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EspañolALASKA ACES
(Redirected from Anchorage Aces)
:''For the Alaska Aces PBA team, see Alaska Aces (PBA).''
The 'Alaska Aces' are a minor league ice hockey team in Anchorage, Alaska. They were originally part of the West Coast Hockey League, but when the WCHL was absorbed by the East Coast Hockey League in 2003, the team joined the merged ECHL. In 2005, the Aces joined an affiliation with the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League and the Peoria Rivermen of the American Hockey League.
Originally an amateur club known as the Anchorage Aces, they won the National Amateur Championship in 1993 and 1994. They finished second in 1992 and 1995.
Anchorage was an original WCHL franchise, joining the league in 1995. In 2002, with financial troubles, the team was put up for sale on eBay. They were renamed the Alaska Aces in 2003. The team gained national notoriety in 2004 when it signed New Jersey Devils all-star and Alaska-born Scott Gomez after the NHL lockout, who went on to lead the ECHL in scoring and win league Most Valuable Player honors. (That also led to Gomez' influence in bringing his Aces linemate, Chris Minard, to Devils training camp in 2005-06, where Minard was in Albany for most of the season.) Home games are played at Sullivan Arena in Anchorage.
The triple overtime win against Las Vegas Wranglers (2006) was the third longest game in ECHL history, a whopping 113 minutes, 30 seconds long.
In 2006, the Aces became only the second team in ECHL history (joining the South Carolina Stingrays of Charleston, SC) in winning both the Brabham Cup and Kelly Cup championships in the same season. Coincidentally, it was the 18th ECHL season, and nine years after the Stingrays were the first team to do so.
The Aces play in the West Division of the ECHL's National Conference.
In 2006, Alaska won the ECHL Kelly Cup title in five games over the Gwinnett Gladiators. This was the first professional sports title won by an Alaska team since 1980. Mike Scott received the ECHL Kelly Cup MVP award after the Aces' 4-3 win over the Gladiators in Game Five of the series.
Dennis Sorenson formed an Anchorage senior men’s ice hockey team, named Anchorage Aces to compete against a local in-state team, the Fairbanks Gold Kings. Sorenson, a former Gold King, ultimately envisioned an Aces team with about a twenty game schedule, similar to the Gold Kings. The Aces played four unofficial games during in the 1989-90 season. During the 1990-1991 season, Keith Street led the team on their 22-game schedule, which included 20 games against teams registered with USA Hockey. The 1990-1991 season ended with the Aces winning the Senior Men's Open National Championship held in Fairbanks.
The Aces joined the Pacific Northwest Hockey League for the 1991-92 season, playing six of their home games at Sullivan Arena in Anchorage and eight at the Central Peninsula Sports Center in Soldotna. The Aces finished second in the PNHL with a 16-12-2 regular season record, and were the runners-up in the national USA Hockey tourney after a 0-4-1 tourney run.
In the 1992-93 season, new Head Coach Mike Ashley led the Aces to a 19-3-0 regular season record. However, in the USA Hockey Senior Men's Open Tournament, the Aces finished second for the second year in a row after compiling a 4-1 record in the tourney, losing the tiebreaker to the Chicago Chargers. Ashley resigned following the season.
For the 1993-94 season, Steve Gasparini took over as head coach, and led the Aces to a 22-9-1 regular season record. The Aces also won their second championship in the USA Hockey Senior Men's Open National Tournament with a 5-0 run highlighted by the 6-0 rout of the Fresno Falcons. In 1994-95, the team went 27-9 and lost in the championship game to the Gold Kings.
After an unsuccessful attempt to form a new Pacific Rim Hockey League, the Aces joined the new West Coast Hockey League for the 1995-96 season, and played in that league until 2003. Mid-way through the 1995-96 season, the Aces released forward Mike Myers after he was charged with rape. Three juries failed to convict Myers of the charges.
Mike Cusack Jr. became sole owner of the franchise following the 1995-1996 season.
In the 1996-97 season, the Aces initially lost in the league playoffs to the Fresno Falcons three games to one. However the WCHL commissioner determined that their 2-4 loss in game four would be changed to a 1-0 victory due to forfeit by the Fresno Falcons when they failed to meet the minimum roster requirement because of injuries and suspensions. The Aces won the deciding fifth game 5-3 and advanced to the Taylor Cup.
In the 2000-2001 season, the Aces finished in third place with a 34-30-4 record and advanced to the semifinals, only to be ousted by Tacoma in three games.
In 2000-01, the Aces signed former NHL goalie Vincent Riendeau and right wing Kevin Brown. The Idaho Steelheads defeated the Aces 3-0 in the first round of the playoffs.
