The critical, game-changing shift in the Alaska Aces' 4-1 win over the Las Vegas Wranglers on Wednesday night did not produce a goal and really wasn't even particularly threatening in terms of scoring opportunities.
All it did, though, was help shake the Aces from their lethargy at Sullivan Arena and quicken their pace on the way to a ninth straight victory that tied the franchise's second-longest winning streak in eight ECHL seasons.
After Aces sniper Wes Goldie furnished the first of his two goals to forge a 1-1 tie midway through the game, coach Brent Thompson rolled out the line of center Ethan Cox and wingers Jerad Stewart and Maxime Tanguay, along with the defensive pairing of Bryan Miller and Russ Sinkewich.
Like almost any hockey coach, Thompson continually preaches the importance of the shift following any goal, whether by his team or the opponent. In either situation, Cox's line is usually next over the boards.
And granted, while no shift is more productive than one that results in a goal for -- duh, eh? -- Cox's line furnished a furious follow-up to Goldie's goal.
Cox, Stewart and Tanguay produced a shift that took place almost entirely below the faceoff circles in Las Vegas' zone, and that kept things swinging Alaska's way.
"There are little points during the game that can sway the game one way or another,'' Cox said. "For our line, we're usually out there the next shift after any goal, for or against, to keep the momentum or get it back.
"The three of us have the most success when we get the puck low, below the hash marks, and tire them out and have the momentum.''
That shift seemed to finally get the Aces on a roll. Scott Howes' goal less than three minutes after Goldie's strike delivered the Aces a 2-1 lead they never lost.
"They always talk about how it's the biggest shift of the game,'' Stewart said. "You have to keep the momentum going. You've got them on their heels and you've got the momentum, so you don't want to hand it over and be satisfied.''
That momentum generated by one line spreads on the bench, Goldie said, carries over to the shifts that follow and puts a jump in everyone's stride.
"That was huge,'' Goldie said of the shift by Cox's line. "Once you get it on your side, it seems (like skating) downhill from there.''
Goldie's center, Brian Swanson, said a shift like the one Cox's line produced helps keep the team from getting lackadaisical after scoring.
"It gets you thinking, 'OK, let's turn the page, move forward and keep applying the pressure,' " Swanson said. "It was great to get that sustained pressure.''
Goldie, who was coming off his second hat trick of the season in Alaska's previous game, furnished an insurance goal on the power play with less than six minutes to go. His league-leading 20th strike -- like his first goal, he beat Las Vegas' Joe Fallon (28 saves) high to the glove side, which is his signature -- marked his sixth multiple-goal game of the season.
Goldie, who also assisted on Howes' goal, ran his point streak to four games on a night the top line of Swanson, Goldie and Howes accounted for four goals and four assists. Howes scored once and added two helpers to push his point streak to four games. And Swanson's empty-net, short-handed goal with 1.1 seconds left, along with his assist, extended his streak to four games too.
The Aces (20-9-1) caught the Wranglers (17-8-3) short-handed -- Las Vegas is suffering a slew of injuries -- in the opener of the three-game series that continues Friday night.
Even so, Las Vegas seized a 1-0 lead in the final minute of the first period on Jamie Bates' goal, which stretched his point streak to seven games. Ryan Huddy's helper on the play pushed his point streak to six games.
But that's all Aces goalie Gerald Coleman (22 saves) surrendered in his eighth straight victory, and Las Vegas coach Ryan Mougenel said his team's effort really wasn't worthy of stopping the Aces' streak.
"When you let their best players do what they want to do ... lesson learned,'' Mougenel said. "We really didn't deserve to win this game, we really didn't.''
The Aces stamped a nine-game winning streak for the third time since joining the ECHL -- they also won nine straight in their Kelly Cup-winning season of 2005-06 and again in 2007-08.
The club record for most consecutive wins is 11, set in 2005-06.
Shuffling the deck
In his first game with the Aces since authoring the overtime game-winning strike on opening night, defenseman Daryl Boyle furnished an assist, three shots and a plus-2 rating.
Swanson's plus-20 rating for the season leads the league. Sinkewich (plus 16) is tied for fourth and Goldie (plus 15) is seventh.
Alaska's .683 winning percentage is tied for second with Reading, behind Greenville (.750). Las Vegas (.661) ranks fourth in the 19-team league.
The Wranglers threw a couple of Alaskans into the lineup.
Dressing for Las Vegas were winger Moises Gutierrez of Anchorage, who played one game for the Aces last season, and Phillip Ischi of Kenai, who was with the Aces in training camp before he was cut.
The Wranglers also used a local emergency backup goalie in Adrian Ohlerien, who usually helps out the Aces equipment staff at home games.
Find Doyle Woody's blog at adn.com/hockeyblog or call him at 257-4335.
Las Vegas 1 0 0 -- 1
Aces 0 2 2 -- 4
First Period -- 1, Las Vegas, Bates 8 (Paukovich, Huddy), 19:41. Penalties -- Power, Las Vegas (slashing), 17:16.
Second Period -- 2, Aces, Goldie 19 (Howes, Swanson), 11:22; 3, Aces, Howes 10 (Ward, Goldie), 14:10. Penalties -- Isherwood, Aces (slashing), 7:08; Power, Las Vegas (tripping), 15:44.
Third Period -- 4, Aces, Goldie 20 (Howes, Boyle), 14:20 (pp); 5, Aces, Swanson 12 (Anderson), 19:58 (sh-en). Penalties -- Paukovich, Las Vegas (elbowing), 12:43.
Shots on goal -- Las Vegas 8-7-8--23. Aces 12-12-8--32.
Power-play Opportunities -- Las Vegas 0 of 2; Aces 1 of 3.
Goalies -- Las Vegas, Fallon, 6-5-1 (31 shots-28 saves). Aces, Coleman, 15-7-1 (23-22).
A -- 3,228 (6,396). T -- 2:06.
Referee -- T.J. Luxmore. Linesmen -- Steve Glines, Travis Jackson.
By DOYLE WOODY
dwoody@adn.com