On a white-board just inside the Alaska Aces' locker room tonight were a few phrases that typified their performance in a 3-2 win over the Bakersfield Condors despite a thin lineup that included nine forwards only because locals, and former pros, Merit Waldrop and Jimmy Dahl, filled out the front line.

On the board:

"Effort!!!''
"Effort!!''
"Effort!''
"No Excuses!''
"WhatEver It Takes!''

The Aces evidently took the words to heart, beating the Condors for the second straight time heading into Saturday's series finale.

"Just a solid game,'' said veteran winger Eric Boguniecki, who scored two goals. "More mistakes, but we're aware of them. The important thing is guys are aware of their mistakes. The minute it happens, they come back to the bench, acknowledge it, apologize and recognize it.''