Kelly Cup

Reigning ECHL Goaltender of the Year Gerald Coleman stopped 25 shots, and rookie Chris Bruton scored the Aces only goal of regulation as the 2011 Kelly Cup champions opened their title defense with a 2-1 shootout win over the Las Vegas Wranglers at Sullivan Arena.  Wes Goldie and Dan Kissel buried shootout goals and Coleman set aside four of five Wranglers attempts in the shootout.   Bruton got the scoring underway with a power play strike at 17:58 of the first period.  Bryan Miller and Steve Ward assisted on the goal.  Scott Campbell scored off an Aces turnover to evening things up in the second.  Opening night also featured the unveiling of the Aces 2010-11 Kelly Cup championship banner.  The players will receive their championship rings prior to Saturday's rematch.

Throughout the off-season, the Alaska Aces have been busy re-signing members of their 2010-11 Kelly Cup championship roster. On Tuesday, they snagged one of the best players from the previous season's Aces team. Anchorage-native Nick Mazzolini is returning to Alaska one season after suiting up for the Bolzano HC club in Italy. Mazzolini led the Aces in scoring during the 2009-10 campaign with 27 goals and 37 assists in 63 regular season games. Also on Tuesday, the defending ECHL champions announced the return of forward Tyler Ruegsegger.

The defending Kelly Cup champion Alaska Aces have re-signed one of the biggest factors in last year's run to the championship. Gerald Coleman, the 2010-11 ECHL Goaltender of the Year, has committed for a second season with Alaska. After using four different goaltenders in the 2009-10 season, Coleman gave Alaska stability in net, winning 30 of 47 starts and posting a league-best 2.19 goals against average. Coleman also tied teammate Adam Courchaine for the ECHL high in shutouts with four.

Brian Swanson's homecoming to Alaska resulted in a Kelly Cup title.  Now, the former Chugiak High standout seeks a repeat ECHL championship with the Alaska Aces.  Swanson, who a year ago returned home for the first time in 17 seasons, has re-signed with the Aces after scoring 24 goals and adding 46 assists in his first ECHL season.  That point total represented the 11th highest in the league last season. The 35 year old has nearly 700 pro games to his credit, including stops in the AHL, NHL, and European pro leagues.  He has been around long enough that he was once teammates with new Aces coach Rob Murray while both were playing for Hamilton of the AHL.  Swanson becomes the eighth member of last year's Kelly Cup champions to announce his return, and he is also the fourth veteran player to commit to Alaska.  the Aces begin defense of their championship Friday, October 14th at home versus Las Vegas.     

Scott Howes, the player who was cast aside by two ECHL teams before finding a home with the Alaska Aces and becoming the Most Valuable Player of the 2011 Kelly Cup Playoffs, has re-signed with Alaska. Howes led the team in postseason scoring with 7 goals and 12 assists as Alaska won its second ECHL title in May.  The Aces acquired him early in the regular season from Stockton and he went on to more than double his career high in points, finishing as the club's third leading scorer during the regular season with 22 goals and 36 assists.

The Kelly Cup champions returned home to a cheering crowd late Sunday afternoon.  The Alaska Aces landed in Anchorage a day after their big win over the Kalamazoo Wings. Sporting the blue and white, Aces fans started lining the gate at the airport before the expected landing time.  "We got here about 5:45 p.m.," said Kristin and William Sams. "We wanted to get good seats. " It didn't take long for a small group to turn into a huge crowd.  "It makes you feel like a kid rooting for the team," said Aces fan Celeste Garcia.

The Alaska Aces capped off the most prolific postseason in ECHL history on Saturday night, winning their second Kelly Cup Title in franchise history with a 5-3 win over the Kalamazoo Wings in Game 5 of the championship series. Alaska claims the best-of-seven series four games to one and finishes the playoffs with 12 wins and just one defeat. In Game 5, the Aces made a habit out of quick responses to K-Wings goals. After falling behind 1-0 at 2:58 of the second period, Steve Ward scored his first goal of the postseason only 32 seconds later to even things up. The Aces took a 2-1 lead later in the second on Chris Langkow's first of two goals on the night.

The Alaska Aces have announced that Games 1 and 2 of the 2011 Kelly Cup Finals will be played on Saturday, May 14 and Sunday, May 15.   Tickets are now on sale. The Aces, champions of the Western Conference, will face either the Kalamazoo Wings or the Wheeling Nailers for the ECHL title. The Wings and Nailers play Game 3 Thursday night – the teams are even in the series, 1-1. Depending on which team prevails out of the Eastern Conference two possible scheduling scenarios exist following games one and two. If Alaska plays Kalamazoo: Game 1 - Saturday, May 14th @ Alaska, 7:15pm AKT Game 2 - Sunday, May 15th @ Alaska, 7:15pm AKT Game 3 - Wednesday, May 18th @ Kalamazoo, 3:00pm AKT Game 4 - Friday, May 20th @ Kalamazoo, 3:30pm AKT Game 5 - Saturday, May 21st @ Kalamazoo 3:30pm AKT Game 6 - Wednesday, May 25th @ Alaska, 7:15pm AKT Game 7 - Friday, May 27th @ Alaska, 7:15pm AKT If Alaska plays Wheeling: Game 1 - Saturday, May 14th @ Alaska, 7:15pm AKT Game 2 - Sunday, May 15th @ Alaska, 7:15pm AKT Game 3 - Thursday, May 19th @ Wheeling, 3:05pm AKT Game 4 - Saturday, May 21st @ Wheeling, 3:35pm AKT Game 5 - Monday, May 23rd @ Wheeling, 3:05pm AKT Game 6 - Thursday, May 26th @ Alaska, 7:15pm AKT Game 7 - Friday, May 27th @ Alaska, 7:15pm AKT

By virtue of winning the ECHL's regular-season points title, the Alaska Aces earned a first-round bye in the Kelly Cup playoffs. They finally have an opponent for round two: the Idaho Steelheads. Idaho defeated the Las Vegas Wranglers 3-1 in Tuesday's winner-take-all Game 5, thus sending the Steelheads to Alaska for Games 1 and 2 of the series. The schedule for the Western Conference Semifinals is as follows: Game 1 - Friday, April 15, 7:15pm AKST at Sullivan Arena Game 2 - Saturday, April 16, 7:15pm AKST at Sullivan Arena Game 3 - Wednesday, April 20, 5:10pm AKST at Qwest Arena Game 4 - Friday, April 22, 5:10pm AKST at Qwest Arena Game 5 - Saturday, April 23, 5:10pm AKST at Qwest Arena Game 6 - Tuesday, April 26, 7:15pm AKST at Sullivan Arena Game 7 - Wednesday, April 27, 7:15pm AKST at Sullivan Arena =if necessary The Aces and Steelheads have met three times in the postseason since joining the ECHL in 2003-04.  Most recently, Alaska swept Idaho in the 2008 playoffs.

It's no surprise that Alaska Aces netminder Gerald Coleman was awarded ECHL Goaltender of the Year on Thursday. The 26-year-old was named First-Team All-ECHL last week, as well as ECHL Goaltender of the Month for March. This award is a first for Coleman; the only other time he came close was in 2008-09, when he was runner-up to then-Aces goalie J.P. Lamoureux. Coleman has participated in 145 ECHL games with numerous clubs, posting an overall record of 79-47-11 with eight shutouts, a 2.65 goals-against average and a save percentage of .907.