Sports

Some ECHL shootout history -- and mad Alaska connections -- in light of Aces' 17-rounder

The Alaska Aces will remember most the point they squandered in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Colorado Eagles on Wednesday -- after all, the Aces led 3-1 with less than four minutes left in regulation. You can go to the sports page at adn.com to read a hastily-written game story.

But they'll also remember the night for the 17-round shootout (Colorado won 4-3 in the skills contest) -- longest in team history no doubt, and no, we have no idea what the previous record was -- that ensued after overtime.

Just on a FWIW basis, the longest shootout in ECHL history is a tie -- two games have gone 21 rounds. Evansville beat Florida 5-4 in 21 rounds in 2013 and Hampton Roads beat Birmingham 7-6 in 21 rounds in 1992. Checking in at third is a 20-rounder than culminated in Fresno's 3-2 win at Phoenix in 2008. The winning goal came from former UAA skater, and current ECHL South Carolina coach, Spencer Carbery, and Michael Ouzas stopped Phoenix' 20th shooter.

That Fresno-Phoenix game featured a ton of Alaska connections besides Carbery, who by the way has guided the Stingrays to 16 straight wins, one shy of matching Cincinnati's record of 17 consecutive wins in 2008. The Stingrays also have won a league record-tying 10 straight road games.

In any event, Fresno's coach then was current UAA bench boss Matt Thomas. Carbery got two shootout attempts, he was stopped on the first and scored the winner. Judd Blackwater, who later played for the Aces, scored on his first shootout attempt for the Falcons but was stopped on his second. Ditto for Matt Stefanishion of Fresno, who went on to play for the Aces. For Phoenix, Kimbi Daniels, who was recently inducted into the Alaska Aces' inaugural Hall of Fame class, failed to score on his two shootout attempts. Gino Guyer, whose resume also includes time with the Aces, failed to score on his shootout attempt. But he did have a shortie to give Phoenix a 2-1 lead early in the third period. But Stefanishion's extra-attacker goal with five seconds left in regulation -- Daniels and Guyer were on the ice for the RoadRunners -- sent the game to extra time.

Oh, and the Phoenix goalie -- none other than Gerald Coleman, who only went on to backstop the Aces to two Kelly Cup titles.

Man, hockey is a tiny world. You only have to look at Wednesday's Aces-Eagles game to recognize that. In goal for Alaska was Troy Redmann, who the Aces claimed off waivers from the Eagles in January. In goal for Colorado was Aaron Crandall, who the Eagles acquired for Alaska in a trade last month.(Hell, even the longest shootout in NHL history, Florida's 20-rounder over Washington last December had an Alaska connection -- former UAA center Jay Beagle played in it for the Caps and failed to score on his shootout attempt.)

Anyhow, sitting in the stands at Sullivan Arena on Wednesday night for this epic shootout -- none other than Matt Thomas.

Doyle Woody

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

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