Sports

New Aces goalie sparkles in 3-2 win over Idaho

It wasn't a bird or plane that swooped in to save the Alaska Aces on Sunday, but a sharp-dressed goaltender who appeared on the scene just in the nick of time to salvage the team's series against first-place Idaho.

Matt Harrington provided the game-winning goal and new goalie Troy Redmann made a career-high 44 saves just 14 hours after arriving in Anchorage to lift the team to a gritty 3-2 win over Idaho in front of an announced crowd of 3,400 fans at Sullivan Arena.

"We battled really hard tonight," said Alaska coach Rob Murray, whose squad improved to 16-19-1.

Harrington's game-winner came with 6:44 to play after Idaho had fought back from an early 2-0 hole to tie things up in the third. The win allowed the Aces to snap a seven-game winless streak and allowed them to escape from their "Superhero Weekend" promotion with a victory in the final game of the three-game series.

Idaho goalie Olivier Roy made the initial stop on Bryan Cameron's shot from the right wing circle, but Harrington was camped out at the far post and in perfect position to slam home the rebound. The goal was the first in nine games for Harrington, who signed as a free agent on Jan. 16.

"I've been dying to score since I've been here," Harrington said.

When the puck found his stick, Harrington said, his "eyes lit up."

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"I was licking my chops," he said.

Harrington's effort put the cherry on top of a sweet effort by the jet-setting Redmann, who said his flight touched down in Anchorage at 1 a.m. Sunday.

"I'm pretty tired," he said.

After looking listless in the first period in a pair of losses to start the series, the Aces came out determined to strike first on Sunday, and that's just what they did. A sparse crowd at Sullivan Arena produced one of the loudest roars of the weekend when the team racked up two goals in half a minute to take a 2-0 lead before four minutes had elapsed.

"Coach has been trying to instill in us the need to start fast, and that really set the tone," Harrington said.

The team's leading scorer, Brendan Connolly, jump-started and finished the early onslaught. His steal of a sloppy Idaho pass deep in the Steelheads' zone set up Chris Francis' goal, a redirection of a Ryan Walters shot into a wide-open net. Before the buzz from Francis' score had died down, Connolly got on the board with a left-handed wrister from the low slot that burrowed through Roy with 16:22 to go in the first. Walters and Francis assisted on Connolly's goal, giving each member of the trio two points in 27 seconds of ice time.

Redmann got his first start for Alaska a day after the team acquired him off waivers from ECHL Colorado, where he posted a 2-0 record and .966 save percentage. The Aces were seeking an upgrade after Aaron Crandall underwhelmed in two starts against Idaho, giving up 13 goals -- eight on Friday, five on Saturday.

They got it in Redmann, who outplayed Roy, the former Aces goalie who helped the team win a Kelly Cup last season.

"We needed that," Murray said. "He did a great job on short notice."

How short? The new guy didn't even have time for proper introductions before taking the ice for his new squad.

"I haven't even had a chance to introduce myself to him yet," Harrington said.

Redmann was easy to spot in his distinctive goalie gear, which consisted of creamy white leg pads, white blocker and white catching glove. The 28-year-old Californian vaguely resembled the Michelin Man as he led the team onto the ice for pregame warm-ups.

The fashionable newcomer used his stick and blocker to disdainfully bat aside Idaho shots rather than catch them in his glove. The technique worked to great effect -- Redmann turned back 13 shots in the first period and provided some much-needed stability on the back line for a team sorely in need of a goaltending lift.

"I like to put everything in the corners if I can't control it," Redmann said.

Redmann was hung out to dry on Idaho's only goal of the period, a shorthanded snipe by David de Kastrozza, who was on the shooting end of a 2-on-1 break with James Livingston that made it 2-1 after the first.

Despite the special teams hiccup, the Aces had to be thrilled with the period considering they'd fallen behind by two goals in each of their previous two losses.

"That made a huge difference," Murray said.

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The biggest highlight of the second period was a stellar defensive stand by the Aces, who used some good work by Redmann and several key clearances to bleed off a lengthy 5-on-3 Idaho power play that resulted from back-to-back penalties to Francis and Greg Wolfe.

