adn_aces's blog

Check it out -- UAF is one of just three unbeaten Division I men's teams in the country among squads that have played more than two games.

Today, the Nanooks got some rewards for their 5-0-1 record, which they pumped up with a weekend CCHA sweep of visiting Ferris State. UAF won 3-1 Friday and 3-2 Saturday on the strength of sophomore Scott Greenham's goaltending in both games and Ron Meyers' goal with just 15 seconds left in OT in the series finale of UAF's conference-opening series.

The Nanooks moved up to No. 13 in the USCHO/CBS College Sports Poll, up from 16th, and were 14th in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll.

Well, it wasn't a masterpiece -- 30 saves on 35 shots rarely is -- but Toledo rookie goaltender Jordan Pearce of Anchorage stopped Kalamazoo's undefeated start to the ECHL season at six games.

Toledo beat Kalamazoo 7-5 tonight to knock the K-Wings (6-1-0) out of the unbeaten ranks. Been a tough pro start for Pearce, who is 2-1-0 with a 4.67 goals-against average and .851 save percentage.

Meanwhile, former Alaska Aces goalie Chris Holt kept Elmira (7-0-0) among the unbeatens with 25 saves in a 4-1 win over Trenton. Holt is 4-0-0 with a 1.74 goals-against average and .938 save percentage.

As the American Hockey League kicks off a slate of games tonight, former Alaska Aces winger Charles Linglet is tied for the league scoring leader after bagging two assists for the Springfield Falcons in a 3-2 OT loss to Lowell in an afternoon matinee.

Linglet owns 4-11--15 totals in 12 games, and leads the league in helpers.

Minard bagged two goals and a shootout goal Friday night in a 4-3 win over Albany. The former NHLer leads the league in goals (9), is tied for the lead in power-play strikes (5) and is fifth in points with 9-4--13 totals in 11 games. He sat out today's game after complaining of a headache following Friday's match, according to the Springfield Republican.

Wow -- this may set some kind of mark for briefest Alaska Aces debut.

Not only did winger Moises Gutierrez of Anchorage get the gate just 9 minutes, 50 seconds into his Aces debut Friday night -- he racked a five-minute major and game misconduct for an interference penalty that leveled Idaho's Matt McKnight -- but now the ECHL has suspended him for two games. Gutierrez will sit out tonight and Sunday -- both matches are against Idaho.

I'd imagine that means Brett Hemingway is back in the lineup. McKnight, according to an Idaho spokesman Friday night, was taken to the hospital to get checked out after taking that hit to the head.

The transition from junior hockey to Division I is a big jump up, and so far for UAA's first-year forwards it looks like a leap they're struggling mightily to make.

UAA's five freshman forwards -- Alex Gellert (1-1--2 in 7 games), Mickey Spencer (0-1--1 in 6), Daniel Naslund (0-1--1 in 7), Mitch Bruijsten (0-0--0 in 7) and Chris Crowell (0-0--0 and -6 in 7) -- have combined for just one goal and three assists, and gone -12, in a combined 34 games.

On the back end, freshman defenseman Lee Baldwin has furnished three assists in seven games and freshman blueliner Drew Darwitz is without a point in six games.

Speaking of DU (see previous entry), former Pioneers defenseman Matt Carle of Anchorage is putting up some serious numbers for the Philadelphia Flyers.

Carle, the fourth-year pro who in his three years at Denver won two national titles and the Hobey Baker Memorial Award as college hockey's best player, supplied one goal and two assists, and was +2, in a 6-1 Flyers win today over visiting Carolina today.

With 2-10--12 totals in 11 games, he's tied for third in points among NHL defensemen. And at +9, he's tied for fourth in that category among blueliners.

Carle, 25, last season went 5-21--26 and +3 in 76 games, mostly with the Flyers after a trade from Tampa Bay. This season, he looks like he's returning to the form that made him an All-Rookie pick with the San Jose Sharks in 2006-07 (11-31--42 and +9 in 77 games).

Expect to see freshman Adam Murray of Anchorage in goal for the University of Denver twice next week, when the Pioneers -- ranked No. 2 nationally in one poll, No. 3 in another -- come here to play a Western Collegiate Hockey Association series against UAA.

