Anchorage Daily News

What could have been a fabulous road trip ended in a bit of a funk for the Alaska Aces on Sunday, when they were shut out for the first time this hockey season.

Ontario Reign goaltender Curtis Darling stopped 28 shots to spearhead a 3-0 ECHL victory at Citizens Business Bank Arena in which the Aces lost the game and the battle of special teams.

Even so, the Aces went 2-1-0 on their three-game California swing to earn four of a possible six points. Alaska won a shootout 5-4 at Stockton on Saturday and beat Stockton 4-3 in overtime on Friday.

Sunday, though, with each club playing its third game in three nights, the Aces came up empty on six power plays and the Reign cashed in once with the man advantage.

Alaska's penalty-killing crew absorbed some damage on the trip, surrendering six power-play goals on 20 chances.

Aces goaltender Sebastian Dahm stopped 30 of 32 shots Sunday -- Ontario's final goal came with Dahm on the bench for an extra attacker.

The Aces slipped to 7-4-1. They have not won a game in regulation since a 5-2 win at Las Vegas on Oct. 22. They have played eight matches since then.

One casualty of Sunday's bagel was the 10-game point streak of Aces winger Colin Hemingway, who after being held without a point in the season opener, scored six goals and assisted on 10 others over the next 10 matches.

Ontario (6-6-0) jumped to a 1-0 lead just five minutes into the game when Jon Rheault finished a line rush by flicking a backhander over Dahm's shoulder. The goal was Rheault's ninth of the season, which ranks second in the league behind Utah's Ryan Kinasewich, who owns a ridiculous 13 goals and 20 points in just eight games.

Tony Voce raised Ontario's cushion to 2-0 midway through the second period, when he banged in his own rebound on the power play.

The Aces pressured Darling late in the second period and early in the third period, but to no avail.

Next up is an unusual stretch in the Aces' 72-game regular-season grind. They entertain the Bakersfield Condors on Friday and Saturday at Sullivan Arena, then hit the road for a three-game series at Bakersfield to make it five straight games between the clubs.

Bakersfield (6-5-0) has the luxury this season of having roughly half of its roster under NHL contracts. That's because the NHL's Anaheim Ducks do not have an affiliate in the American Hockey League -- that's the circuit between the NHL and ECHL -- and thus have assigned many of their contracted players to nearby Bakersfield.

For instance, Condors goalies Justin Pogge and Timo Pielmeier are Anaheim's Nos. 3 and 4 goalies, and both were third-round draft picks. Pogge played seven games in the NHL last season for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Find Doyle Woody's hockey blog at adn.com/hockeyblog or call him at 257-4335.

Aces 0 0 0 - 0

Ontario 1 1 1 - 3

First Period - 1, Ontario, Rheault 9 (Hogeboom, Francisco), 4:36. Penalties - Turek, Aces (tripping), 5:01; Kraus, Ontario (high-sticking), 18:36.

Second Period - 2, Ontario, Voce 6 (Landry), 8:35 (pp). Penalties - Crum, Aces (interference), 2:08; Stefanishion, Aces (elbowing), 7:33; Pelech, Ontario (tripping), 9:56; Rheault, Ontario (roughing), 15:21; Fraser, Aces (roughing), 15:21; D. Walker, Ontario (hooking), 16:31; Martens, Ontario (delay of game-puck over glass), 18:11.

Third Period - 3, Ontario, Hogeboom 6 (Rheault, Germain), 18:21 (en). Penalties - D. Walker, Ontario (interference), 4:20; Francisco, Ontario (slashing), 5:36; Pelech, Ontario (holding), 9:46; Imbeault, Aces (cross-checking), 9:46; Stefanishion, Aces (slashing), 10:03; Galbraith, Aces (misconduct), 17:51; Kana, Aces (roughing), 19:20; D. Walker, Ontario, major (fighting), 19:20; Stefanishion, Aces, major (fighting), 19:20.

Shots on goal - Aces 6-15-7--28. Ontario 11-13-9--33.

Power-play Opportunities - Aces 0 of 6; Ontario 1 of 5.

Goalies - Aces, Dahm, 4-3-0 (32 shots-30 saves). Ontario, Darling, 5-2-0 (28-28).

A - 4,811 (9,644). T - 2:33.

Referee - J.M. McNulty. Linesmen - James Parker, Michel Voyer.

ADVERTISEMENT