In 2001-02, the Aces hired a new GM and hired former NHL coach and player Butch Goring as their new head coach, and re-signed only four players from the previous season. The Aces signed five former NHL players: defenseman Jim Paek, goaltender Scott Bailey, wingers Todd Harkins and Daniel Goneau and center Clayton Beddoes. Clayton Beddoes retired just a few games into the season due to a previous shoulder injury. The Aces promoted a "Guaranteed Win Night" where if they lost the game, the fans in attendance would receive free Aces tickets. After a 10-18-4 start, Aces owner Mike Cusack fired head coach Butch Goring and VP of business operations Lou Corletto, and hired former head coach Poddubny. Shortly thereafter, general manager Stirling Wright stepped down.
In May of 2002, the Aces filed for bankruptcy; according to the filing papers, the team was almost $2 million in debt. In June of 2002, the Aces were put up for sale on eBay. The club's owner, Cusack, accepted a $1.862 million bid from Duncan Harrison, owner of Alaskan Automotive Distributing in Anchorage, but U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge Donald MacDonald converted the Aces' bankruptcy case to Chapter 7, which allowed him to reject the Harrison bid. The club was eventually sold for $1.05 million to a seven-member group led by Terry Parks, a local investor, and Dan Coffee, a local businessman.
The Aces joined the ECHL for the 2003-04 season following a merger between the WCHL and the East Coast Hockey League. They were renamed the Alaska Aces after the league switch, and unveiled a new logo and new uniforms.
'''Note:' GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, SOL = Shootout Losses, PTS = Points, PCT = Winning Percentage, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes''
Records as of January 29,2007. [1] [2]
As of August 24, 2007. Data taken from team website.
[3]
★ Vincent Riendeau
★ Kimbi Daniels
★ B.J. Young
★ Scott Gomez
★ Barrett Heisten
★ Wade Brookbank
★ Matt Underhill
★ Doug Lynch
★ Derek Gustafson
★ Chris Beckford-Tseu
★ D.J. King
★ Keith Street
★ Dean Larson
★ Chad Richard
★ Scott Gomez
★ Tim Ingalls
★ Barrett Heisten
★ Wade Brookbank
★ Chris Beckford-Tseu
★ Matt Underhill
★ Cliff Hahn
★ Keith Street – #8
★ Dean Larson – #18
★ Alaska Aces official site
★ Intotheboards.net - Alaska Aces
★ Intotheboards.net - ECHL Forums
★ Intotheboards.net - Aces Forum
:''For the Alaska Aces PBA team, see Alaska Aces (PBA).''
The 'Alaska Aces' are a minor league ice hockey team in Anchorage, Alaska. They were originally part of the West Coast Hockey League, but when the WCHL was absorbed by the East Coast Hockey League in 2003, the team joined the merged ECHL. In 2005, the Aces joined an affiliation with the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League and the Peoria Rivermen of the American Hockey League.
Originally an amateur club known as the Anchorage Aces, they won the National Amateur Championship in 1993 and 1994. They finished second in 1992 and 1995.
Anchorage was an original WCHL franchise, joining the league in 1995. In 2002, with financial troubles, the team was put up for sale on eBay. They were renamed the Alaska Aces in 2003. The team gained national notoriety in 2004 when it signed New Jersey Devils all-star and Alaska-born Scott Gomez after the NHL lockout, who went on to lead the ECHL in scoring and win league Most Valuable Player honors. (That also led to Gomez' influence in bringing his Aces linemate, Chris Minard, to Devils training camp in 2005-06, where Minard was in Albany for most of the season.) Home games are played at Sullivan Arena in Anchorage.
The triple overtime win against Las Vegas Wranglers (2006) was the third longest game in ECHL history, a whopping 113 minutes, 30 seconds long.
In 2006, the Aces became only the second team in ECHL history (joining the South Carolina Stingrays of Charleston, SC) in winning both the Brabham Cup and Kelly Cup championships in the same season. Coincidentally, it was the 18th ECHL season, and nine years after the Stingrays were the first team to do so.
The Aces play in the West Division of the ECHL's National Conference.
In 2006, Alaska won the ECHL Kelly Cup title in five games over the Gwinnett Gladiators. This was the first professional sports title won by an Alaska team since 1980. Mike Scott received the ECHL Kelly Cup MVP award after the Aces' 4-3 win over the Gladiators in Game Five of the series.
| Contents |
| History |
| Origin |
| Pacific Northwest Hockey League |
| West Coast Hockey League |
| ECHL |
| Season-by-season record |
| Current roster |
| NHLers |
| Notable players |
| Retired numbers |
| External links |
History
Origin
Dennis Sorenson formed an Anchorage senior men’s ice hockey team, named Anchorage Aces to compete against a local in-state team, the Fairbanks Gold Kings. Sorenson, a former Gold King, ultimately envisioned an Aces team with about a twenty game schedule, similar to the Gold Kings. The Aces played four unofficial games during in the 1989-90 season. During the 1990-1991 season, Keith Street led the team on their 22-game schedule, which included 20 games against teams registered with USA Hockey. The 1990-1991 season ended with the Aces winning the Senior Men's Open National Championship held in Fairbanks.