That's because Pioneers junior standout Marc Cheverie left early in the third period of Friday night's 4-3 win over Minnesota State-Mankato after suffering a cut to his left leg. Cheverie was carried off on a stretcher. The Denver Post’s Mike Chambers reports DU coach George Gwozdecky saying Cheverie could miss a couple weeks.

Everyone always says hockey is a small world, and more proof has arrived with Idaho's signing of Kevin Nastiuk, the former Alaska Aces goaltender the Aces released in training camp earlier this month.

And wouldn't you know it? The Steelheads are here this week for a three-game, ECHL series that opens Friday at Sullivan Arena.

The Steelheads (5-0-0) ran into a goaltender shortage when the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League plucked Rejean Beauchemin off their roster. Beauchemin for Idaho is 3-0-0 with a 1.67 goals-against average and .940 save percentage. Nastiuk will back up rookie Richard Bachman, the former Colorado College goalie.

The ECHL's Alaska Aces added another forward today -- he's likely on the practice ice as this is written -- in former NHLer Eric Boguniecki, who owns 178 games of regular-season experience in the NHL.

Boguniecki, 34, last season played for the Iowa Chops of the American Hockey League, earning 18-16--34 totals in 69 games.

He last played in the NHL in 2006-07, getting 11 games with the Islanders. His NHL stops also included Florida, St. Louis and Pittsburgh, and he once racked a 20-goal-plus season in the NHL (St. Louis, 2002-03, 22-27--49 totals in 80 games). In 178 career NHL games, he earned 34-42--76 totals.

Former UAA winger Curtis Glencross and the Calgary Flames fell 3-2 to the Colorado Avalanche tonight, but Glencross kept up his strong performance of late, at least judging by the score sheet.

Glencross furnished an assist, went +1 and fired four shots. He owns points in five of the last six games, and in that span he is 3-2--5 and +7.

In 11 games this season, he owns 4-2--6 totals and a +9 rating.

Defenseman Erik Felde of Anchorage, a second-year pro who began his career with the Alaska Aces, was released by ECHL Johnstown today.

Felde, 21, who can also play forward, played in three games for the Chiefs (0-3-1). He didn't score a point and went -2.

The Chiefs are the only club on the 20-team circuit without a win.

Plagued by injuries and the call-up of their first-line center to the American Hockey League, the ECHL's Alaska Aces have added big winger Moises Gutierrez of Anchorage.

The 6-foot-4, 227-pound Gutierrez, a sixth-round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2004 and a third-year pro, practiced with the club today. He was released by ECHL Utah in training camp.

Gutierrez, 23, last season earned 11-12--23 totals and 83 penalty minutes in 37 games with ECHL Elmira, and also played two AHL games. As a rookie with ECHL Texas in 2007-08, he put up 9-16--25 totals in 42 games and also put up 1-1--2 totals in 6 AHL games for Houston.

It's time for our annual survey of how many Alaskans are playing U.S. college hockey -- "annual'' in the sense that, until whatever year I get tired of looking at the computer for a couple hours to compile the list -- and the number is basically status quo compared to last season.

In all -- after perusing rosters on collegehockeystats.net, uscho.com and various school sites -- we came up with 66 Alaskans playing at colleges. That's a Mario Lemieux sweater number worth of folks (66). Man, hope I didn't miss a kid because a Max Pacioretty reference just ain't gonna play.

The breakdown: 36 men, 30 women. For comparison's sake, last year we came up with 64 Alaskans, 35 men and 29 women.

You in the Cowbell Crew knew it could happen and that it probably would, sooner rather than later, and it did today: Alaska Aces center John Lammers got plucked by an American Hockey League team.

Lammers has signed a professional tryout agreement with the AHL Manitoba Moose, robbing the Aces of their first-line center and co-leading scorer.

Lammers, who today was named the ECHL Player of the Week after bagging five goals and three helpers in four games last week, owns 6-3--9 and +1 totals in six games. He tops the league in goals and short-handed goals (2), and is tied for third in points with linemate Colin Hemingway and a couple other dudes.

