Laurent Brossoit is a goaltender, so he gives up goals. It says so right in the ECHL statistics. The former Alaska Aces and current Bakersfield Condors rookie even got the second-period hook Saturday night in Idaho.
Yet when it comes to Condors-Aces games this season, Brossoit has produced nothing but clean sheets.
Brossoit, who turned up with the Condors after an early-season NHL trade moved his rights to Edmonton from Alaska's affiliate Calgary, stopped 27 shots Monday to backstop the Condors to a 3-0 matinee win over the Aces at Rabobank Arena in California.
As an Ace in November, Brossoit stopped all eight shots he faced in mop-up duty of Alaska's 6-3 win over Bakersfield. He then stopped 16 shots in a 5-0 win over the Condors and 16 more in a 4-0 win.
So, in three-plus Bako-Aces games, the rookie has stopped all 67 shots he has faced. Brossoit landed in Bakersfield in the NHL trade that also ended up bringing Olivier Roy to the Aces. Roy is currently on promotion to Abbotsford of the American Hockey League.
Brossoit's shutout Monday was his league-leading sixth this season. He also leads the circuit in goals-against average (1.81) and is fractionally second in save percentage (.932).
Coupled with Sunday's 4-2 loss at Ontario, Monday's Aces defeat marked the first time Alaska (32-14-3) has lost two consecutive games in regulation since Nov. 29 at Colorado and Dec. 4 at Utah. The Aces remain four points behind Western Conference-leading Ontario, but slipped out of the league's top spot in winning percentage - Ontario is at .696, the Aces at .684.
Bakersfield (23-22-4) has rebounded strongly from a 1-10-1 start to the season.
Aces coach Rob Murray said Brossoit was solid, and the Condors played a sound defensive game in front of him, but he didn't feel his team tested the rookie enough.
"We hit him in the Condor more than not,'' Murray said by cellphone.
The game marked Alaska's eighth in 11 days, with a day of travel to California in that span. The Aces haven't enjoyed the luxury of a real practice -- one in which the team has time to go over systems on-ice -- in that span, and they have many players who haven't even been with the team a month.
"You can see the fatigue factor -- you can't get away from that,'' Murray said. "It was good hard-fought game by both teams. I just think we had more to give.
"I think we got out-battled a lot. Our compete level wasn't high enough. (The Condors) defend very well. They play a good, hard game, a physical game. I don't think we matched them physically.''
The game was scoreless for nearly two periods before the Condors cashed in on the power play. Defenseman Erik Burgdoerfer hammered in a goal after Gary Steffes won the initial draw to furnish Bakersfield a 1-0 lead with 1 minute, 16 seconds left in the second period.
That marked the seventh consecutive game the Aces have surrendered a power-play goal.
Steffes boosted the lead to 2-0 off an assist from former Aces winger Spencer Bennett about eight minutes into the second period. Burgdoerfer added another goal.
Gerald Coleman, who Murray said was a victim of turnovers by his defense, stopped 16 shots for the Aces.
The Aces are scheduled to fly home Tuesday, and Wednesday they open a three-game home series against the Ontario Reign.
Shuffling the deck
Brett Findlay's four-game point streak was snapped, as was the three-game point streak of former Condor Evan Trupp.
In the losses to Bakersfield and Ontario, Alaska's top two scorers, Peter Sivak and Nick Mazzolini were each held pointless in consecutive games for the first time in more than a month.
Center Tyler Mosienko and defenseman Brad Richard each fired a game-high five shots on goal.
Defenseman Zach McKelvie was called back up by Abbotsford of the American Hockey League. Rookie Ben Parker took his spot in the lineup.
The game took just 2:03, by five minutes the fastest game the Aces have played this season.
Find Doyle Woody's blog at adn.com/hockeyblog or call him at 257-4335.
Aces 0 0 0 -- 0
Bakersfield 0 1 2 -- 3
First Period -- None. Penalties -- Bowman, Bakersfield (high-sticking), 14:01.
Second Period -- 1, Bakersfield, Burgdoerfer 7 (Steffes), 18:44 (pp). Penalties -- Richard, Aces (hooking), :28; Molle, Aces (slashing), 4:19; Taranto, Aces (tripping), 18:39; Carroll, Bako (roughing), 19:37.
Third Period -- 2, Bakersfield, Steffes 10 (Bennett, Schaber), 7:44; 3, Bakersfield, Burgdoerfer 8, 14:53. Penalties -- Thurber, Bakersfield (hooking), 8:07.
Shots on goal -- Aces 9-11-7--27. Bakersfield 6-10-3--19.
Power-play Opportunities -- Aces 0 of 3. Bakersfield 1 of 3.
Goalies -- Aces, Coleman, 9-3-1 (19 shots-16 saves). Bakersfield, Brossoit, 15-6-1 (27-27).
A -- 4,360 (8,782). T -- 2:03.
Referee -- Andrew Martin. Linesmen -- Brett Martin, Steven Walsh.
By DOYLE WOODY