Garry Nunn's hockey life has certainly picked up since he was traded to the ECHL's Ontario Reign from Gwinnett late in the regular season, and the speedy winger is flourishing in the Kelly Cup playoffs.
Nunn scored the opening goal Monday night in Ontario's 3-0 win at Allen, which squared the best-of-7 Western Conference Finals at one apiece -- Allen thumped Ontario 8-2 in Sunday's opener -- and seized home-ice advantage for the Reign. Nunn has scored a goal in both games of the series.
Nunn leads Ontario in postseason scoring with 7-9--16 totals in 14 games, and his +13 leads the entire circuit. Combined with his regular-season stats with Ontario, Nunn in 29 games with the Reign has delivered 11-26--37 totals and a +23 rating -- strong stuff. The Reign have also received 7-8--15 totals from defenseman Matt Register in 14 games -- he leads league blueliners in playoff scoring -- and former Aces winger Judd Blackwater, who assisted on Nunn's goal Monday, has chipped in 5-6--11 totals and a +10 rating in nine games.
Joe Cannata delivered a 35-save shutout for the Reign on Monday in a nice bounce-back performance after he surrendered five goals on 18 shots in the opener, when he relieved Jussi Olkinoura, who was only able to mix in one save on the four shots he faced in the opening 8:54 -- ouch.
Nunn isn't the only former Aces generating superior numbers in the postseason. South Carolina Stingrays defenseman Drew MacKenzie, who last spring helped the Aces to the third Kelly Cup in franchise history, owns 2-9--11 totals and a +3 rating in 15 games. Combined with his postseason for the Aces in 2014, MacKenzie in 26 career Kelly Cup games has gone 7-12--19 and +11.
South Carolina also includes winger Tim Spencer, the former Ace, who has an assist in 10 games, but a -6 rating. And, remember, the Stingrays are coached by Spencer Carbery, the former UAA forward. Carbery played for the Stingrays in 2009, when they beat the Aces in Game 7 in Anchorage to win the Kelly Cup.