Alaska Aces hope new goaltending tandem elevates them after two nonplayoff hockey seasons

The Alaska Aces have endured ample shortcomings in two straight nonplayoff ECHL hockey seasons, and grim goaltending topped the list.

That was particularly true last season, when the Aces (27-38-7) plunged to the third-worst record on the 28-team circuit and had the goaltending to prove it. Alaska's 3.21 goals-against average ranked 25^th and its .886 save percentage checked in at 27^th.

Granted, the crew in front of Alaska's goalies was not as strong as in seasons' past. Yet Alaska's goalies did not steal games and often cost the club points.

"It was the goals, where we were outplaying a team, that hurt, and those goals when we really needed a save,'' coach Rob Murray recalled. "It's almost like you couldn't recover. It snowballs, festers to the point where you wonder, 'How are we going to win?' ''

As the Aces prepare to open the season Friday night at Colorado, they are hopeful their new tandem of masked men, Kevin Carr and Michael Garteig, will restore the stingy goaltending the franchise received in its first 11 seasons. The Aces won three Kelly Cups in that span and their new goaltending coach, Gerald Coleman, backstopped them to two of those titles, in 2011 and 2014.

"I feel really confident,'' Murray said.

Both Carr, a third-year pro, and Garteig, a rookie, arrive with strong credentials. Carr, 26, landed with the Aces courtesy of an offseason trade with the Tulsa Oilers. Garteig, 24, joined the club through Alaska's affiliation with the NHL's Vancouver Canucks and their American Hockey League affiliate, the Utica Comets.

Carr in two seasons with Tulsa went 51-37-6 with a 2.57 goals-against average and .912 save percentage. All those numbers were vastly superior to those of Aces goalies in the last two seasons.

Garteig backstopped Quinnipiac to the NCAA Division I national championship game last season — the Bobcats fell to North Dakota — and went 32-4-7 with a 1.91 goals-against average, .924 save percentage and eight shutouts.

Carr delivered 34 saves in a 4-1 exhibition win over South Carolina last week in his only preseason appearance for Alaska, and impressed Coleman.

"He's calm and collected, and controls rebounds,'' Coleman said. "There's a sense of calm there, like, 'We're OK.' ''

Carr said he figured something was up in the offseason when he agreed to a deal with the Oilers but never received a contract offer. He said he was cool with being traded with the first time in his career. When his mask broke in summer hockey, he had his new one painted with Aces logos and colors.

"I was excited,'' Carr said. "It's always nice to go somewhere somebody wants you.''

Carr skated in training camps with the Canucks and Comets, where he and Garteig received tutoring from former NHL goalies Dan Cloutier and Rollie Melanson. He said he is working on staying a little deeper in his net, being more patient and letting the game come to him.

"The two camps were just special, just a great experience,'' Carr said. "When you're with like-minded individuals — guys in the best league in the world — it's only going to help you.''

Garteig attended Vancouver and Utica camps after signing with the Canucks following the end of his college career.

"When I signed, I knew I was kind of the fifth guy on the depth chart and I told them I wasn't satisfied with being fifth,'' Garteig said. "I'm competitive, and I want to push myself to be better and help make my team better.''

Coleman said that while Garteig still is adjusting to the pro game, he likes what he's seen in practices.

"He's a kid who is willing to learn,'' Coleman said. "He has the ability to play in this league. That's obvious.''

The only downside to Alaska's tandem lies in its affiliation. Should a goalie in Vancouver or Utica get hurt, Carr or Garteig would likely be promoted.

In the meantime, the Aces are hoping to receive something closer to what Coleman and several others, principally Olivier Roy, furnished them in 2013-14. The Aces that season led the league in goals-against average (2.23) and finished seventh in save percentage (.912).

Carr and Garteig are likely to split starts in Colorado, where the Aces play a two-game series against the Eagles (2-0-0).

"They're two competitors,'' Coleman said. "We let them know, 'You'll get your chance. We ride the hot hand. Just know, if you're not playing, you need to be ready to play.' ''