Pacific Northwest Hockey League
The Aces joined the Pacific Northwest Hockey League for the 1991-92 season, playing six of their home games at Sullivan Arena in Anchorage and eight at the Central Peninsula Sports Center in Soldotna. The Aces finished second in the PNHL with a 16-12-2 regular season record, and were the runners-up in the national USA Hockey tourney after a 0-4-1 tourney run.
In the 1992-93 season, new Head Coach Mike Ashley led the Aces to a 19-3-0 regular season record. However, in the USA Hockey Senior Men's Open Tournament, the Aces finished second for the second year in a row after compiling a 4-1 record in the tourney, losing the tiebreaker to the Chicago Chargers. Ashley resigned following the season.
For the 1993-94 season, Steve Gasparini took over as head coach, and led the Aces to a 22-9-1 regular season record. The Aces also won their second championship in the USA Hockey Senior Men's Open National Tournament with a 5-0 run highlighted by the 6-0 rout of the Fresno Falcons. In 1994-95, the team went 27-9 and lost in the championship game to the Gold Kings.
West Coast Hockey League
After an unsuccessful attempt to form a new Pacific Rim Hockey League, the Aces joined the new West Coast Hockey League for the 1995-96 season, and played in that league until 2003. Mid-way through the 1995-96 season, the Aces released forward Mike Myers after he was charged with rape. Three juries failed to convict Myers of the charges.
Mike Cusack Jr. became sole owner of the franchise following the 1995-1996 season.
In the 1996-97 season, the Aces initially lost in the league playoffs to the Fresno Falcons three games to one. However the WCHL commissioner determined that their 2-4 loss in game four would be changed to a 1-0 victory due to forfeit by the Fresno Falcons when they failed to meet the minimum roster requirement because of injuries and suspensions. The Aces won the deciding fifth game 5-3 and advanced to the Taylor Cup.
In the 2000-2001 season, the Aces finished in third place with a 34-30-4 record and advanced to the semifinals, only to be ousted by Tacoma in three games.
In 2000-01, the Aces signed former NHL goalie Vincent Riendeau and right wing Kevin Brown. The Idaho Steelheads defeated the Aces 3-0 in the first round of the playoffs.
In 2001-02, the Aces hired a new GM and hired former NHL coach and player Butch Goring as their new head coach, and re-signed only four players from the previous season. The Aces signed five former NHL players: defenseman Jim Paek, goaltender Scott Bailey, wingers Todd Harkins and Daniel Goneau and center Clayton Beddoes. Clayton Beddoes retired just a few games into the season due to a previous shoulder injury. The Aces promoted a "Guaranteed Win Night" where if they lost the game, the fans in attendance would receive free Aces tickets. After a 10-18-4 start, Aces owner Mike Cusack fired head coach Butch Goring and VP of business operations Lou Corletto, and hired former head coach Poddubny. Shortly thereafter, general manager Stirling Wright stepped down.
In May of 2002, the Aces filed for bankruptcy; according to the filing papers, the team was almost $2 million in debt. In June of 2002, the Aces were put up for sale on eBay. The club's owner, Cusack, accepted a $1.862 million bid from Duncan Harrison, owner of Alaskan Automotive Distributing in Anchorage, but U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge Donald MacDonald converted the Aces' bankruptcy case to Chapter 7, which allowed him to reject the Harrison bid. The club was eventually sold for $1.05 million to a seven-member group led by Terry Parks, a local investor, and Dan Coffee, a local businessman.
ECHL
The Aces joined the ECHL for the 2003-04 season following a merger between the WCHL and the East Coast Hockey League. They were renamed the Alaska Aces after the league switch, and unveiled a new logo and new uniforms.
