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Friday, 20 May 2011 12:01

Written by Seth Rorabaugh

EN reader Stephan Jones of Anchorage, Alaska - the only known EN reader from "The Last Frontier" - made a modest proposal via Twitter a few weeks back. He offered to write an EN-styled live blog of a potential Kelly Cup Final between the Alaska Aces and the Wheeling Nailers, the Penguins ECHL affiliate, had the Nailers advanced that far.

Well, those jerks the Kalamazoo Wings went ahead and beat the Nailers to advance to the final. Despite that, Stephan decided to send in his game blog. Us, wanting to fill a void of Alaskan-based photography on the blog, decided to run the game blog.

It was a perfect marriage really.

Here is EN reader Stephan Jones' account of Sunday's Game 2 of the Kelly Cup final from venerable Sullivan Arena.

-Mulcahy Baseball Stadium and George M. Sullivan Arena in front of the Chugach mountains.

-A better look at the Aces’ Barn

-The line for standing-room-only tickets

-Some jerseys seen around the rink. An autographed Cam Keith jersey from military appreciation night:

-Former Aces and Penguins winger Chris Minard

-Former Kalamazoo Aces-killer and current Aces right wing Wes Goldie

-An elusive Martin St. Louis. (Is it still a jersey foul if it’s at a minor-league game?)

-Former University of Alaska-Anchorage & Alaska Aces Defenseman Matt Shasby. He was also drafted by Montreal with the 150th overall selection in 1999.

-Former Aces winger Joe Talbot.

-Aces left winger Scott Howes

-Aces captain Scott Burt

-Stevie Yzerman (does he get a regional exemption for Kalamazoo’s close proximity to Detroit, even though they are affiliated with the Islanders?)

Warm-ups:

-Aces No1 netminder Gerald Coleman looks sharp in the shootaround. He has three shutouts in 9 playoff games so far this postseason.

-Aces left wing Scott Howes will look to extend his points streak to 9 games tonight. He has 8 goals and 16 points in his last 8 games to lead the Aces in postseason play.

-Kalamazoo has three of the top four leading scorers in postseason play, combining for a total of 14 goals and 54 points.

-Trent DaAvettila leads Kalamazoo with 21 points (5 goals, 16 assists).

-Mitch Versteeg, younger brother of Flyers forward Kris Versteeg, is starting on Defense for the Kalamazoo Wings, wearing No.44. Wonder if he’ll be handing out some “free candy” tonight?

FIRST PERIOD

19:30: The Wings try to establish their cycle early, but the Aces respond with a good physical shift.

18:25: Kalamazoo Center Kory Karlander hauls down Brian Miller with his stick behind the Aces’ net, right in front of the referee. He'll have a couple of minutes to figure out what on earth he was thinking. Two minutes for hooking is the call.

17:22: Chris Langkow stickhandles virtually unchallenged into the Kalamazoo penalty-killing  box and fires a low wrister toward the net, which somehow beats Nie through the five-hole. We are forced to wonder if someone put Ambien in all the Kalamazoo gatorade bottles there. Aces 1-0

16:34: Charging into the slot, Wings center Andy Fournier dishes a slick pass to Trent DaAvettila on the doorstep  who snaps off a quick wrister. Aces netminder Gerald Coleman gobbles up with his glove.

15:24: Left wing Aaron Clark away with a bit of a hold on Aces defenseman Russ Sinkewich behind his net, which allows the wings to keep the puck. Curtis Fraser takes a hooking call later in the same sequence, and the Aces penalty kill takes the ice for the first time in this game.

13:55: Kalamazoo looks  hungry, holding the puck in the offensive zone for nearly the full two minutes and firing away from the points with traffic in front. Landry fires a dangerous slapper with a man in front. It nearly beats Coleman but he traps it with his elbow for the stoppage.

13:24: Fraser steps out of the box, ending the Wings power play. Kalamazoo had four shots on goal during that power play, but Coleman was the best penalty killer and rose to the occasion.

11:22: Kalamazoo center Darryl Lloyd appears to have mini breakaway but apparently breaks in offsides. The ensuing faceoff is in the Kalamazoo zone.

10:56: Scott Howes gets a golden dish down in front from behind the Kalamazoo net but can't convert. Wes Goldie corrals the rebound and throws it on net, Nie snuffs it out.

10:28: Off of a quirky shot from the right wing boards near the goal line, Curtis Fraser finds the back of the Kalamazoo net. Assists to Kory Falite and Chris Langkow. Aces 2-0.

9:50: Off of a rebound of a Versteeg slapshot, Fournier finds himself with the puck in front of a wide-open Aces net, but throws the puck wide on the far side. That was a golden gift, Fournier has to bury that.

