Plenty of stuff to run down around the rinks today, so let's get to it and report the latest addition to the Alaska Aces.
The St. Louis Blues on Tuesday assigned third-year winger Cody Beach to the Aces from AHL Chicago. The 6-foot-5, 206-pounder isn't subtle. Beach in 39 games with the Chicago Wolves earned 2-7--9 totals and a -2 rating, but what really stands out in his 203 penalty minutes, second on the circuit.
In 96 career AHL games, Beach owns 9-18--27 totals, a +9 rating and 383 PIMs. In 31 ECHL career games, he's 4-8--12 and -7, with 85 PIMs.
On the women's front, winger Zoe Hickel of Anchorage played her second game on USA Hockey's national team today, skating in a 9-2 pool-play victory over Russia at the Women's World Championship in Malmo, Sweden, where the Americans breezed through pool play at 3-0-0 and advance to a semifinal Friday against an opponent yet to be determined. Hickel was -1 today. In two games, she's -1 with one shot on goal.
Speaking of championships, junior defenseman Brian Cooper of Anchorage and his Nebraska-Omaha crew are headed to the Frozen Four for the first time in Mavericks history. The Mavericks will play Providence in a semifinal in Boston on Thursday, April 9. Cooper, an Anaheim Ducks draft pick, is having a career season. He owns 5-11--16 totals in 38 games and a team-best +14 rating. He's second on the team in power-play goals. His totals this season surpass the combined point totals of his first two campaigns, when he went 2-9--11 in 69 games.
Also, Cooper owns a sweet Twitter handle -- @CoopDaddy907
Probably a good time to check in with the four former UAA skaters who turned pro after the end of their season earlier this month.
Winger Brett Cameron signed with ECHL South Carolina, rocked 3-1--4 totals and a +3 rating in three games and got promoted to AHL Adirondack. He's played one game for Adirondack. Defenseman Derek Docken signed with AHL Springfield and is 0-0--0 and -3 in five games with the Falcons.
Defenseman Austin Coldwell hooked up with ECHL Quad City and in eight games is 0-4--4 and +1. And winger Scott Allen hooked up with ECHL Colorado -- he's got an assist and a -1 rating in six games with the Eagles.
Finally, we turn our focus abroad to check in on former Alaska Aces center Nick Mazzolini of Anchorage, who plays for Lowen Frankfurt in the DEL2 in Germany. Mazz in 51 regular-season games went 31-30--61, with 12-10--22 totals on the power play and 3-2--5 totals short-handed. Mazz's club swept its first playoff series in four games -- he went 3-3--6 -- over the Ravenburg Townstars and former Aces center Alex Leavitt (2-1--3 in the series). Frankfurt opens a semifinal series Thursday against the Fischtown Pinguins.