Sports

Aces sniper Sivak earns first-team ECHL honors

Alaska Aces veteran winger Peter Sivak was named to the All-ECHL First Team on Thursday, and that announcement came with zero shock value considering:

He sits tied for second in the league in goals and solo second in assists and points, with 29-50--79 totals in 65 games.

He leads the league in plus-minus rating at plus-46, which is a ridiculous number. Only 12 times has Sivak been a minus this season, and he's been a plus-2 or better 17 times.

He leads the league in shots on goal with 256 -- no wonder Aces center Jordan Morrison, who was Sivak's teammate in San Francisco last season, refers to Sivak as "Pistol Pete.''

He has delivered 19 multiple-point games, including five three-point games, three four-point games and one five-point game.

He has generated point streaks of nine games, eight games, seven games and five games.

He has been whistled for a scant five minor penalties this season despite an exhausting volume of ice time and playing in all situations.

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And only once in those 65 games was Sivak held without a shot -- and he furnished an assist in that match.

Beyond Sivak's startling numbers, the 32-year-old Slovakian sniper has also served as a template of professionalism for many of his younger teammates.

After games and practices, you can find him riding a stationary bicycle, supplementing his on-ice conditioning. He routinely accomplishes the little things that are not revealed in a scoring summary. He is a master at protecting the puck and maintaining possession. He rarely commits a turnover. And though he is a scoring star, he is diligent in his defensive play, primarily with exceptional positioning and deft hockey sense.

Although the Aces have only been in the ECHL for 11 seasons, Sivak's honor marked the 13th time an Aces player was named to the first team in a vote of league coaches, broadcasters, media relations directors and media. That's not just the most players one franchise has landed on first teams since Alaska joined the league in 2003-04, but the most first-team honorees for one team in the circuit's 26-season history.

The other players honored on the first team were South Carolina Stingrays goaltender Jeff Jakaitis (24-12-3, 2.16 goals-against average, .924 save percentage); Kalamazoo Wings defenseman Sam Ftorek (13-34--47 in 68 games), who rocked it for the old guys -- he's 39; Ontario Reign defenseman Matt Register (14-30--44 in 66 games); Fort Wayne Komets forward Brandon Marino, the league's leading scorer (29-57--86 in 70 games); and Orlando Solar Bears sniper Mickey Lang (44-31--75 in 58 games), who had only scored 15 more goals than anyone in the league entering a game Thursday night.

Former Aces goaltender Laurent Brossoit, who landed with the Bakersfield Condors after an NHL trade and owns a league record-tying eight shutouts, was named to the second team.

Find Doyle Woody's blog at adn.com/hockeyblog.

FLUSH WITH FIRST-TEAMERS

Alaska Aces players have been voted All-ECHL First Team 13 times in the franchise's 11 season on the minor-league hockey circuit. That's not only the most first-teamers from any club in that span, it's also the most by any franchise in the league's 26-season history.

Here are the teams that have featured the most First Team selections since the Aces joined the league in the 2003-04 season:

TeamNumber of First-Teamers 2004-14

Alaska Aces 13

Gwinnett Gladiators 8

Idaho Steelheads 5

Florida Everblades 4

South Carolina Stingrays 4

Here are the Alaska Aces who have been named All-ECHL First Team since 2004:

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PlayerPositionYear

Peter Sivak Wing 2014

Bryan Miller Defense 2012

Wes Goldie Wing 2011

Gerald Coleman Goaltender 2011

Jean-Philippe Lamoureux Goaltender 2009

Josh Soares Wing 2008

Peter Metcalf Defense 2007, 2008

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Alex Leavitt Center 2006

Ryan Gaucher Defense 2006

Matt Underhill Goaltender 2006

Scott Gomez Center 2005

Chris Minard Wing 2005

By DOYLE WOODY

dwoody@adn.com

Doyle Woody

Doyle Woody covered hockey and other sports for the Anchorage Daily News for 34 years.

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