Granted, it was merely an exhibition hockey game, with an announced attendance of just 1,316, but the Alaska Aces elicited some noise from the crowd at Sullivan Arena when their two late goals delivered overtime Monday night.
Then, silence.
Patrick Gaul's goal 53 ticks into extra time earned the South Carolina Stingrays a 4-3 victory.
Former Aces winger Olivier Archambault assisted on Gaul's game-ending snap shot from low in the left circle, which beat Aces goaltender Lukas Hafner (28 saves) to the short side.
Archambault's fingerprints were all over the game because he had a hand in every South Carolina goal with two goals and two helpers. That's what he does. Archambault scored 20 goals in 38 games for the Aces two seasons ago and owns 44 goals in 88 career ECHL regular-season games.
The Aces forced OT when Tim Coffman scored on a two-man advantage with about five minutes left in regulation and Ben Lake followed with the equalizer with three minutes to go. Coffman buried a one-timer past Parker Milner (34 saves) – Colin Valcourt provided an excellent screen – and Lake whipped home his own rebound after Milner stopped his wraparound attempt at the right post.
Defenseman Ryan Trenz, like Coffman and Lake a returner, scored Alaska's other goal. Rob Flick had a power-play strike for South Carolina.
The teams play again Tuesday and Thursday nights.
The Aces, who played with just five defensemen, have received reinforcements lately, and have more on the way. Returning winger Justin Breton is back in town from a training camp in the American Hockey League, but is out with a minor upper-body injury. Forward Tommy Olczyk is here from an AHL camp too, but out with a minor lower-body injury.
The AHL's Utica Comets on Monday assigned four players to the Aces – goalie Kevin Carr and returning center Stephen Perfetto, and rookie forward Danny Moynihan and rookie defenseman Mackenze Stewart. Those players will arrive some time this week, pending travel arrangements.
The Aces also are without captain William Wrenn, a returning second-team All-ECHL defenseman who is in training camp with the AHL's Toronto Marlies.
SC 1 1 1 1 4
Aces 0 1 2 0 3
First Period – 1, SC, Archambault (Epp, Gaul), 18:01. Penalties – SC bench minor, served by Saucerman (too many men), 8:13; Lake, Aces, minor-major (roughing, fighting), 17:36; Flick, SC, minor-major (cross-checking, fighting), 17:36; Perrier, SC (interference), 15:35.
Second Period – 2, Aces, Trenz, 11:54; 3, SC, Archambault (Gaul, Perrier), 16:50. Penalties – Huysmans, Aces (slashing), 3:01.
Third Period – 4, SC, Flick (Devin, Archambault), 3:15 (pp); 5, Aces, Coffman (Nikiforov, Sivak), 15:10 (pp); 6, Aces, Lake (Sampair, Miller), 17:03. Penalties – Nikiforov, Aces (tripping), 1:12; Hafner, Aces, served by Huysmans (delay of game-puck over glass), 2:35; Eller, SC (tripping), 6:49; SC, served by Archambault (too many men), 13:26; Saucerman, SC (delay of game-puck over glass), 13:52.
Overtime – 7, SC, Gaul (Archambault), :53. Penalties — None.
Shots on goal – SC 6-14-11-—32. Aces 15-10-11-1—37.
Power-play Opportunities – SC 1 of 3. Aces 1 of 5.
Goalies – SC, Milner (37 shots-34 saves). Aces, Hafner (32-28).
A – 1,316 (6,399). T – 2:22.
Referee – Kenny Anderson. Linesmen – Scott Sivulich, Josh Ellis.