Early-deadline, one-edition night, so not a lot of time to write the story of the Alaska Aces' 3-2 OT win over the Fort Wayne Komets for the dead-trees edition of the Dispatch.
So, here's some stuff that didn't get in the print edition.
Fort Wayne goaltender Pat Nagle (31 saves) is the reason the Komets were able to storm back from a 2-0 third-period deficit to score two power-play goals inside the last eight minutes and force extra time (and, down two on the road deep into the third and getting a point -- well done). Nagle faced some tough shots. He stopped Ryan Tesink on short-handed partial breakaway. He denied Justin Breton's point-blank, power-play deflection. He made a big blocker save on Tesink's bid from the slot. He stopped a Garet Hunt breakaway. Good stuff.
Strong game for Alaska G Jacob DeSerres (26 saves) too. He stopped four shots in OT. He got his stick on Leo Thomas' breakaway after Thomas went to his backhand and tried to tuck the puck 5-hole. He came way above the blue ice to rebuff Jordan Southorn.
Another strong game for Aces rookie center Stephen Perfetto, who delivered the OT goal, roofing a wrister off the rush from the left circle, using former UAA center Paul Crowder as a screen and beating Nagle high glove-side. Perfetto also assisted on Garet Hunt's goal to open the scoring. That was an especially strong shift for Perfetto -- he hit the post, got off a shot later in the shift and then set up Peter Sivak's shot with a pass from behind the net. Hunt pounced on the Sivak rebound.
Sivak continues to marvel. He had two helpers to extend his point streak to six games. He's best known for scoring -- he was All-ECHL in helping the Aces to the 2014 Kelly Cup. But I love the little things he does -- so good at reading plays, so good on the defensive side of the puck, doesn't try to be a hero when all he needs to do is get the puck out of the zone, just chips it out and lives to fight another day.
Perfetto centered Sivak and Hunt and they were together on a power-play unit (granted, Aces went 0 for 3 and are 0 for 24 in the last eight games). The line accounted for 18 of 34 shots -- Hunt with a game-high seven, Perfetto with six and Sivak with five.
Former UAA D Austin Sevalrud made his pro debut for the Komets -- -1, with one shot on goal. Was good to see Crowder back on Sullivan ice. He had 80 points in 107 UAA games in three seasons before signing with the New York Rangers in 2009.
When you factor in opponents' empty-net goals, the Aces have essentially played six straight games decided by one goal, and that's been the case in 10 of their last 11 games.
The Aces unburdened themselves of a seven-game winless streak (0-5-2) that was just one loss shy of the club-record, eight-game winless streak (0-7-1) they endured earlier this season.
They kept their tragic number -- the number of points they surrender in the standings combined with the number of points Tulsa, sitting in the ECHL Western Conference's final playoff spot, earns -- at 15.