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Just getting beyond regulation sufficed for the Alaska Aces on Wednesday night -- that perseverance earned them the single point in the ECHL standings that clinched their spot in the Kelly Cup playoffs.
Winning a shootout against the Idaho Steelheads and securing the additional point that came with that skills-contest triumph provided an exclamation point -- the Aces moved back into third place in the eight-team National Conference. The Aces' 4-3 victory before an announced crowd of 4,183 at Sullivan Arena, seized when they won the five-round shootout 3-2, came on the club's third opportunity in the last five nights to claim a postseason position. "We knew there was a lot on the line,'' said Aces defenseman T.J. Fast. "We played together and played strong.'' And thus the Aces thankfully don't have to go into their regular season-wrapping home games against the Stockton Thunder on Friday and Saturday nights still fighting for a playoff spot. That would have been the case had they lost in regulation Wednesday. "That's just unnecessarily stressful,'' Aces winger Curtis Fraser said of a possibility now squashed. The Aces prospered Wednesday by virtue of urgency in their game that was lacking in Tuesday's 2-0 loss to league regular-season champion Idaho, and by virtue of a true glimpse of the considerable capabilities of rookie center Dion Knelsen. Nor did it hurt that the Aces (34-28-8) limited the Steelheads (48-16-6) to 17 shots on goal, seven fewer than Alaska permitted any opponent in its previous 69 games. Knelsen, who led UAF in scoring as a senior and spearheaded the Nanooks to the first NCAA tournament berth last week, played so-so in his pro debut for the Aces on Tuesday. Wednesday, he furnished two sublime assists and a team high-tying four shots on goal while dominating shifts. "He's the kind of player who can control a hockey game,'' said Fraser, a former Nanook who played on Knelsen's wing. "Like (teammate Eric Boguniecki) said, once he gets comfortable, the only way he can go is up.'' With the game tied 1-1 in the second period, Knelsen delivered a helper on Jarrett Konkle's goal that displayed his hockey sense and vision. Taking the puck behind the Idaho net, Knelsen skated out toward the right post on his forehand as if to attempt a wraparound. But he judged his angle a poor one, so he pivoted onto his backhand and flicked a pass into the slot that Konkle one-timed past the stick of Idaho goaltender Richard Bachman (34 saves), the ECHL's All-Rookie Team backstop. "That was a bit of a prayer and luckily it went right on his stick,'' Knelsen said of his first play-for-pay point. Still, once the Aces moved ahead 2-1, the Steelheads generated another rapid response. After the Aces gained a 1-0 first-period lead on Nick Mazzolini's team high-tying 26th goal, Idaho needed 77 seconds to forge a 1-1 tie on Mark Derlago's team-leading 41st strike. After Konkle's goal, Kevin DeVergilio of Idaho answered 76 seconds later for a 2-2 tie. But Knelsen less than three minutes later contributed mightily to the Aces' third go-ahead goal of the night. He found defenseman Tyson Marsh alone between the circles and fed the blueliner a perfect pass that led to the shot and rebound that Fraser cleaned up for a 3-2 Aces lead. Knelsen said Fraser, his Nanook brother, has been instrumental in helping him get comfortable with a new club. "He's done everything he can to help me get acquainted with the city and the team,'' Knelsen said. Idaho countered on captain Marty Flichel's goal later in the second period for a 3-3 tie that held through regulation and overtime as the Aces outshot the Steelheads 38-17. Brandon Knelsen, Dion's older brother, assisted on Flichel's goal to notch his first pro point in his second pro game. The Aces won the shootout on the strength of goals from Konkle, Knelsen and Garry Nunn, whose roofed backhander provided the winning margin. Aces goalie Billy Sauer, who made 14 saves in regulation and overtime, stopped three of Idaho's five shooters. And on a night when the Aces qualified for the playoffs for the seventh time in seven seasons in the ECHL, Knelsen said puck luck was on his side. His shootout goal came on a backhander he slipped through Bachman even though he had no idea how he got the biscuit past the former Colorado College backstop. Actually, Knelsen thought he had been denied. "I was skating into the corner cursing myself, and then the crowd cheered,'' he said.