Aces top short-handed Condors ECHL: Alaska outshoots Bakersfield 48-17 in the win.

All the pucks were lined up in favor of the Alaska Aces on Saturday night, yet for a while there, they fanned on ample opportunity.

The Bakersfield Condors were the road team, presumably skating on road-weary legs. They were also a team without a coach behind the bench and relatively few players on it.

Still, the Aces didn't get rolling until they scored late in the second period, and that Wes Goldie strike served as a springboard to a three-goal third period and a 4-1 ECHL win before an announced crowd of 5,002 at Sullivan Arena.

On a night when both teams were short-handed because of massive suspensions the ECHL delivered in the wake of Friday night's mayhem between the clubs -- the Aces were slightly short players, the Condors considerably so -- the Aces needed nearly two periods to find their footing.

They prospered by virtue of one goal and two assists from both defenseman Bryan Miller and winger Scott Howes, two helpers from defenseman Mark Isherwood and 16 saves from Gerald Coleman.

"I don't know if everyone was caught up in all the hoopla of (Friday) night, or what,'' Miller said. "They had no bodies, so they were kind of passive, and we kind of played into that, didn't move our feet.''

The ECHL on Saturday suspended six Condors and coach Marty Raymond for a combined 19 games and three Aces and coach Brent Thompson for a combined 12 games. That was the fallout from the 249 combined penalty minutes and a post-game eruption on the ice in Alaska's 5-4 win.

"You see that kind of thing in movies,'' Howes marveled.

Raymond and Thompson each served a one-game suspension Saturday.

Bakersfield dressed 13 skaters -- the ECHL maximum is 16 skaters -- but that crew included Erik Felde of Anchorage, who spot-shifted, and hobbled defenseman Jean-Francois David.

The Aces dressed 15 skaters, and that contingent included Anchorage's Merit Waldrop, a spot-shifting forward and former Ace, and newcomer Brandon Coccimiglio, who furnished an assist for his first pro point.

At least the Aces had the luxury of a bench boss. Assistant coach Louis Mass, the former Aces defenseman, filled in and racked his second win of the day. Earlier, he guided his North Stars Pee Wee B team to a win.

Of course, a game like Saturday's can also be a set-up. With so many advantages, the Aces were supposed to win. The Condors, who played a smart game before tiring, had little to lose.

And for nearly two periods, the Aces were on track to fall for the set-up.

"I think the emotions were really high (Friday) night,'' Howes said. "We're hockey players, not street fighters. Guys were probably a little tired, probably didn't sleep that well.

"Lot of little things. It was just a matter of time before things started to click.''

After Bakersfield's Stephane Goulet was inexplicably left all alone in front of Coleman and roofed a goal off a pass from Joel Broda early in the second period, the Aces finally answered on a power play late in the period.

Goldie, whose 26 goals are one behind league-leader Alexandre Imbeault, the former Aces center who plays for Florida, flipped a modestly paced shot on the net guarded by Bakersfield's Josh Tordjman (44 saves). The shot, barely hard enough to leave a bruise, squeezed through a double screen set by Howes and Swanson and inside the left post for a 1-1 tie.

"He scores them wherever, however he wants,'' Howes said.

Zach Harrison gave the Aces their first lead, 2-1, just 24 seconds into the third period, and Howes and Miller added power-play goals to give Alaska a cushion.

Saturday's game proved relatively tame -- no fights, no major penalties -- but Howes said the Aces were on their guard.

"It happened, so it can always happen,'' he said.

Shuffling the deck

The announced crowd of 5,002 was the Aces' third crowd of more than 5,000 in the club's 23 home games this season.

Miller delivered a goal and two assists for the second straight night gives him 6-17--23 totals in 34 games, which ties him for eighth in the league in scoring among blueliners. He's three points off the lead league.

Goldie's goal was the 315th of his ECHL career, leaving him one shy of tying Sheldon Gorski for No. 5 on the league's all-time list. He has scored at least one goal in four straight games, and has scored five in that span.

The Aces went 3 for 8 on the power play and have scored at least one power-play goal in nine straight home games and in 13 of their last 14 games at Sullivan.

Find Doyle Woody's blog at adn.com/hockeyblog or call him at 257-4335.

Bakersfield 0 1 0 -- 1

Aces 0 1 3 -- 4

First Period -- None. Penalties -- Goulet, Bakersfield (interference), 9:05; Harrison, Aces (hooking), 13:53; Morency, Bakersfield (roughing), 18;13.

Second Period -- 1, Bakersfield, Goulet 14 (Broda, Beaudoin), 2:54; 2, Aces, Goldie 26 (Miller, Howes), 15:40 (pp). Penalties -- Harrison, Aces (tripping), 5:02; Harrison, Aces (cross-checking), 12:51; Naglich, Bakersfield (hooking), 15:33; Robins, Bakersfield (roughing), 16:22; David, Bakersfield (high-sticking), 18:17.

Third Period -- 3, Aces, Harrison 5 (Coccimiglio, Isherwood), :24; 4, Aces, Howes 13 (Miller, Isherwood), 6:53 (pp); 5, Aces, Miller 6 (Goldie, Howes), 15:49 (pp). Penalties -- Goldie, Aces (hooking), :40; Burgdoerfer, Bakersfield (slashing), 6:30; Morency, Bakersfield (interference), 14:53; Gergen, Bakersfield (slashing), 15:29; Morency, Bakersfield (misconduct), 15:29; Falite, Aces (charging), 19:24.

Shots on goal -- Bakersfield 4-5-8--17. Aces 12-17-19--48.

Power-play Opportunities -- Bakersfield 0 of 5; Aces 3 for 8.

Goalies -- Bakersfield, Tordjman, 14-12-2 (48 shots-44 saves). Aces, Coleman, 19-10-1 (17-16).

A -- 5,002 (6,396). T -- 2:20.

Referee -- Joe Sullivan. Linesmen -- Steve Glines, Travis Jackson.

The ECHL on Saturday delivered the hammer of justice to the Alaska Aces and Bakersfield Condors for postgame mayhem in the Aces' 5-4 victory at Sullivan Arena, and for events that transpired during Friday's game. The sentences added up to 31 combined games of suspensions, 19 for Bakersfield and 12 for Alaska. Each player and coach suspended was also fined an undisclosed amount, as was each team. Here is the fallout:

Alaska Aces

Position/Name Games

D Alex Dzielski 6

LW Scott Burt 3

C Chris Langkow 2

Coach Brent Thompson 1

Bakersfield Condors

Position/Name Games

RW Erick Lizon 9

D Joe Rullier 3

C Slava Trukhno 2

D Joey Ryan 2

LW Guillaume Lefebvre 1

C Joel Broda 1

Coach Marty Raymond 1

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