Sports

Connolly strikes twice in Aces' 5-4 thriller over Eagles

Brendan Connolly did not score a goal in the Alaska Aces' first nine hockey games this season, and he was stuck on one goal after 13 games.

Still, his rink resume -- four consecutive ECHL seasons of 22 goals or more -- argued that funk would not persist.

And it hasn't.

Connolly delivered two more goals Wednesday night -- that gives him seven in the last six games -- to help spur the Aces to a nail-chewing 5-4 victory over the Colorado Eagles at Sullivan Arena.

Connolly owns 15 goals in 39 games, easily on pace for another campaign of 20-something goals. He also owns a seven-game point streak and has bagged 7-4—11 totals in that span.

Connolly wasn't the only Ace to strike twice. Newcomer Curt Gogol bagged a pair of goals, including a strike late in the third period that became the game winner and gave him four goals in four games with the Aces.

Olivier Archambault furnished three assists, Greg Wolfe pocketed two, Justin Breton chipped in with one goal and one helper, and Troy Redmann stopped 31 shots to pull the Aces (17-18-4) within one game of .500.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Aces also wrecked the Eagles' 10-game winning streak, tops on the 28-team circuit this season. The Aces sit in sixth place and must leapfrog two teams -- Utah and Bakersfield -- to gain a playoff spot. They have three games in hand on Utah, which leads them by seven points, and four in hand on Bakersfield, which is four points ahead of them.

Colorado sits in a three-way tie with Ontario and Idaho for the lead in the seven-team Pacific Division.

Connolly, a ringleader on the Aces' Kelly Cup winning crew in June, is a veteran winger who prospers by virtue of speed, craftiness and no small amount of truculence -- OK, he's a rat.

He plays on the edge, which leads to the occasional bad penalty -- he took an unsportsmanlike conduct infraction Wednesday. But he also leads with his passion, and a banged-up Aces club needs him as badly as it has at any point in this up-and-down season.

Alaska, already beset by injuries, lost Connolly's center, Chris Francis, who departed from the bench to the dressing room in the second period and did not return. Aces coach Rob Murray said Francis' back seized up on him.

Gogol's second goal, which came with three minutes left, generated a 5-3 lead. He worked a give-and-go with Archambault and cranked a one-timer from the slot past Clarke Saunders (20 saves). That goal was pivotal because Kyle Kraemer six minutes earlier ripped a shot past Redmann after Wolfe, a rookie center whose attention to detail is impressive, committed a rare turnover when he fanned on a pass in his own zone.

With Saunders on the bench for an extra attacker and the Eagles on the power play, veteran center Trent Daavettila deflected Collin Bowman's shot to cut the Aces' lead to 5-4.

Gogol and Daavettila traded first-period goals. Daavettila owns an 11-game point streak in which he had exploded for 7-15—22 totals.

Connolly pounced on a turnover early in the second period and drove to the net, where he flicked a point-blank shot past Saunders for a 2-1 lead. Breton swept in an Archambault rebound in the blue paint for a 3-1 Alaska lead before Connolly ramped up the lead to 4-1 with a short-handed breakaway.

Connolly's free trip in alone from the red line came courtesy of Wolfe, who nudged the puck ahead to neutral ice and allowed Connolly to skate into the puck. Connolly beat Saunders stick-side with a wrister.

The potent Eagles (28-14-0) bounced back with Chris Knowlton's deflection goal late in the second period, which cut Alaska's lead to 4-3.

Both teams dressed less than their ideal lineups because of injuries. Alaska started the night employing two part-time defensemen -- former UAA blueliners Brad Gorham and Scott Warner are both engineers -- and Tyler Currier, a forward by trade, playing defense.

Colorado played without leading scorer Brock Nixon, as well as forwards Nathan Moon and Darryl Bootland. Those three have combined for 41 goals and 90 points this season.

Reach Doyle Woody at dwoody@alaskadispatch.com, check out his blog at adn.com/hockey-blog and follow him on Twitter at @JaromirBlagr

Colorado 1 1 2 -- 4

Alaska 1 3 1 -- 5

1st Period-1, Alaska, Gogol 3 (Archambault, Hayes), 2:35 (PP). 2, Colorado, Daavettila 8 (Vause, Kulak), 19:08. Penalties-Daavettila Col (hooking), 0:51; Cameron Ak (slashing ), 8:09; Gardner Col (roughing), 10:03; Kraemer Col (bench - too many men), 13:00.

ADVERTISEMENT

2nd Period-3, Alaska, Connolly 14 2:01. 4, Alaska, Breton 2 (Archambault, Wolfe), 9:20. 5, Alaska, Connolly 15 (Wolfe), 16:08 (SH). 6, Colorado, Knowlton 4 (Nemec, Kwas), 16:57. Penalties-Connolly Ak (unsportsmanlike conduct), 4:31; Duszynski Col (fighting - major), 7:48; Hayes Ak (fighting - major), 7:48; Nemec Col (roughing), 11:49; Archambault Ak (high-sticking, cross-checking), 11:49; Currier Ak (roughing), 14:14; Currier Ak (boarding), 19:11.

3rd Period-7, Colorado, Kraemer 4 11:09. 8, Alaska, Gogol 4 (Archambault, Breton), 16:55. 9, Colorado, Daavettila 9 (Bowman, Kulak), 18:28 (PP). Penalties-Duszynski Col (tripping), 2:45; Doty Ak (high-sticking), 18:10.

Shots on Goal-Colorado 10-15-10-35. Alaska 10-8-7-25.

Power Play Opportunities-Colorado 1 / 6; Alaska 1 / 4.

Goalies-Colorado, Saunders 15-3-0-0 (25 shots-20 saves). Alaska, Redmann 4-0-0-0 (35 shots-31 saves).

A-3,218

Referees-Pierre Lambert (20).

Linesmen-Steve Glines (44), Chad Colliander (55).

Doyle Woody

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

ADVERTISEMENT