Alaska Aces Hockey

Indy goaltender stymies Aces, 2-0

Indy Fuel goaltender Jake Hildebrand denied the Alaska Aces time and again to deliver a 37-save shutout Saturday night at Sullivan Arena.

The Aces came away empty despite outshooting the Fuel 37-31, allowing Indy to leave town with four of the seven points available in the three-game ECHL hockey series.

Alaska took a 5-1 victory on Wednesday and dropped a 3-2 shootout loss on Friday.

The loss ended a five-game point streak for the Aces (6-3-1).

The game was a showcase for good goaltending — Michael Garteig turned away 31 shots for the Aces.

After a scoreless first period, Indy (4-7-1) grabbed a 1-0 lead midway through the second period on Anthony Beauregard's third goal of the season.

The Aces dominated the third period, firing 15 shots to Indy's six. Even so, the Fuel added to their lead with about five minutes left when Tyler Currier, the former UAA player from Anchorage, assisted on Matt Rupert's first goal of the season.

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The game drew a crowd of 4,726, and fans who didn't leave early got to see a fight between a pair of former teammates.

Currier and Alaska's Tim Coffman — teammates for part of the Aces' 2014-15 season — went at it with 23 seconds left in the game.

Until the fight, there had been only one penalty in the game, a slashing minor by Rupert in the first penalty.

The Aces hit the road this week for a three-game series against the Wichita Thunder. The series begins Friday.

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