Alaska Aces defenseman B.J. Crum will sit out Friday's series opener against the Idaho Steelheads after the ECHL suspended him one game and fined him the usual "undisclosed amount'' for a third-period charging major and game misconduct he received in Saturday night's 6-3 loss at Las Vegas.

Crum ran into Wranglers goaltender Michael Ouzas midway through the period and got the gate. Later, Ouzas went snap-city when Aces captain Scott Burt was assessed a goalie interference penalty and Ouzas got the gate for a match penalty (intent to injure). Ouzas racked a one-game suspension, too.

Looks like the Aces could be down to five defenseman for the series opener with Idaho, which has raced to a 5-0-0 start that ties for the best start in the league (Kalamazoo, Elmira are 5-0-0, too). But the Aces could have six D if Ryan Turek (shoulder) returns to the lineup.

Rookie forward Anthony Peluso has been recalled to the Peoria Rivermen of the American Hockey League from the ECHL Alaska Aces, making two departures in two days -- defenseman T.J. Fast was summoned to the AHL team Friday.

We always knew Peluso was only going to be here a couple weeks -- he was sent down when the St. Louis Blues sent enforcer and former Ace D.J. King to Peoria for two weeks of conditioning following an injury. Peluso's stay was the Aces was trickle-down from that move. It didn't help matters from the Aces' perspective that the Rivermen are apparently getting hit by the flu and former Aces center Julian Talbot has concussion symptoms and appears questionable for Peoria's game tonight against visiting Rockford.

Several Alaska-connected cats played principal roles in an American Hockey League game tonight, so that's where we begin our lap around the ice.

Former UAF defenseman Tyler Eckford scored his third goal of the season and added a shootout goal for Lowell in a 4-3 shootout win at Springfield. Springfield's Chris Minard, the former Alaska Aces sniper, notched the game-tying, power-play goal in the third period, with one of the assists going to former Aces winger Charles Linglet. Both Minard and Linglet scored in the shootout, but Lowell won the skills contest 3-2 after seven rounds.

Elsewhere in the 'A,' former UAA goaltender Nathan Lawson stopped 29 shots for Bridgeport but took a tough-luck loss, 2-0, at Manchester. Manchester's Jonathan Bernier one-upped him -- or is that two-upped? -- with 40 saves. Tim Wallace of Anchorage authored the empty-net capper for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in a 6-4 win over visiting Hershey.

Alaska Aces defenseman T.J. Fast has been called up by the Peoria Rivermen of the American Hockey League, and is headed east as this is written.

Fast is the first AHL call-up this season for the Aces, an ECHL club that has started 4-0-0 and plays Las Vegas tonight.

The Rivermen need a 'D' because Justin Fletcher is out 6-8 weeks with a broken hand. Fast, a second-year pro under an NHL contract with the parent St. Louis Blues, has played well for the Aces so far, and coach Brent Thompson singled him out for praise after Thursday night's 5-2 Aces win in Vegas.

The Aces will also be without defenseman Ryan Turek, who injured his shoulder Thursday and has been placed on the 7-day injured reserve list.

Not much keeps a smile off the face of Montreal Canadiens center Scott Gomez of Anchorage, or a joke from his lips.

So it was that Gomez kidded recently about the actual cause of an injury to teammate Andrei Markov, who suffered a severed tendon in his foot when cut by the skate of Canadiens goalie Carey Price.

Actually, Gomez said, "I knifed him.''

Anyhow, you can read the Canadian Press story about Gomez keepin’ it real here. (Stick salute to colleague Mark Dent for the heads-up -- he's Canadian, so he's on top of this stuff, plus, like Gomez, he's an Airports Heighter).

Alaska Aces second-year defenseman Ryan Turek, who teams with veteran Derick Martin as the ECHL club's shutdown pairing, banged up his shoulder in Thursday's 5-2 win at Las Vegas and has been placed on the 7-day injured reserve.

Aces spokesman Jack Michaels said Turek's injury isn't considered anything more than a minor setback for the defenseman.

The Aces activated blueliner B.J. Crum, a stay-at-home type defenseman, and he should be in the lineup tonight for the second game in a three-game series against the Wranglers. Tonight will mark Crum's season debut.