After sitting in playoff-qualifying position all hockey season, the Alaska Aces no longer occupy that coveted station.
Alaska's 4-2 loss at Quad City on Saturday night, coupled with the Utah Grizzlies' victory at Rapid City, dropped the Aces into the dreaded fifth place in the ECHL's Mountain Division.
Only the top four finishers in the division earn entry into the Kelly Cup playoffs, and now the Grizzlies, 4-2 winners Saturday, sit one point ahead of the Aces with three games left in the regular season. Utah owns 75 points to Alaska's 74.
And the Missouri Mavericks have an opportunity in their home game Sunday against Wichita, to draw even with the Aces. Missouri pulled within two points of Alaska with an 8-2 win at Wichita on Saturday, and its game Sunday represents its game in hand on Utah and Alaska.
The Aces close the season this week with a three-game homestand against the Idaho Steelheads, starting Wednesday at Sullivan Arena.
Utah, meanwhile, entertains Missouri in a season-ending, three-game series that opens Wednesday.
If the Aces do not make the playoffs, the Idaho series will mark the end of the franchise. The club's owners last month announced they will fold the franchise at season's end because of financial losses.
The Aces have been limping to the finish line, literally and figuratively. Three of their defensemen are out with injuries and rookie blueliner Mackenze Stewart sat out the third period Saturday after getting high-sticked. Also, winger Yan-Pavel Laplante needed assistance getting off the ice late in Saturday's game because of an apparent knee injury.
And with three principal players up in the American Hockey League —
center Stephen Perfetto, winger Tim Wallace and goaltender Michael Garteig —
the Aces have been well below .500 recently.
In the last 24 games, which amount to one-third of a regular season, the Aces have gone 7-13-4. Missouri, meanwhile, is 14-9-1 in its last 24, and Utah is 12-9-3 in its last 24.
The Aces (32-27-10) started well Saturday — Marco Roy's goal less than four minutes into the game staked them to a 1-0 lead.
But Justin Kovacs furnished playoff-bound Quad City (40-25-4) the equalizer later in the first period and that 1-1 tie held into the third period as the Aces could not solve Mallards goalie Adam Vay (39 saves) despite ample opportunity.
And then it all came undone for the Aces in the third period, when they surrendered goals to Michael Parks, former Aces center Chris Francis and Kovacs in a span of 5:48. Aces captain Garet Hunt cut the deficit to 4-2, but only six minutes remained and the Mallards didn't buckle.
Shuffling the deck
On the tie-breaker front — the ECHL's first tie-breaker is wins in regulation or overtime — here's how the situation sits: The Aces and Grizzlies each have 31 such wins and the Mavericks have 29.
Defenseman Tim Campbell had an assist in his debut with the Aces after they claimed him off waivers from Toledo.
Aces center Tim Coffman is enjoying a career season with 26-36—62 totals in 69 games — those are career highs in all four categories — but he's gone 10 games without a goal since a hat trick at Rapid City on March 12.
Aces goalie Kevin Carr (23 saves) made his 17th consecutive start.
Aces 1 0 1 — 2
Quad City 1 0 3 — 4
First Period — 1, Aces, Roy 1 (Moynihan), 3:26; 2, Quad City, Kovacs 18 (Petan, Wilson), 17:21. Penalties — Wilson, Quad City (holding), 6:24.
Second Period — None. Penalties — Stewart, Aces (delay of game-puck over glass), 7:16.
Third Period — 3, Quad City, Parks 29 (Nevins, Gelinas), 6:29; 4, Quad City, Francis 26 (LaPorte, Parks) 8:26; 5, Quad City, Kovacs 19 (Novak), 12:27; 6, Aces, Hunt 4 (Campbell, Navin), 13:53. Penalties — Descoteaux, Aces (tripping), 4:35.
Shots on goal — Aces 15-14-12—41. Quad City 9-9-9—27.
Power-play Opportunities — Aces 0 of 1. Quad City 0 of 2.
Goalies — Aces, Carr, 18-21-5 (27 shots-23 saves). Quad City, Vay, 20-15-2 (41-39).
A — 4,672 (5,100). T — 2:21.
Referee — Korey Chipperfield. Linesmen — Brent Hooks, Ian McCambridge.