Sports

Redmann's gem, Walters' 2 goals spark Aces' 3-0 road win

Believe the hype -- that's the message Troy Redmann delivered Tuesday.

After being named the ECHL's Goaltender of the Week earlier in the day for his work last week in the Alaska Aces' net, Redmann in the evening furnished 28 saves to backstop a 3-0 road trip-ending win over Ontario.

Redmann's bagel was the first produced by an Aces masked man this hockey season, which leaves Stockton as the only club on the 28-team circuit that has not produced a clean sheet.

Not that there was any question, but Redmann is clearly The Man down the stretch for the Aces, who are making a run at a playoff spot in the Pacific Division.

The Aces (27-23-6, 60 points) moved within two points of the fourth-place Utah Grizzlies, who have played an equal number of games. The top four teams in the seven-team Pacific Division qualify for the Kelly Cup playoffs. Alaska, the defending and three-time Kelly Cup champion, has never failed to make the playoffs in 11 previous ECHL seasons, and only once has been eliminated in the first round.

Redmann authored two wins in Colorado last weekend, and his 67 saves on 69 shots in Loveland reaped his weekly award.

After shackling the Reign, and helping snuff their six power-play chances, before his family and friends inside Citizens Business Bank Arena -- Redmann is from nearby Brea, California -- Redmann improved to 7-1-2 for the Aces since they picked him up off waivers from Colorado in January.

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Redmann, who stopped 40 shots in a 5-4 shootout loss at Bakersfield on Monday, improved his goals-against average to 2.56 and raised his save percentage to .924.

Also, irony alert: Redmann's previous ECHL shutout came for Ontario in his second pro start. He produced 27 saves in a 1-0 win at Stockton in March 2013.

The Aces, who struggled mightily on the road through nearly two-thirds of the 72-game regular season, went 3-1-1 on this five-game trip to Colorado and California, and are 5-2-2 on their last two roadies.

Alaska closed this trip strong while playing its fourth game in five nights and meeting an opponent that had not played in nine days. The third-place Reign outshot the Aces 28-15 -- that tied Alaska's season-low for shots – but to no avail.

Redmann's work was supported by winger Ryan Walters, who bagged two goals, including his league tying-high fourth short-handed strike, and newcomer Michael Markovic, who opened the scoring with his first pro goal. Jacob Doty furnished two assists. Walters also unloaded seven of Alaska's 15 shots.

Markovic went to the net and banged in Doty's pass less than five minutes into the game. Walters' goal off Doty's feed midway through the second period staked Alaska, which surrendered a two-goal, third-period lead to Bakersfield on Monday, to a 2-0 advantage.

Walters roofed a short-handed backhander on Ontario starting goalie Adam Brown (eight saves on 11 shots) later in the second period. Brown got the hook after two periods.

The Aces now get a long break. They do not play again until Feb. 11, when they open a three-game series against visiting Colorado at Sullivan Arena.

Shuffling the deck

Walters' four shorties have come in 30 games, and tie him for the lead league with Allen's Gregor Hanson and Idaho's David de Kastrozza. Hanson's four short-handers have come in 38 games and de Kastrozza's have come in 53 games.

Walters' two-goal game was his third of the season and gives him 12-15—27 totals in 30 games. He's one of five Aces who have each generated three two-goal games this season -- the others are Brendan Connolly, Curt Gogol, Olivier Archambault and Greg Wolfe.

Walters and Gogol were the only ones among those five who were in the lineup Tuesday. Connolly is shelved with an upper-body injury -- he's missed the last eight games -- and Archambault and Wolfe are up with the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League.

Aces rookie defenseman Felix Poulin's assist on Walters' first goal marked his first pro point in 11 games with the club. Rookie winger Justin Breton assisted on Markovic's goal and winger Gogol picked up a helper on Walters' shortie.

Only six of Alaska's 16 skaters were credited with at least one shot on goal: Walters (7), Chris Francis (3), Markovic (2), Gogol (1), Tim Coffman (1) and Bryan Cameron (1). Former Ace Judd Blackwater led Ontario with seven shots.

The Aces have 16 regular-season games remaining, 10 on the road -- all on one trip -- and six at home. Six of their final 13 games are against Ontario, three in California on that extended trip ahead and three at Sullivan Arena to end the season.

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

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Alaska 1 2 0 - 3

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Ontario 0 0 0 - 0

1st Period-1, Alaska, Markovic 1 (Doty, Breton), 4:28. Penalties-Cameron Ak (tripping), 5:18; Currier Ak (hooking), 10:27; Johnson Ak (unsportsmanlike conduct, helmet violation, fighting - major), 13:35; DiPaolo Ont (unsportsmanlike conduct, helmet violation, fighting - major), 13:35; Gogol Ak (slashing ), 20:00; Register Ont (roughing), 20:00.

2nd Period-2, Alaska, Walters 11 (Doty, Poulin), 9:22. 3, Alaska, Walters 12 (Gogol), 14:01 (SH). Penalties-Freibergs Ont (holding), 1:32; Blackwater Ont (roughing), 6:56; Coffman Ak (slashing ), 10:10; Tesink Ak (elbowing), 13:16.

3rd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Ezekiel Ont (unsportsmanlike conduct), 2:06; Ezekiel Ont (slashing ), 5:07; Doty Ak (slashing ), 6:45; Hayes Ak (high-sticking), 13:17; Doty Ak (roughing), 15:56; Ezekiel Ont (elbowing, roughing), 15:56.

Shots on Goal-Alaska 4-7-4-15. Ontario 12-10-6-28.

Power Play Opportunities-Alaska 0 / 5; Ontario 0 / 6.

Goalies-Alaska, Redmann 9-1-0-2 (28 shots-28 saves). Ontario, Brown 6-10-0-1 (11 shots-8 saves); Olkinuora 16-7-2-2 (4 shots-4 saves).

A-6,502

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Referees-Peter MacDougall (26).

Linesmen-Tanner Nua (90), Brett Martin (75).

Doyle Woody

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

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