With Friday night's 5-1 road loss to the Wichita Thunder, the Alaska Aces slipped into their first slide of the ECHL hockey season.
Opposing goaltenders have had plenty to do with that.
Wichita's Scott Greenham, the former UAF masked man, snuffed a season-high 46 shots on goal at INTRUST Bank Arena in Kansas to run Alaska's winless streak to three games (0-2-1) in the opener of a three-game series that continues Saturday.
The Aces (6-4-1) have mustered three goals in the last three games despite having ample opportunity — they've unleashed 113 shots on goal in that span. But Indy's Jake Hildebrand handcuffed them last week for a 3-2 shootout win and 2-0 victory that earned him the circuit's Goaltender of the Week award, and Greenham on Friday delivered his fifth straight win and lifted his season save percentage to .941.
Greenham's 46 saves were shy of his ECHL career-high of 51. Combined with Hildebrand, opposing goalies have racked a .973 save percentage against the Aces in the last three games.
Nathan Moon, in his Thunder debut following a trade from Rapid City, delivered two goals Friday. The Thunder (7-3-0) also received goals from Gabriel Gagne, Alexis Loiseau and Alexis Vanier. Former Aces defenseman Landon Oslanski furnished Wichita an assist and a plus-2 rating.
Aces goalie Kevin Carr stopped 20 shots.
Moon opened the scoring 12 minutes into the game and Aces defenseman Steven Tarasuk countered two minutes later with a power-play strike against Wichita's league-leading, penalty-killing crew. Tarasuk's goal stopped Alaska's goal drought at a season-worst 96 minutes, 49 seconds.
But Gagne and Moon scored goals 93 seconds apart early in the second period to earn the Thunder a 3-1 cushion. Loiseau scored short-handed and Vanier added a power-play goal in the third period.
Vanier's man-advantage marker snapped Alaska's string of 23 consecutive penalty kills in the last seven-plus games.
Shuffling the deck
Aces center Stephen Perfetto assisted on Tarasuk's goal. He did not have a point in the two previous games, his only two-game drought of the season.
Rough plus-minus night for Perfetto, linemate Peter Sivak and Tarasuk — they all checked in at minus-3.
The Aces fired 18 shots in the first period and 16 shots in the second period. They have unloaded 15 or more shots in 10 of their 33 regulation periods this season.
Former UAA center Blake Tatchell was a scratch for the Thunder. Former Aces center Ryan Tesink was in the lineup for the Thunder and was plus-1.
Aces rookie goaltender Michael Garteig, summoned to NHL Vancouver on Thursday to serve as the back-up goalie, was re-assigned to the Aces on Friday and expected to arrive in Wichita later that day.
Aces 0 0 0 — 1
Wichita 1 2 2 — 5
First Period — 1, Wichita, Moon 3, 12:04; 2, Aces, Tarasuk 2 (Perfetto), 14:11 (pp). Penalties — Tesink, Wichita (tripping), 2:49; Dunn, Wichita (delay of game-puck over glass), 9:09; Trecapelli, Wichita (interference), 14:03.
Second Period — 3, Wichita, Gagner 2 (Erkamps, Oslanski), 2:11; 4, Wichita, Moon 4 (Nelson, Tracapelli), 3:44. Penalties — Grant, Wichita (boarding), 12:25; Vanier, Wichita (roughing), 12:25; Stewart, Aces, double-minor (roughing), 12:25; Perfetto, Aces (cross-checking), 15:22; Stewart, Aces (delay of game-puck over glass), 19:44.
Third Period — 5, Wichita, Loiseau 8 (Nelson, Oslanski), 4:17 (sh). Penalties — Tesink, Wichita (tripping), 3:28; Trenz, Aces, double-minor (high-sticking), 4:56; Trecapelli, Wichita (closing hand on puck), 6:42; Holmberg, Wichita (tripping), 17:40.
Shots on goal — Aces 18-16-13—47. Wichita 11-7-7—25.
Power-play Opportunities — Aces 1 of 5. Wichita 1 of 4.
Goalies — Aces, Carr, 1-3-1 (25 shots-20 saves). Wichita, Greenham, 5-1-0 (47-46).
A — 4,422 (13,400). T — 2:27.
Referee — Andy Howard. Linesmen — Russ Coll, Chase Wilkinson.