Winger Anthony Peluso's departure for Peoria of the American Hockey League after playing in the Alaska Aces' 4-1 win over Bakersfield on Wednesday night leaves the Aces with just eight healthy forwards and six defensemen.

Coach Brett Thompson late this afternoon said he had calls out everywhere in search for some bodies, but no luck so far. He's got a call into former UAA skater and former pro Jimmy Dahl of Anchorage, who helped the Aces by playing three home games for the club recently, when it was similarly short-handed.

Worse-case scenario, Thompson said, defenseman Bryan Miller, who has played forward, might be able to come back for Friday's game or Saturday's against Bakersfield to provide a few minutes, most likely of power-play time. Thompson said Miller is feeling better, but not 100 percent.

Barring the addition of a player like Dahl or someone very suddenly becoming available, the Aces could move defenseman Lee Green up to the wing and skate nine forwards and five defensemen. Green has logged some time at wing this season.

This is life in the ECHL, where short benches are not unusual, especially this deep into the season -- the Aces' game Friday is No. 47 in the 72-game regular-season schedule.

Remember, this is the time of season when injuries, call-ups and circumstances often leave ECHL teams unable to dress a full lineup of 16 skaters. Everything flows downhill in hockey. If an NHL team lacks bodies, they pluck some from the AHL. If an AHL team lacks bodies, they pluck some from the ECHL. If an ECHL team lacks bodies -- well, bummer, because that's kind of the end of the line, considering the CHL and IHL aren't really players in the equation. Life's hard -- deal with it. (Oh, and thanks to a reminder from a reader, don't expect Mike Walsh here. Remember, the Aces acquired his rights in the trade of Lance Galbraith to ECHL Utah for Evan Kotsopoulos and the ECHL rights to Walsh, but last I heard from Thompson, Walsh refused to report here, and that evidently hasn't changed. Nothing the Aces can do about it.)

And there is some consolation in the performance the Aces produced Wednesday. With nine forwards and six D -- and the nine forwards included winger Merit Waldrop of Anchorage, the former UAA skater and former pro who has been a lifeline for the club with three assists in five home-ice appearances recently -- the Aces played smart and simple, and that produced a remarkably strong performance in tough circumstances.