9:00: Curtis Fraser is tripped as he drives the Kalamazoo net and takes out Nie. No call.

8:40: Bryan Miller puts a cruise missile of a slapper on net, Nie says nein.

8:00: Trent DaAvettila creates a pair of chances with a slick drop pass on a clean entry that leads to a hard shot from the high slot, and then picks up the ensuing rebound and tries to jam it home. Coleman manages to deny him on the second chance opportunity.

7:15: Wes Goldie absolutely ERASES Kalamazoo D-man Ryan McGinnis against the boards. McGinnis is slow to rise but appears to be Okay.

6:10: Coleman is forced to make a couple of sharp saves from in tight as Kalamazoo is doing a great job keeping possession and establishing traffic, and are firing away. We have to wonder how many flurries like that the Aces will be able to withstand before surrendering a goal.

4:56: Wes Goldie leads a 3-on-2 up the ice, but fires a harmlsss low wrister to the short side. Nie eats it up. The Wings' defense did a good job of isolating the shooter there.

3:13: Darryl Lloyd coughs the puck up to Alaska forward Ethan Cox in the neutral zone and then trips him as he turns up ice. Lloyd goes to the box, but he prevented a clean breakaway there.

1:13: Alaska spent about two-thirds of that Power Play in the Wings' zone, with 2 shots to show for their effort. They looked pretty ordinary there.

0:24: Turning and falling to one knee, Kalamazoo winger Patrick Asselon whips a dangerously quirky shot on net from the Alaska blue line. Coleman fights it off and the Aces ice the puck with a high dump.

0:00: Ryan McGinnis whips a low wrister on net and Coleman snaps it up with his glove. End of period. Aces 2, Wings 0.

FIRST INTERMISSION

- Despite leading 2-0, Alaska was outworked, outchanced, and just generally outplayed for the majority of that frame. They’ll need a better effort in the second if they want to come away with a 2-0 series lead.

-Pretty sure Nie wants that second one back, it was from a bad angle and really had no business getting past him.  Otherwise he hasn’t had to deal with many dangerous chances, as the Aces seem content to attempt a lot of low-percentage “one-and-done” type shots.

-No official hitting stats are available, but the Aces had the better physical play that period.

-That's about the only stat in which they had an edge.

-If not for some sparkling saves from Alaska netminder Gerald Coleman, this is a whole different game.

-If Kalamazoo can continue playing the way they are, its easy to believe that they will climb back into this game. They are throwing a lot of dangerous shots on net, and the Aces aren’t doing very well keeping their crease clear or chasing down loose pucks in their zone.

- The ECHL did not make the official numbers available, but Kalamazoo definitely had a decided edge in faceoffs that period.

-The Wings outshot Alaska 15-7

-Kalamazoo has four players with two shots apiece

-Defenseman Bryan Miller leads the Aces with two

-We'd be surprised if Trent DaAvettila  doesn’t pad his ECHL-best 21 points before this game is done. He's been dangerous on the forecheck and has used his speed to create several quality chances.

SECOND PERIOD

19:33: Russ Sinkewich levels Aaron Clarke at the point in the Aces zone.

18:59: Dan Kissel gets a beautiful cross-crease pass in front of what seems to be a wide-open Kalamazoo net but Nie does the splits and SOMEHOW gets his toe on it and it skitters harmlessly to the corner. The Wings’ defense owes him a beer there.

17:51: Darryl Llloyd obliterates Chad Anderson behind behind the Alaska net. The physical tempo for both sides has gone up a notch or two.

16:39: Andrew Thelen blocks a shot by Wes Goldie and gets up slowly. He finishes his shift and returns to the Kalamazoo bench in obvious discomfort. Looked like he took that one off the inside of his right skate.

16:04: Kalamazoo Defenseman Sam Ftorek takes a high sticking penalty in d zone.

15:31: Kalamazoo gets a 3-on-2 but DaAvetilla shoots wide on the short side and the Aces pick up the loose change.

14:43: Kalamazoo holds the puck in the Alaska zone for a good 30 seconds while shorthanded. The Aces are running around and the “K-Wings” are taking advantage

13:09: Wings defenseman Jon Landry gets taken down by Curtis Fraser behind his own net and falls awkwardly feet first into boards. He stays down and appears hurt but play goes on. The crowd boos, they think its embellishment but he is definitely hurting, as he limps to the bench as soon as defense partner clears the zone. Stay Classy, Anchorage.

11:29: Aaron Clarke leaves a neat little drop pass for Brad Svendsen just inside the Alaska blue line. Svendsen carries the puck in further and then dishes across to Patrick Asselin all alone the Coleman’s left, but he holds the line for a stoppage. Kalamazoo has to bury those golden opportunities while thy still have time on their side.

