In Sivak the Aces trust: Winger racks 4 points, seals 5-3 win over Utah

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Alaska right wing Peter Sivak waves to the crowd after being named the star of the game during the Aces’ 5-3 home victory over the Utah Grizzlies at the Sullivan Arena on Sunday, Nov. 27, 2016. Sivak scored a goal in the first period and an empty-netter in the third period and had two assists. (Bill Roth / Alaska Dispatch News)

Figuring out which players a hockey coach trusts most is easy: Just look at who he sends over the boards to safeguard a one-goal lead in the waning seconds.

For Alaska Aces bench boss Rob Murray, tapping veteran right wing Peter Sivak is automatic.

"Protecting a lead, if I could have him on the ice for the last five minutes, I would do it,'' Murray said.

Less than a minute sufficed Sunday afternoon, when Sivak bagged his third empty-net goal of the season to complete a four-point performance and wrap the Aces' series-sweeping 5-3 win over the Utah Grizzlies at Sullivan Arena.

Murray always uses Sivak with the opposing net empty because Sivak is so responsible defensively and seldom makes a mistake. Plus, if he gets the puck on his stick, he can seal the deal.

Sivak's empty-netter, his second goal of the game, came when center Danny Moynihan deftly ragged the puck in neutral ice to buy time for Sivak to get open. Moynihan put the puck on Sivak's blade and the Slovakian native, a naturalized U.S. citizen, roofed a shot from just inside the Utah blue line for his team-leading 13^th goal, which ties him for tops in the ECHL.

Moynihan's pass was payback for a sweet feed Sivak gave him earlier in the period on Moynihan's crucial short-handed goal.

"After, he told me, 'I owe you one,' " Sivak said.

Sivak is strong in all situations, of course – he's delivered 64-99—163 point totals in 134 career games with the Aces. Sunday, he racked a first-period, power-play goal and set up linemate Tim Coffman's first-period strike. And after former Aces winger Erik Higby struck short-handed for Utah to cut Alaska's lead to 3-2 just 63 seconds into the third period, Sivak made his most pivotal play of the game five minutes later when he fed Moynihan for a short-handed goal on a 2-on-1.

Sivak, busting down the left wing, wound up as if to fire a slap shot. Instead of shooting, though, he slid a crisp cross-ice pass to Moynihan, who blew a one-timer past Grizzlies goaltender Ryan Faragher (20 saves), who had no chance.

"If you show (the goalie) you will shoot, he'll take a step or two out, and he did,'' Sivak said. "I passed. It was an empty net.''

Moynihan said even as Sivak pointed his stick to the rafters, he expected a pass.

"I kind of had a feeling he would slide it over,'' Moynihan said. "He's great at plays like that.''

Sivak's two goals and two assists marked his second such game this season and his ninth multiple-point game in the Aces' 16 games. With 13-12—25 totals, he ranks tied for third in the league in points. And Sivak has scored a goal in four straight games for the second time this season – he has six goals in his latest streak – and has furnished 6-5—11 totals in the last five games.

Alaska (11-4-1) pushed its winning streak to five games and has outscored opponents 23-8 in that span. The Aces haven't enjoyed a five-game winning streak since late in the 2014-15 season.

The Aces' three-game sweep of Utah – Alaska won 5-1 Friday and 2-0 Saturday – was their first three-game home sweep since February 2015.

[Get the goods on Kevin Carr's 42-save shutout for the Aces on Saturday night]

Utah (7-10-2), meanwhile is winless (0-5-1) in the six games. The Grizzlies finished a brutal stretch in which they played four games in five nights with a travel day thrown in.

The Aces also received Tommy Olcyzk's third goal, and fourth point, in the last five games, and two assists from defenseman Nolan Descoteaux, who did not play the previous four games. Alaska killed all four Utah power plays and has killed 13 straight opposing power plays.

Alaska also received continued stellar goaltending from Kevin Carr, who made 33 saves for his third win in three days. Carr's remarkable string of consecutive saves was snapped at 84 when Utah's Erik Bradford scored four minutes into the second period. Still, Carr's shutout streak lasted 138:14, the equivalent of nearly seven periods.

The Aces' .719 winning percentage ranks fourth in the 28-team league entering a three-game series at Idaho beginning Wednesday night in Boise. Their strong start has been a welcome reversal after last season's 27-38-7 non-playoff campaign.

"We have a better team – we feel it,'' Sivak said. "Good goalies, good forwards, many experienced players, and we feel comfortable on the ice.

"I think this team has a new mood.''

Shuffling the deck

Coffman's goal stretched his point streak to five games. He owns 1-6—7 totals in that span.

Alaska improved to 6-2-1 at home.

Murray made third-year winger Justin Breton a healthy scratch. Breton has just one goal (an empty-netter) in 15 games after scoring a team-high 23 in 66 games last season, and generally struggled.

Vladimir Nikiforov, who missed the previous 10 games with a lower-body injury, furnished an assist on Olczyk's goal on just his second shift back.

Captain Garet Hunt played the first period and just one shift in the second. Murray said Hunt, who did not come out for the third period, was sick.

Utah 0  1  2   3

Aces 3  0  2   5

First Period – 1, Aces, Olczyk 3 (Descoteaux, Nikiforov), 3:17; 2, Aces, Sivak 12 (Descoteaux, Tarasuk), 7:08 (pp); 3, Coffman 9 (Sivak), 14:59. Penalties – Higby, Utah (slashing), 7:08; Moynihan, Aces (hooking), 16:50.

Second Period – 4, Utah, Bradford 3, 4:25. Penalties – Stewart, Aces, major (fighting), :36; Windle, Utah, major (fighting), :36; Aubin, Utah (cross-checking), 4:32; Stewart, Aces, minor-major-misconduct (roughing, fighting, continuing fight), 9:21; Higby, Utah, minor-major (goaltender interference, fighting), 9:21; McNally, Utah (slashing), 10:01; Descoteaux, Aces (high-sticking), 14:08; Tarasuk, Aces (delay of game), 15:55; Banwell, Utah (tripping), 19:07.

Third Period – 5, Utah, Higby 4, 1:03 (sh); 6, Aces, Moynihan 5 (Sivak), 6:13 (pp); 7, Utah, Higby 5 (McNally, Windle), 17:46 (ea); 8, Aces, Sivak 13 (Moynihan), 19:17 (en). Penalties – Wallace, Aces (elbowing), 5:37; Aubin, Utah (unsportsmanlike conduct), 6:13.

Shots on goal – Utah 14-7-15—36. Aces 12-7-6—25.

Power-play Opportunities – Utah 0 of 4. Aces 1 of 5.

Goalies – Utah, Faragher, 6-6-1 (24 shots-20 saves). Aces, Carr, 4-3-1 (36-33).

A – 2,505 (6,399). T – 2:33.

Referee – Korey Chipperfield. Linesmen – Chad Colliander, Josh Ellis.