Maybe Keith McCambridge needs to consider reverse psychology.
When the Alaska Aces coach addressed his club before its ECHL hockey game against the Ontario Reign on Friday night, he reminded his players of the team's identity. McCambridge told the Aces they were a defense-first crew with designs on winning games by scores like 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2.
"I told them, 'We are not a 7-6 team,' " McCambridge recounted.
You guessed it: Aces 7, Reign 6.
And not only did the Aces prevail on the first shift of overtime at Sullivan Arena, they got there after coughing up a two-goal lead, then rebounding from a three-goal, third-period deficit to forge a 6-6 tie with three goals in two minutes flat.
In a piece of exquisite irony, Aces center Vladimir Novak, best known for his defensive excellence, brought what was left of the announced crowd of 4,643 to full roar with his strike 29 seconds into the extra session.
The victory extended Alaska's unbeaten streak to seven games (6-0-1) and furnished them an 8-1-2 mark in their last 11 games. They also improved their league-best, home-ice record to 16-5-1.
The game, which featured the most goals in an Aces match this season, was extraordinarily out of character for two clubs deep with team defense and stingy goaltending.
In four previous meetings this season, Alaska and Ontario had never combined for more than five goals in a game. Friday, they combined for seven goals in the third period alone.
And both teams received a penalty shot, though both failed -- Aces goaltender Jean-Philippe Lamoureux stopped Jon Rheault in the first period, and Reign tender John Murray rebuffed Aces captain Scott Burt in the third period.
The Aces (26-14-3) owned a 3-2 lead entering the third, but Ontario received an early 5-on-3 power-play goal from defenseman P.J. Atherton to create a 3-3 deadlock. The Reign (23-15-4) then reeled off three goals in 5:24 -- Geoff Walker scored on a power play, Chris Curran scored in a 4-on-4 situation and struck again for a 5-on-3 goal -- to seize a 6-3 lead with 10 minutes left.
The Aces, who came from three goals down with about five minutes left in regulation at Stockton last week before falling 5-4 in a shootout, countered quickly.
"A month and a half ago, when things were going well, we probably would have folded up and got ready for (tonight's rematch),'' said Aces winger Lance Galbraith, whose contribution to a crazy game was his second-period goal scored from at least six feet behind the goal line in the right corner. "Every guy on that bench was pumped, and we knew we could do it. And it's not just one guy doing it, it's everyone.''
Novak said no one was happy on the Aces bench at that point, but neither was anyone rattled.
"There was a healthy anger,'' he said.
Luke Erickson initiated the comeback when defenseman Matt Shasby provided him with a tap-in at 11:20 of the third that marked Erickson's eighth goal in the last 12 games. Cam Keith followed 68 seconds later off a Josh Soares rebound. And 52 seconds after that, Brett Hemingway was stunned to find himself unchecked, so he stepped out from behind the goal line and lifted a backhander over Murray's glove for a 6-6 tie.
At that point, Shasby said, the Aces were just enjoying the ride.
"That's the best part, you don't think,'' said Shasby, who provided two third-period assists and a plus-4 rating. "You ride the waves and, thankfully, we rode the last one.''
That Novak started the overtime session, in which teams skate 4-on-4, was a surprise given Alaska's wealth of offensive talent. He went out with Brett Hemingway as a reward, said McCambridge, who thought the line of Novak centering Brett Hemingway and Burt was his best Friday. The three combined for three goals, six points and a plus-4 rating. Burt's goal gave him goals in four straight games and five goals in the last six games.
In overtime, Novak broke into the Reign zone on right wing, cut to the middle of the ice and beat Murray with a wrister to the glove side.
Aces winger Colin Hemingway, who bagged three assists, said the game didn't represent a template for the Aces, but it sure was a good time.
"We got two points, everybody contributed and we put on a show for the fans,'' he said.
Then he shrugged his shoulders and grinned: "It wasn't our usual identity, but it was fun.''
Shuffling the deck
In his first game back since his release from Peoria of the American Hockey League, Soares furnished one assist and fired a team-high five shots on goal. He has scored at least one point in all 10 games he has played for Alaska this season.
Galbraith scored his funky goal when he caught Murray napping and winged a shot that struck Murray in the back of the left shoulder and ricocheted into the net.
"All I was trying to do was catch him off-guard,'' Galbraith said. "Probably 75 percent of the time I try that, it rims around and out of the zone. I don't think anyone will tell you they're trying score from there.
"It was one of those bizarre nights, and that goal showed it.''
Find Doyle Woody's blog at adn.com/hockeyblog or call him at 257-4335.
Ontario 1 1 4 0 -- 6
Aces 1 2 3 1 -- 7
First Period -- 1, Ontario, Rheault 8, 12:29; 2, Aces, Burt 9 (Novak), 16:18. Penalties -- Germain, Ontario (delay of game, puck over glass), 8:58; Starling, Ontario (slashing), 10:08.
Second Period -- 3, Aces, Keith 13 (Schmidt, C. Hemingway), 7:54 (pp); 4, Aces, Galbraith 7 (C. Hemingway), 15:04; 5, Ontario, Francisco 18 (D. Walker, Mehalko), 16:28. Penalties -- Knapp, Ontario (hooking), 7:21; Martens, Ontario (holding), 16:45.
Third Period -- 6, Ontario, Atherton 4 (Kraus, Martens), 2:14 (pp); 7, Ontario, G. Walker (Knapp), 4:04 (pp); 8, Ontario, Curran 5 (Kraus), 8:24; 9, Ontario, Atherton 5 (Martens, Jackson), 9:28 (pp); 10, Aces, Erickson 13 (Shasby, C. Hemingway), 11:20; 11, Aces, Keith 14 (Soares, Imbeault), 12:28; 12, Aces, B. Hemingway 4 (Miller, Shasby), 13:20. Penalties -- Erickson, Aces (high-sticking), :21; Keith, Aces (hooking), :27; Keith, Aces (roughing), 3:12; Knapp, Ontario (hooking), 6:29; Galbraith, Aces (slashing), 7:46; Martin, Aces (holding), 8:32.
Overtime -- 13, Aces, Novak 8 (B. Hemingway, Martin), :29. Penalties -- None.
Shots on goal -- Ontario 9-11-13-0--33. Aces 10-12-11-1--34.
Missed penalty shots -- Rheault, Ontario, 6:45 first; Burt, Aces, 2:41 third.
Power-play Opportunities -- Ontario 3 of 5; Aces 1 of 5.
Goalies -- Ontario, Murray 13-8-3 (34 shots-27 saves). Aces, Lamoureux 21010-2 (33-27).
A -- 4,643 (6,251). T -- 2:26.
Referee -- Shane Warschaw. Linesmen -- Scott Sivulich, Will Moran.
By DOYLE WOODY
dwoody@adn.com
Alaska Dispatch Publishing