Around The Rinks (Walsky's 1st Pro Goal)

Let's take an abbreviated lap around the Lower 48 rinks tonight -- abbreviated because we encountered some wireless woes at the Sullivan Arena tonight before and during the Alaska Aces' 2-1 season-opening win over Victoria and, well, we're a bit of a mental midget and want to get home.

In any event, congrats to former UAA and East High forward Eric Walsky, who not only bagged his first pro goal tonight, but added a helper, too, to give the Manitoba Moose a 3-2 American Hockey League victory at Lake Erie.

Elsewhere in the 'A,' former UAA center Paul Crowder scored a goal and rifled a team-high five shots for Hartford in a 6-3 loss at Portland. Former UAA center Jay Beagle scored Hershey's only goal in a 2-1 loss at Adirondack. And former UAF blueliner Tyler Eckford cashed in for a G for Lowell in a 4-2 loss at Providence.

On the ECHL front, former Aces enforcer Hans Benson dropped the glove in Cincinnati's season opener, a 5-2 loss at Elmira. Former UAA captain Mat Robinson was +1 for Elmira. Our man Peter Metcalf, the former Aces defenseman who helped them to the 2006 Kelly Cup, didn't register a point -- and he's a point machine on the back line -- but he already was in mid-season form with a hooking penalty and a slashing. (Easy, Pete, you know we miss you).

And, finally, on the college front, North Dakota forward Evan Trupp of Anchorage rocked two assists, one on the power play, another on the penalty kill, and unleashed five shots in a 4-0 win over visiting Minnesota. On the women's side, freshman Jessica Cohen of Anchorage scored a goal for Providence in a 4-1 win over Colgate. Nice start for Jessica -- she owns 2-3--5 totals through five games and both her goals have been game winners.