder killed the penalty, without much difficulty, but it was obvious it threw them off balance, as they tried to get organized again.   At 5:57, things heated up again, as Ryan Cruthers and Chris D’Alvise seemed to collide about mid-ice, causing D’Alvise a five-minute cross-checking major and Cruthers a five-minute spearing major and both players a game misconduct.  
 
Dan Kissel began the scoring at 11:13 into the first period with assists from Brian Swanson and Wes Goldie. Then, as Stockton faced another penalty kill due to a Nathan Deck holding-the-stick penalty, Steve Ward found the back of the net at 13:04 to give the Aces a two goal lead.
 
The pace increased and Stockton showed a sense of urgency to their game early in the second period.   At the 3:14 mark Jesse Fratkin scored on Gerald Coleman, with assists to Mike Little and Matt Foy.   The Thunder continued to pound away at Coleman who was relentless in the net.   Then at 7:30, Garry Nunn let the wind out the Thunder sails with a goal assisted by Nick Mazzolini and David Shields.   A fourth goal by the Aces Dan Kissel at 18:32 of the period, that stymied Olivier Roy and give the Aces the 4-1 lead at the end of the second.
 
The damage had been done, and despite several attempts no goals were scored by either player in the third.
 
Coleman had 30 saves in the win, while Roy took the loss with 22 saves for the night.
 
The Alaska Aces will face the winner of the Las Vegas Wranglers and Idaho Steelheads match, where the Wranglers are leading their series 3-1, for the Western Conference Finals.
 
Contact the writer at Shellie.Lima@prohockeynews.com
Photographer at Jack.Lima@prohockeynews.com