9:59: Tyler Ruegsegger stickhandles into the Wings’ slot but his wrister is deflected over the net.

9:20: Wes Goldie leaves a drop pass for Senkewich, who hammers a hard shot which is blocked and sent the length of the ice

9:08: Stoppage as Kalamazoo ices the puck. ECHL timeout. During the timeout "the wave" makes about 5 laps around the Sullivan Arena.

8:10: Kory Falite gets a step on the Kalamazoo defense, Nie dives out on the poke to rob him but the puck is left at the edge of the crease with the net yawning wide. After what seems like ten seconds, Mitch Versteeg finally clears the puck out of harm’s way

6:25: Curtis Fraser and Wes Goldie get a couple of golden chances. First, Fraser fires a quick little wrister from below the right circle, ticketed for the top shelf. Nie baaarely gets a piece of it with his elbow. The puck lands behind the net, and Goldie is there for the wraparound, but so is Nie. He slides post-to-post and keeps it out with his toe. Nie had eyes in the back of his head there, that was a lights-out save.

4:48: Aaron Clarke crosschecks Aces defenseman Steve Ward repeatedly behind the play, He’ll get 2 for roughing there, and the Aces will get another power play.

3:54: During a stoppage attendance is announced as being "overcapacity, standing room only". There are 6599 souls packed into the Sullivan Arena tonight.

1:38: Just Taylor is denied on a pair of chances on the doorstept by Coleman. He has been superb in preserving this 2-0 Aces lead. He could use a little help from the guys in front of him.

1:22: Russ Sinkewich takes a slashing penalty in his defensive zone, putting Kalamazoo on their second power play of the game.

0:15: Mitch Versteeg puts a hard slapper on net from the left point. Coleman ensures there is no rebound.

0:00: End of 2nd period

SECOND INTERMISSION

-That period was a lot more even. Both teams were finishing their hits, and created a handful of dangerous chances.

-We dont have official shot block stats but we would estimate about half of the shots attempted by Alaska were blocked or deflected away from danger.

-Shots were even that frame, 9-9

-Total for the game is 24-16 in favor of Kalamazoo.

-Curtis Fraser leads the game with three shots.

-Six Wings players are tied at two apiece.

-The Aces seemed to do better on the faceoffs that period but Kalamzoo still had the edge.

-Both goalies were required to make some pretty spectacular saves,

-The nost noteworthy was nie's pair of saves later in the period,

-Not much else to say, a lot of north-south play and some good physicality. ECHL playoff hockey at it’s best.

THIRD PERIOD

19:19: After a flurry of shots to start the period, the Wings appear to jam one inside the left post on Coleman after three or four whacks. The officials immediately wave the goal off, and after a few minutes of discussion, the call on the ice stands. Kalamazoo captain Wes O’Neill protests and the officials have a quick conference with him and head coach Nick Bootland.

18:40: Kalamazoo is all over Alaska, fighting for every inch of the ice. They seem to once again be the hungrier team here, hoping to take this series back to Kalamazoo tied at 1 apiece.

18:14: Off of a Wings turnover at their own blue line, Langkow throws a slapper on net as he falls to the ice. Nie juuuuuust gets a toe on it. That’s a good reaction save.

17:02: Nie makes the initial save on a Wes Goldie wrister, but bobbles the puck as Goldie charges to the net and pokes at it. Nie finally suffocates the puck for the whistle. That. Was. Close.

15:32: Bryan Miller coughs the puck along the right wing boards in his zone, but a Curtis Fraser puts a hit on Brandon Svendsen, and Svendsen can’t can't get a pass off. He had linemate Andrew Fournier wide open there...

14:38: "Gooooo! Aaaa-ces!”

14:09: Kalamazoo puts a flurry of shots on goal before Svendsen corrals the puck just outside of the mad scramble in the slot and whips a wicked wrister high over Coleman's glove. Assists go to Clarke and McGinnis. Aces 2-1

13:43: So much for building momentum after scoring a goal. A.J. Thelen trips Scott Howes just below the right circle in the Kalamazoo  zone. Big kill here.

13:14: Off of a beautiful dish from behind the net, Bryan Miller wrips a wrister from the high slot juuuust wide. There was a lot of twine to shoot at there.

11:59: Fraser centers a pass to Langkow  right on top of the crease but a Kalamazoo player tips it wide.

10:14: Kalamazoo is pressing the forecheck, they have had several shots on net, but the Aces have buckled down in their zone and are clearing out loose pucks and letting Coleman see the puck really well. The Aces finally ice the puck after a long shift in their own zone.

