Home ice advantage comes at a price for Alaska Aces - Bakersfield Californian (blog)

Wednesday, Apr 25 2012 12:53 PM

Home ice advantage comes at a price for Alaska Aces

In the strange and wacky world of minor league sports, in this case the ECHL, "home-ice advantage" in the playoffs often comes at a price.

Consider all first-round matchups in the Western conference where the top-seeded teams can only get "home-ice advantage" in the best-of-five matchups by starting the first two games on the road. Ask Colorado and Ontario how that worked out.

Anyway, fast forward to the Conference Finals pitting the top-seeded Alaska Aces against the Las Vegas Wranglers. Alaska sat out the first round by virtue of being atop the Western Conference at the end of the regular season then blew past Stockton 4 games to 1 to set up the series against the Wranglers, who are 7-1 in postseason play.

And the Wranglers get to start the best-of-seven-series on thier home ice.

Conflicts at Sullivan Arena in Anchorage (graduation ceremonies) and at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas (a motocross) has resulted in a bizarre 2-4-1 format -- the first two in Las Vegas, the next four in Anchorage and a Game 7, of needed, back in Las Vegas.

It was that or some playoff games in practice rinks in both cities, not what one wants in postseason play but not unprecedented.

Such are the pitfalls so postseason play in the minors where arenas are already booked for sure things, not maybes.

It's a condensed schedule to boot with Games 1 and 2 on Thursday and Friday and Game 3 back in Anchorage on Sunday (after a full day of travel on Saturday). Monday will be a well deserved rest day for both teams with Games 4 and 5, if necessary, on May 1 and 2. Game 6, if necessary, is set for May 4 and Game 7, if necessary, is not until May 9.

The weird format certainly changes the odds and gives the Wranglers a huge edge (including avoiding a hard travel day before the series). But that edge only becomes a true advantage if the Wranglers win.

The key to this series might be Thursday night's game and any momentum the winning team brings into Friday night's game.

Before the format was announced, I would have bet on the defending ECHL champion Aces, who return most of last year's players, to emerge victorious, probably in six games.

I still like the Aces to win, but not near enough to bet one thin dime on the outcome.