Aces: Crum Catches A One-Game Suspension (That's A League-Leading 5 Games Worth So Far For Alaska)

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.

Six games in, the Aces are in midseason suspension form with a total of five games via suspension -- three to winger Lance Galbraith and one each to Crum and rookie center Chris Morehouse.

That makes the Aces the ECHL leaders in suspensions in the early season -- their five games worth of suspensions (out of 15 games worth of suspensions to date) amounts to one-third of all suspensions the league has issued. Gwinnett has bagged four games worth (stemming from one preseason incident by one player, Dan Sullivan, for abuse of officials); Wheeling, Las Vegas and Victoria each have accounted for two games worth of suspensions.