ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The defending Kelly Cup Champion Alaska Aces announce the return of defenseman Steve Ward for the 2011-12 season.
Ward becomes the third member of last season's ECHL champions to commit for next year and he also fills one of Alaska's four veteran slots.
Fellow defenseman Bryan Miller, who re-signed with the Aces last week, also qualifies as a veteran, giving the Aces two more such spots to fill.
In his fourth professional season, Ward finished with five goals and 18 assists in 69 regular season games. He also contributed one goal and five assists in the playoffs, with the goal coming in game five of the Kelly Cup Finals against Kalamazoo, Alaska's championship clinching victory.
