The Alaska Aces worked diligently for six months and 72 regular-season hockey games to generate the best record in the ECHL and seize pivotal home-ice advantage throughout the Kelly Cup playoffs.
Or so they thought.
But scheduling conflicts at Sullivan Arena, the Aces' home rink, and Orleans Arena, home of the Las Vegas Wranglers, have forced the Aces to surrender traditional home-ice advantage in the best-of-7, Western Conference finals between the clubs.
A best-of-7 ECHL series customarily follows a 2-3-2 format. The higher seed plays host to Games 1 and 2, the lower seed gets home ice for Games 3-5, and Games 6 and 7 are scheduled at the higher seed's rink.
However, the league and the two clubs on Monday unveiled an unusual 2-4-1 format in which Games 1 and 2 will be played in Las Vegas on Thursday and Friday nights, Games 3-6 are scheduled in Anchorage and Game 7 is scheduled back in Las Vegas.
Rink availability complications for both clubs forced the change. Anchorage School District graduation ceremonies at Sullivan and motocross events at Orleans prevented ideal scheduling.
Aces managing member Terry Parks said the clubs looked at playing games at practice rinks in Nevada and at tiny Ben Boeke Arena in Anchorage, and even considered scheduling Games 6 and 7 at the Carlson Center in Fairbanks.
"This is the best we can do,'' Parks said. "People don't understand we have limitations. This is not great, but it could have been a lot worse.
"Sometimes, you just have to deal with what we have. It's really frustrating. There's not a lot of options. We're delighted with what we got considering what we were looking at.''
Still, not being home for Games 1 and 2 strips the Aces of myriad advantages.
Starting a series with two home games in front of the home crowd allows a team to generate momentum. For instance, in winning the Kelly Cup last season, when they also fashioned the best regular-season record in the league, the Aces swept six home playoff games, getting off to a 2-0 start in three straight series on their 12-1 run to the Cup.
Traditional home-ice advantage also gives that team more potential games on its familiar ice surface. That is a substantial benefit for the Aces, who play on the ECHL's only Olympic-sized ice sheet - Olympic ice is 15 feet wider than an NHL-sized rink, like Orleans -- and in nine seasons in the league have proved dominating at Sullivan.
Home-ice advantage customarily means only having to travel once to opposition's home, which affords the higher seed less travel and more time in the comfortable surroundings of home. Plus, the home team in hockey gets the last change of lines after stoppages in play, which is a critical tactical benefit.
The Aces at least have a recent fond memory of playing on the road - they just swept three games in Stockton to eliminate the Thunder in the conference semifinals.
"On the road, you're facing that adversity of not being in your own bed, staying in hotels and having the crowd against you, but if you can bring your best game, that's the trademark of a good team,'' said Aces alternate captain Steve Ward.
Professional hockey players are remarkably even-keeled - they don't get too amped in good times or moribund in bad times. Aces captain Brian Swanson, the former NHLer, greeted the scheduling news with equilibrium.
"I don't think you let it affect you,'' Swanson said. "There's nothing you can do about it. You want to go into (Las Vegas) and play two good games and, hopefully, you steal back home-ice advantage.''
Las Vegas coach Ryan Mougenel conceded having the first two games at home is an advantage for his club, but said the possibility of four straight games in Anchorage is daunting. Mougenel said that's life in a minor league like the ECHL, where teams like the Aces and Wranglers do not own their rinks.
"It's one of the obstacles at the ECHL level,'' Mougenel said. "It's tough on ownership, tough on (team) presidents, and toughest on the players. But, ultimately, the best team is going to win.
"We could play anywhere on the planet, and they'll be hard-fought, competitive hockey games.''
The Aces' passionate fan base, known as The Cowbell Crew, expressed displeasure at the scheduling news on Facebook and blogs.
They remember the last time a scheduling conflict required the Aces to alter a series. In 2010, with Sullivan unavailable for the first two games of a first-round series against Stockton, those matches were played in Wasilla. The teams split those games and Stockton won the best-of-5 series in four games, marking the only time the two-time, Kelly Cup-winning Aces have lost a first-round ECHL series.
Aces coach Rob Murray said those three consecutive victories in Stockton Arena last week should bolster his team even as it plays the first two games of the conference finals on the road.
"It's a real confidence-booster for the guys, that we were able to win three games in four nights in a place we had really struggled in the regular season,'' Murray said. "It's going to be about playing, and playing hard.''
And, initially, playing often. The first three games of the series will occur in a span of just four days, with the teams traveling from Las Vegas to Anchorage on Saturday.
The Aces took Monday off. They are scheduled to practice Tuesday morning, then travel to Las Vegas on Wednesday.
Las Vegas has won all three of its playoff games at Orleans this season. The Wranglers also crafted the league's fourth-best, home-ice mark (24-7-5) in the regular season and have gone 7-1 overall this postseason in eliminating Utah and Idaho.
Now the Aces know a split of the first two games of the series would greatly enhance their chances of advancing to the Kelly Cup Finals for the fourth time in franchise history.
"The four straight games here probably give us a little bit of a competitive edge,'' Parks said. "As long as we don't lose two down there, we're fine.''
Find Doyle Woody's blog at adn.com/hockeyblog or call him at 257-4335.
ECHL Western Conference Finals
Las Vegas Wranglers vs. Alaska Aces
Best-of-7
(All times ADT)
Game 1 -- Thursday, Alaska at Las Vegas , 6:05 p.m.
Game 2 -- Friday, Alaska at Las Vegas, 6:05 p.m.
Game 3 -- Sunday, Las Vegas at Alaska, 7:15 p.m.
Game 4 -- Tuesday, May 1, Las Vegas at Alaska, 7:15 p.m.
Game 5 -- Wednesday, May 2, Las Vegas at Alaska, 7:15 p.m.*
Game 6 -- Friday, May 4, Las Vegas at Alaska, 7:15 p.m.*
Game 7 -- Wednesday, May 9, Alaska at Las Vegas, 6:05 p.m.* *If necessary
No comments:
Post a Comment