Season-by-season record
'''Note:' GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, SOL = Shootout Losses, PTS = Points, PCT = Winning Percentage, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes''
Records as of January 29,2007. [1] [2]
| Season | League | Division | GP | W | L | T | OTL | SOL | PTS | PCT | GF | GA | PIM | Coach(es) | Result |
| 1995-96 | WCHL | WCHL | 58 | 24 | 29 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 53 | 0.414 | 271 | 299 | 1758 | Steve Gasparini | Out of Playoffs |
| 1996-97 | WCHL | WCHL | 64 | 41 | 18 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 87 | 0.641 | 349 | 260 | 2142 | Walt Poddubny | Lost in Finals |
| 1997-98 | WCHL | WCHLN | 64 | 36 | 20 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 80 | 0.562 | 308 | 261 | 2075 | Walt Poddubny | Lost in round 2 |
| 1998-99 | WCHL | WCHLN | 71 | 46 | 22 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 95 | 0.648 | 332 | 260 | 1759 | Walt Poddubny | Lost in round 2 |
| 1999-00 | WCHL | WCHLN | 74 | 31 | 34 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 71 | 0.419 | 272 | 334 | 1828 | Walt Poddubny, Bob Wilkie, Derek Donald, Steve MacSwain | Unknown |
| 2000-01 | WCHL | WCHLN | 72 | 27 | 41 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 58 | 0.375 | 264 | 324 | 1820 | Walt Poddubny | Unknown |
| 2001-02 | WCHL | WCHLN | 72 | 19 | 44 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 47 | 0.264 | 222 | 350 | 1573 | Butch Goring, Walt Poddubny | Lost in round 1 |
| 2002-03 | WCHL | WCHL | 72 | 21 | 46 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 47 | 0.292 | 210 | 327 | 1926 | Rod Davidson, Perry Florio | Out of Playoffs |
| 2003-04 | ECHL | Pacific | 72 | 38 | 28 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 82 | 0.569 | 220 | 210 | 1648 | Davis Payne | Lost in round 2 |
| 2004-05 | ECHL | West | 72 | 45 | 19 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 98 | 0.681 | 233 | 187 | 1389 | Davis Payne | Lost in round 3 |
| 2005-06 | ECHL | West | 72 | 53 | 12 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 113 | 0.785 | 289 | 168 | 1786 | Davis Payne | ECHL Kelly Cup Champions |
| 2006-07 | ECHL | West | 72 | 49 | 16 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 105 | 0.729 | 270 | 176 | 1972 | Davis Payne | Lost Conference Finals |
| Totals | 2 | 4 | 822 | 420 | 327 | 28 | 49 | 0 | 915 | 0.511 | 3206 | 3129 | 21237 | 9 | 7/9 Playoff Seasons (not counting Unknown result, 1 Championship) |
Current roster
As of August 24, 2007. Data taken from team website.
[3]
| # | 'Player' | Catches | Date of birth | Place of birth | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| '1' | Kris Tebbs | L | August 7, 1981 | Calgary, Alberta, Canada | |
| '34' | Derek Gustafson | L | June 21, 1979 | Gresham, Oregon, USA | |
| # | 'Player' | Shoots | Date of birth | Place of birth | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| '4' | Peter "Big Baby" Metcalf | L | February 25, 1979 | Pembroke, Massachusetts, USA | |
| '27' | Corbin Schmidt | L | September 19, 1980 | Anchorage, Alaska, USA | |
| '31' | Joey Hope | R | January 1, 1982 | Anchorage, Alaska, USA | |
| '41' | Matt Shasby | L | July 2, 1980 | Eagle River, Alaska, USA | |
| '44' | Lee Green | L | July 27 (Year unknown) | Soldotna, Alaska, USA | |
| '49' | Felipe Larranaga | L | July 10, 1981 | Fairbanks, Alaska, USA | |
| # | 'Player' | Position | Shoots | Date of birth | Place of birth | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| '7' | Gino Guyer | C | L | October 14, 1983 | Coleraine, Minnesota, USA | |
| '10' | Matt Robinson | LW | L | August 13, 1985 | South Surrey, British Columbia, Canada | |
| '11' | Lucas Burnett | C | R | April 1, 1982 | Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada | |
| '13' | Bo Cheesman | RW | R | June 1, 1981 | Guildford, England, United Kingdom | |
| '17' | Mike Batovanja | RW | R | March 21, 1982 | Hinton, Alberta, Canada | |
| '29' | Eric Neilson | RW | R | August 18, 1984 | Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada | |
| '64' | Olivier Filion | C | L | October 3, 1982 | Montreal, Quebec, Canada | |
| Title | 'Staff Member' | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 'Head Coach' | Keith McCambridge | |||||
NHLers
★ Vincent Riendeau
★ Kimbi Daniels
★ B.J. Young
★ Scott Gomez
★ Barrett Heisten
★ Wade Brookbank
★ Matt Underhill
★ Doug Lynch
★ Derek Gustafson
★ Chris Beckford-Tseu
★ D.J. King
Notable players
★ Keith Street
★ Dean Larson
★ Chad Richard
★ Scott Gomez
★ Tim Ingalls
★ Barrett Heisten
★ Wade Brookbank
★ Chris Beckford-Tseu
★ Matt Underhill
★ Cliff Hahn
Retired numbers
★ Keith Street – #8
★ Dean Larson – #18
External links
★ Alaska Aces official site
★ Intotheboards.net - Alaska Aces
★ Intotheboards.net - ECHL Forums
★ Intotheboards.net - Aces Forum
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psst.. try this: add to faves
