DULUTH, Ga. -- Misery to ecstasy in four years.
With a coach and a small group of players brought to Anchorage three seasons ago to rebuild a once-bankrupt franchise, the Alaska Aces went from joke to ECHL champion Thursday.
And they became Alaska's second professional championship team, joining the Anchorage Northern Knights, who won the Continental Basketball Association title in 1980.
Kelly Cups Finals most valuable player Mike Scott scored twice, including the game-winner in the second period, and Matt Underhill made 40 saves to lead Alaska to a stirring 4-3 win over the Gwinnett (Ga.) Gladiators in Game 5 of the Kelly Cup Finals. The Aces won the best-of-7 series 4-1 and in the process set off a wild party inside the Arena at Gwinnett Center, some 4,400 miles from Anchorage.
"Back home, I hope people's shirts are coming off and they are going bananas," said Mike Lee, one of seven Aces born in Alaska. "We worked so long and so hard for this. It couldn't be any better."
Alaska coach Davis Payne, assistant coach/captain Keith McCambridge, Scott, Lee, veteran Kimbi Daniels, winger Joe Talbot and defenseman Louis Mass arrived in Anchorage together for the 2003-04 season, a year after the team finished last for the third consecutive year and two seasons after the franchise nearly folded.
A group of eight Southcentral businessmen bought the organization out of bankruptcy in the summer of 2002. Before it sold, the team was up for sale on the eBay auction site.
"This is about three years of restoring this organization and doing things the right way," said McCambridge, who along with Underhill played his final professional game Thursday night. "This is how we're rewarded."
Payne and the others arrived, and winning quickly followed. By this year, the winning was habitual -- the Aces won the ECHL's regular-season title, the National Conference title, and a second straight West Division title on their way to the Kelly Cup championship.
They won four best-of-7 series postseason series -- an ECHL first.
Last season, Anchorage superstar Scott Gomez came home to play during the NHL's lockout. But his postseason injury may have cost the Aces the crown.
Thursday night, in front of about 30 of their own fans among the announced crowd of 3,955, the Aces rallied from a 3-1 first-period deficit with a heavy dose of defense.
After allowing Gwinnett three power-play goals in the first five chances, Alaska blanked the Gladiators on their last seven opportunities.
"What we were doing wasn't working, obviously," Underhill said. "We got back to chasing them down, pressuring them and not giving them good shooting lanes."
Derek Nesbitt's power-play score at 16 minutes, 57 seconds of the first gave Gwinnett the 3-1 lead.
But Olivier Filion and Cam Keith knotted the score with goals in the final three minutes of play in the first.
In the second period, Alaska killed six Gwinnett power plays.
"I came in the locker room after the first searching for answers," Payne said. "Everyone was talking about how (Gwinnett) was picking us apart.
"We went back to doing what we normally do, taking away time and space, and reading the next play.
"But we never really wanted to kill that many penalties."
Scott scored the game- winning goal from the right point at 11:43. He looped a shot through traffic past Gwinnett goaltender Adam Berkhoel.
The Aces won 53 regular- season games and 16 postseason games for a reason. They know how to hold a lead.
In a season full of impressive statistics, perhaps this was the most startling -- the Aces never lost back-to-back games. Not once.
"We've been resilient all year and not lost two games in a row all year," Scott said. "We weren't going to start now."
The Aces held the one-goal lead for more than 28 minutes and part of the reason was Underhill's brilliant performance in his final game.
He was outstanding down the stretch, stopping Nesbitt with a big glove save at 13:04 of the third and Matt York at 14:45.
"When Undy made the save (on Nesbitt), I knew we had it," winger Barrett Heisten said. "You don't make a save like that unless you have the good Lord on your side."
Daily News reporter Matt Nevala can be reached at mnevala@adn.com.
Aces 3 1 0 -- 4
Gwinnett 3 0 0 -- 3
First Period -- 1, Gwinnett, Desbiens 10 (Schell, Campbell), 2:51 (pp). 2, Aces, Scott 10 (Metcalf), 12:07 (sh). 3, Gwinnett, Awe 5, 12:58 (pp). 4, Gwinnett, Nesbitt 6 (Schell, Campbell), 16:57 (pp). 5, Aces, Filion 5 (Scott, Keith), 17:54. 6, Aces, Keith 6 (B. Heisten, Filion), 19:39. Penalties -- Underhill, Aces, served by Riddle (delay of game), 2:28; Novak, Aces (slashing), 5:14; Emmett, Gwinnett (tripping), 7:25; Filion, Aces (high-sticking), 8:55; Gaucher, Aces (slashing), 11:41; York, Gwinnett (roughing), 13:06; Brown, Gwinnett (elbowing), 14:15; B. Heisten, Aces (goaltender interference), 15:24.
Second Period -- 7, Aces, Scott 11, 11:43 (pp). Penalties -- Riddle, Aces (interference), :46; McCambridge, Aces (slashing), 5:05; Daniels, Aces (tripping), 5:31; Daniels, Aces (roughing), 7:50; Emmett, Gwinnett (hooking), 11:36; Maiser, Aces (roughing), 13:16; Minard, Aces (charging), 16:05.
Third Period -- None. Penalties -- Manson, Gwinnett (high-sticking), 7:21; Gajic, Gwinnett (goaltender interference), 9:06; Filion, Aces (hooking), 12:39.
Shots on goal -- Aces 12-8-15--35. Gwinnett 14-15-14--43.
Power-play Opportunities -- Aces 1 for 6. Gwinnett 3 for 12.
Goalies -- Aces, Underhill 8-2 (43 shots-40 saves). Gwinnett, Berkhoel 6-3 (35-31).
A -- 3,955 (11,355).
Referee -- Jamie Koharski. Linesmen -- Brad Philips, Jason Finley.
Party with the Aces
The Alaska Aces will throw a free party at Sullivan Arena on Saturday to celebrate their Kelly Cup Championship with fans.
• when: Doors open at 5:45 p.m., with the festivities beginning at 6:15 p.m.
• what: Autograph sessions with players and coaches will follow the ceremony.
• grub: Arena concessions will be open. ECHL Kelly Cup Champions
