With the Alaska Aces' leading scorer and top goaltender promoted to the American Hockey League, responsibilities increase this weekend for two guys who will fill roles vacated by the departed.
Fourth-year pro Tim Coffman moves up a line to center the top line after Stephen Perfetto was loaned to the San Antonio Rampage and third-year pro Kevin Carr assumes the principal duties in net after rookie Michael Garteig was summoned to the Utica Comets.
Those changes come with the Aces facing a three-game ECHL home series against the Utah Grizzlies starting Friday night at Sullivan Arena.
Both Coffman and Carr have been in this position before.
Coffman was Alaska's top-line center last season until he suffered a season-ending injury two-thirds of the way through the campaign. He's off to a strong start this season with 8-7—15 totals in 13 games. Moving up, Coffman will center right wing Peter Sivak and left wing Tim Wallace.
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Carr, who is 1-3-0 with a 2.77 goals-against average and .899 save percentage, is accustomed to a heavy workload. He played 45 games for ECHL Tulsa last season and 52 games for Tulsa as a rookie two seasons ago.
And if it comes to it this weekend, Carr understands the grind of playing three games in three days. He started three games in three days three times in his two seasons in Tulsa, and he also once started four games in five days.
With the length of Garteig's promotion unclear, Alaska on Thursday signed former Aces goalie Lukas Hafner, who played for them last season after completing his career at Western Michigan and was in training camp with the Aces this season. Hafner has gone 2-2-0 with a 1.76 goals-against average, .943 save percentage and one shutout for the Columbus Cottonmouths of the Southern Professional Hockey League.
Utah will be grinding this week too. The Grizzlies, who fell 3-2 in overtime to the Allen Americans in Utah on Wednesday night and traveled to Anchorage on Thanksgiving Day, are in the midst of four games in five days.
The Aces could regain the services of winger Vladimir Nikiforov in the Utah series – he's back practicing regularly after missing the previous eight games with a lower-body injury. Nikiforov furnished 1-1—2 totals in five games before he was injured.
Utah Grizzlies
7-7-2
at
Alaska Aces
8-4-1
Sullivan Arena
Friday and Saturday, 7:15 p.m.; Sunday, 3:05 p.m.
Radio: Live, AM-750 and FM-103.7 KFQD