After absorbing consecutive losses for the first time this hockey season, the Aces rebounded to register a 3-1 victory over the Ontario Reign at Citizens Business Bank Arena near Los Angeles.
The victory, coming after Sunday's 3-2 loss to Ontario and Friday's 4-3 setback to Stockton, vaulted the Aces (13-5-1) into sole possession of first place in the ECHL's National Conference.
With 27 points, Alaska leads the conference by two points over Fresno and leads the West Division by three points over Victoria.
The Aces got back on track by virtue of a power play that has been blistering of late. Alaska converted three of its seven chances with the man advantage -- that marked the third time this season it has bagged three power-play goals in a game -- and has cashed in 12 times on 37 chances in the last seven games.
Alaska sits fifth in the 23-team league in power-play efficiency at 20.4 percent.
After falling behind when Ontario defenseman Shawn Germain whistled a shot through traffic just six minutes into the game, the Aces turned to their power play to sustain them
Rookie center Jordan Foreman redirected a Miller shot on a power play midway through the period to forge a 1-1 tie. About seven minutes later, Miller's power-play drive from the point banked off the skate of an Ontario player and past Reign rookie goalie Jeff Zatkoff (30 saves) to give Alaska a 2-1 edge that marked its first lead in the series.
Lance Galbraith, the veteran winger who joined the Aces prior to the road trip, gave them a 3-1 cushion just two seconds after their 5-on-3 advantage lapsed six minutes into the third period. Stationed off the right post, he steered Colin Hemingway's pass into an open net. Miller earned the secondary assist
Aces coach Keith McCambridge said adding Galbraith to the second power-play unit has made that group more dangerous, and that's on top of a first power-play unit that has flourished.
"They're both a threat right now,'' McCambridge said.
Yet it's not as if the Aces have been a one-trick pony -- their penalty-killing units also have excelled. They killed all four Ontario power plays Monday and all 12 Reign advantages in the series, and rank second in the league with 89.7-percent efficiency.
Adding defenseman Derick Martin, the alternate captain who Monday played his first game for the Aces after spending nearly two months with Providence of the American Hockey League, will only add depth, smarts and tenacity to the penalty kill.
"We're aggressive, and once we get them chasing loose pucks, they can't get set up, and that's what we want,'' McCambridge said.
Once the Aces secured their lead, Holt never showed signs of wavering.
He gloved Todd Jackson's penalty shot with just 1:58 remaining, and the end of the Aces' two-game losing streak was just as firmly in grasp.
Shuffling the deck
Cam Keith's secondary assist on Miller's goal extended the winger's point streak to 14 games, longest in the league this season. But another Keith streak came to an end -- he took a minus-1 rating, marking his first minus after starting the season with 18 straight games in which he earned either an even or plus rating.
Hemingway extended his point streak to seven games.
Defenseman T.J. Fast, sent down to the Aces from Peoria of the American Hockey League for the Stockton series, will return to the Rivermen.
With the arrival of Martin, blueliner Lee Green, who has been suffering from a shoulder injury, sat out for the first time this season. Rookie defenseman Mike Gauthier injured his shoulder in a late fight that really didn't get started before he was hurt. McCambridge said Green and Gauthier both will be evaluated at home. The Aces already are missing defenseman Corbin Schmidt (ankle) and Ed Hill (knee).
So far this season, eight different Aces have missed time with injury or illness for a total of 50 games missed.
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Aces 0 2 1 -- 3
Ontario 1 0 0 -- 1
First Period -- 1, Ontario, Germain 1 (Howe), 6:09. Penalties -- D. Walker, Ontario (hooking), 7:52; Foreman, Aces (interference), 8:58; McMillan, Ontario (slashing), 12:38; Starling, Ontario (roughing), 13:26; Foreman, Aces (high-sticking), 13:26.
Second Period -- 2, Aces, Foreman 6 (Miller, Burt), 9:21 (pp); 3, Aces, Miller 4 (Erickson, Keith), 16:45 (pp). Penalties -- Rheault, Ontario (slashing), 7:50; Germain, Ontario (slashing), 15:45; Foreman, Aces (hooking), 18:30; D. Walker, Ontario, major (fighting), 19:59; Tuzzolino, Aces, major (fighting), 19:59; Curran, Ontario (roughing), 19:59; Fast, Aces, double minor, served by Felde (roughing), 19:59.
Third Period -- 4, Aces, Galbraith 2 (C. Hemingway, Miller), 6:04 (pp). Penalties -- Bosclair, Ontario (interference), 4:02; Germain, Ontario (cross-checking), 4:55; Fast, Aces (hooking), 9:38; Kraus, Ontario (tripping), 18:33; Kraus, Ontario, major-game misconduct (fighting), 19:41; Foreman, Aces, major-game misconduct (fighting), 19:41; Shasby, Aces (roughing), 19:41; Collins, Ontario, major (fighting), 19:53; Gauthier, Aces, major (fighting), 19:53.
Shots on goal -- Aces 9-13-11--33. Ontario 11-3-12--26.
Missed penalty shot -- Jackson, Ontario, 18:02 3rd period.
Power-play Opportunities -- Aces 3 of 7; Ontario 0 of 4.
Goalies -- Aces, Holt 2-1-0 (26 shots-25 saves). Ontario, Zatkoff 6-4-1 (33-30).
A -- 3,268 (9,736). T -- 2:28.
Referee -- Shane Warschaw. Linesmen -- Tim Digby, Steven Berry.
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