8:43: After another prolonged shift of being hemmed into their own zone, Alaska finally gains the red line and dumps for the change.

5:22: There is a massive scrum at the Aces net as coleman got run over behind the play, Play somehow continues 2-on-2 in the kz zone, despite Coleman being in obvious pain and three players for each side roughing each other up. Finally there is a stoppage after Nie gloves down a harmless Aces shot. How on earth there was no stoppage, and no penalties called after that is beyond me. After the two minute echl timeout coleman returns to his net.

3:08: Scott Burt gets a step on his man as he breaks into the zone, but his stick gets broken in half by a slash from Versteeg. No call. The ref threw his whistle into the crowd. We think.

1:33: Kalamazoo puts on another extended shift on the attack, working the puck around the offensive zone. Alaska has done a good job keeping them to the outside, but they need to get the puck out and get some fresh legs.

1:25: Bootland calls a timeout for Kalamazoo to poll the players on what their favorite scene from "Steel Magnolias" was. We think. The wave returns for another three laps during the break. Kalamazoo will take the offensive zone faceoff with Nie on the bench for an extra skater.

1:02: Nie is forced to return to his net as the puck is put into the bench and the faceoff comes to center ice.

0:55: Kalamazoo ices the puck  off of an errant pass after winning the faceoff and will now have to start from their own end.

0:24: Just when the Aces thing they have this thing salted away, the Wings find the net with time ticking down! Kalamazoo wins the faceoff in their end and carries unimpeded into the Aces' zone. After about six rebounds in tight, Andrew Fournier jams home the loose puck to tie it. Aces 2, Wings 2

0:05: Kalamazoo continues to buzz around the alaska net, and almost seals this game in regulation. Coleman has other plans

0:00: Luckily for the Aces, the period ends. They’ll need to regroup. Aces 2, Wings 2.

THIRD INTERMISSION

- What a period. The aces seemed to have things settled down after an initial surge by the wings, but Kalamazoo just kept throwing pucks on net and digging up the rebounds. They were just a little bit more desperate and it paid off

- Kalamazoo a commanding 35-26 lead in the shooting department.

FIRST OVERTIME

18:59: Versteeg lives up to the ‘44’ on his back and absolutely staples Scott Burt to the boards as Howes attempts to cross the Wings blue line.

18:25: Kalamazoo tries to establish position in front of the Alaska net but Alaska’s defense is stepping up the physicality and helping Coleman out.

17:41 Scott Howes intercepts a pass at the red line, charges into the Kalamazoo zone and whips a wrister on net that Nie just barely gets a piece of.

15:45: Alaska generated three or four really dangerous chances in a row by stealing a page from the Wings’ playbook, shooting with traffic in front and chasing down rebounds.

14:44: Justin Taylow makes a nifty pass to DaAvettila to the right of Coleman. Coleman slides over for the save, trapping it under his arm. That nearly finished the comeback.

13:12: On a sloppy change, Kalamazoo takes a bench minor for too many men (they had seven on the ice there). We get the feeling that this is the only sort of penalty call we will see in the overtime unless someone decides to channel their inner McSorley.

12:27: And the Aces make them pay!!! Alaska wins the faceoff cleanly, and works the puck around the perimeter. The Kalamazoo box starts to get a little bit stretch our, and Bryan Miller tees up an absolute laser that Nie doesnt see as it sails high over his left shoulder and sneaks in just under the crossbar! Assists to Howes and Isherwood. Aces 3, Wings 2.

POSTGAME

-Shots were 41-29 in Kalamazoo’s favor.

-Trent DaAvettila led the game with 5

-The Aces had two players tied at four each.

- The three stars are announced:

3rd Curtis Fraser

2nd Gerald Coleman

1st Brian Miller

-The Aces were outplayed for most of that game, but Coleman was on fire again tonight as he has been throughout the playoffs and the Aces remain unbeaten in postseason play.

-We have a newfound respect for the effort it takes to produce something like Empty Netters.

Comments (6)

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written by bastage42, May 20, 2011 - 10:23 PM

Nice work!

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written by Luiz Mello, May 21, 2011 - 12:37 AM

Great stuff.

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written by miniplen, May 21, 2011 - 12:58 AM

Thanks for the reporting. My sister and her family are Aces fans and attended this game.
A couple minor corrections Seth. This was game two of the series and it was played on Sunday the 15th.

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written by s_rorabaugh, May 21, 2011 - 01:01 AM

miniplen, +1 for the heads up!

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written by Uli, May 21, 2011 - 05:12 AM

Wow, great job! A really nice EN-like live blog.

It seems EN is ready to take over the world. Correspondents everywhere...

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written by CT-PensFan, May 21, 2011 - 09:10 PM

Solid effort !

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