"At the pro level you should get scored on on a 5-on-3, but we didn't and that was huge," Murray said.

One night after allowing three power play goals, Alaska killed off all six Idaho chances with an extra attacker. It also withstood two minutes of 6-on-5 to end the game after the Steelheads lifted Roy for an additional skater.

"Our penalty kill was really good tonight," Murray said.

Roy finished with 31 saves for Idaho, which outshot Alaska 44-34.

The second period was scoreless but far from uneventful, with several minor skirmishes as well as a hard shot by Idaho's Devin DiDiomete on Francis that sent the Aces' winger skating groggily to the locker room. Francis' departure (he returned to play in the third period) began a mass exodus from the ice. There were no fights, but the Aces' Brad Cole and Jacob Doty, along with Idaho's Alex Belzile and Jason Bast, all earned 10-minute misconduct penalties for actions deemed to be unsportsmanlike. The Aces capped the tense frame by killing off 1:57 of Idaho power play to take their tenuous lead into the final period.

Idaho drew even when Colton Beck, who played collegiately at UAF, redirected a low centering pass from Drew Baker past Redmann's outstretched ivory leg pads with 14:18 to play.

Redmann quickly redeemed himself when he made the game's biggest save by first thwarting a Bast blast from close range, then falling backward and using his sprawling body to corral a pair of rebound stabs by Beck. Harrington's goal came about five minutes later, and Redmann withstood a flurry of late Idaho chances to hold on for the win.

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Redmann said he couldn't have asked for more in his Aces debut -- especially considering he started the weekend riding the waiver wire.

"It feels very, very, very good," he said.

Alaska is 10-1-3 in its last 14 home games, and the team has six more Sullivan appearances left in its nine-game homestand. The Aces will be in action again Wednesday against Colorado, when Redmann's former team arrives for the first of a three-game set.

After the game, Redmann said his first order of business -- after meeting all his teammates -- would be to find a place to bed down for a long snooze.

"I'll probably fall asleep in the locker room."

Alaska 3, Idaho 2

Idaho 1 0 1 -- 2

Alaska 2 0 1 -- 3

1st Period -- 1, Alaska, Francis 13 (Walters, Connolly), 3:11. 2, Alaska, Connolly 13 (Walters, Francis), 3:38. 3, Idaho, de Kastrozza 13 (Livingston, Case), 17:20 (SH). Penalties-Case Idh (roughing), 9:29; Gogol Ak (roughing), 9:29; Cole Ak (high-sticking), 14:58; MacLeod Idh (roughing), 17:03; Beck Idh (tripping), 19:28.

2nd Period -- No Scoring.Penalties-Sproule Ak (holding), 2:10; Dahl Idh (hooking), 2:19; Francis Ak (tripping), 6:48; Wolfe Ak (interference), 7:00; Belzile Idh (misconduct - unsportsmanlike conduct), 15:18; Doty Ak (misconduct - unsportsmanlike conduct), 15:18; Bast Idh (unsportsmanlike conduct), 15:38; Cole Ak (unsportsmanlike conduct), 15:38; Gorham Ak (hooking), 18:03.

3rd Period -- 4, Idaho, Beck 6 (Baker, Dalhuisen), 5:35. 5, Alaska, Harrington 1 (Cameron), 13:16. Penalties-Connolly Ak (cross-checking), 1:10; DiDiomete Idh (misconduct - unsportsmanlike conduct), 20:00; Connolly Ak (misconduct - unsportsmanlike conduct), 20:00.

Shots on Goal -- Idaho 14-15-17-46. Alaska 15-11-8-34.

Power Play Opportunities -- Idaho 0 / 6; Alaska 0 / 3.

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Goalies -- Idaho, Roy 21-8-0-3 (34 shots-31 saves). Alaska, Redmann 3-0-0-0 (46 shots-44 saves).

A -- 3,400

Referees -- Peter MacDougall (26).

Linesmen -- Scott Sivulich (73), Steve Glines (44).

Matt Tunseth

Matt Tunseth is a former reporter for the Anchorage Daily News and former editor of the Alaska Star.

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