Presumably, the mood among the Alaska Aces will be light when they fly home from Utah today.

After all, they're coming off a laugher.

Bouyed by rookie center Nick Mazzolini's hat trick and five-point outburst -- his linemates John Lammers and Eric Boguniecki lit it up too -- the Aces used an offensive onslaught and 42 saves from goaltender Scott Reid to seize Saturday night's 6-2 ECHL win over the Utah Grizzlies.

Mazzolini wrapped Alaska's first hat trick of the hockey season, a natural hat trick no less, just 47 seconds into the second period to furnish a 3-0 lead to chase Utah starting goalie Parker Van Buskirk.

Mazzolini has now scored all eight of his goals in the last seven games, and produced 8-5--13 totals in just 11 games after missing the season's first nine games rehabbing his knee. That's terrific production from anyone, but particularly so for the native of Anchorage, whose single-season high for goals at Providence College was seven. He scored 25 goals and 42 points in 128 career games for the Friars.

But Aces first-year coach Brent Thompson has repeatedly raved about Mazzolini's hockey sense, and so far his ability to loiter on the score sheet is spot-on, too.

He savored plenty of help. Lammers, in his second game back after a month in the American Hockey League, furnished a goal and three helpers to give him 9-7--16 totals in just eight games with the Aces. And Boguniecki, the former NHLer working his way back into game shape, delivered four assists to give him 3-6--9 totals in eight games.

On the receiving end of the damage from that three-man demolition team was Utah's top line of Ryan Kinasewich, Dylan Hunter and A.J. Perry, who all were minus-5. Kinasewich, the ECHL's leading goal scorer (16), at least had the excuse of having traveled all day after coming back down from the American Hockey League.

The Aces (10-8-2) also struck for yet another short-handed goal to give them a league-leading nine in just 20 games. The latest was generated by captain Scott Burt, who leads the league with three short-handers, and came with the Grizzlies (12-6-0) enjoying a two-man advantage in the second period.

Also heartening for the Aces was that veteran winger Lance Galbraith finally emerged from his goal-scoring funk. His goal in the last minute of the second period snapped his 13-game goal drought.

All of that production was supported by Reid. With Sebastian Dahm up with Peoria of the AHL, Reid rocked in the three-game series at The E-Center in West Valley City. He surrendered just six goals in three games -- the Aces won 5-2 Friday after Utah won 2-1 in Wednesday's opener -- and stopped 116 of 120 shots for a save percentage of .967. His overall save percentage of .927 rates third in the league.

Reid, 33, was brought to the club to serve as the backup for Dahm, who is under contract with Peoria. But the veteran has outperformed the second-year pro.

Alaska opened this six-game road trip with three losses at Bakersfield and Wednesday's setback at Utah, which left it 8-8-2 before its weekend resurgence salvaged something meaningful from the journey.

Still, the Aces' travels aren't done yet. They are scheduled to return home early this afternoon, but then head out Wednesday morning for a two-game series against the league-leading Idaho Steelheads (15-3-1) in Boise on Thursday and Friday.

Shuffling the deck

Aces leading scorer Colin Hemingway sat out Saturday's game after taking an elbow to the head in Friday's win. Winger Matt Stefanishion, who sat out Friday to rest a sore hip, took Hemingway's place in the lineup.

Ten different Aces have missed a combined 77 games already with injuries and winger Curtis Fraser (dislocated shoulder) and defenseman Tyson Marsh (ankle surgery to repair a severed tendon) are out long-term, so that number will balloon.

Find Doyle Woody's blog at adn.com/hockeyblog or call him at 257-4335.

Aces 2 4 0 -- 6

Utah 0 1 1 -- 2

First Period -- 1, Aces, Mazzolini 6 (Boguniecki), 1:04; 2, Aces, Mazzolini 7 (Boguniecki, Lammers), 16:26. Penalties -- Gannon, Utah (tripping), 11:47.

Second Period -- 3, Aces, Mazzolini 8 (Boguniecki, Lammers), :47; 4, Utah, May 6 (Nikiforov, Hughes), 3:02 (pp); 5, Aces, Lammers 9 (Boguniecki, Mazzolini), 8:54 (pp); 6, Aces, Burt 5, 17:14 (sh); 7, Aces, Galbraith 2 (Lammers, Mazzolini), 19:29. Penalties -- Johnson, Aces (slashing), 1:06; Parnham, Utah (high-sticking), 8:49; Tuzzolino, Aces (interference), 15:16; Johnson, Aces (high-sticking), 16:21.

Third Period -- 8, Utah, Pavli 1 (Dale, Maxwell), 6:20. Penalties -- Aces bench minor, served by Galbraith (too many men), 3:34; Gannon, Utah (cross-checking), 12:37; Johnson, Aces, minor-major (instigator, fighting), 12:37; Martin, Aces (delay of game-puck over glass), 13:54; Gannon, Utah, major (fighting), 18:40; Galbraith, Aces, major (fighting), 18:40; Tuzzolino, Aces (illegal stick), 19:43; Dale, Utah (unsportsmanlike conduct), 19:54; Turek, Aces (unsportsmanlike conduct), 19:54.

Shots on goal -- Aces 7-8-5--20. Utah 11-14-19--44.

Power-play Opportunities -- Aces 1 of 2; Utah 1 of 7.

Goalies -- Aces, Reid, 5-3-2 (44 shots-42 saves). Utah, Van Buskirk, 4-4-0 (13-10), O'Keefe, enter :47 second, exit 20:00 second (7-4).

A -- 2,872 (10,200). T -- 2:23.