The Minnesota Flying Aces was within striking distance after one period, but the Alexandria Blizzard put the pedal down in the second en route to an 8-0 victory.
Ian Ecklund was all over the ice for Alexandria, as he tallied four goals and one assist in the win. Ecklund\’s first goal came 4:23 into the second period. He then added goals at 4:40 into the second, at 17:36 into the second, and at 13:23 into the third.
Kyle Miller spearheaded the defensive effort for the Blizzard, as he did not allow a puck past him and made 30 saves for the shutout. Miller managed to improve on his goals against average, which stood at 2.57 prior to the game.
Alexandria\’s penalty kill was spotless, allowing no goals on four Minnesota power plays. The Blizzard\’s offense rang up 37 shots on Minnesota\’s net. Alexandria\’s goal total was higher than its season average. The Blizzard have scored at the pace of 4.6 goals per game during the current campaign.
Alexandria additionally got points from Nate Mettenburg, who also racked up one goal and one assist. Drake Hunter also scored for Alexandria. More assists for Alexandria came via Aammir Freese, who had two, Tom Schmidt, who had three, Bo Gronseth, who had four, and Zach Kihle, Danny Pelzer, and Mick Dhein, who contributed one a piece.
The Flying Aces did not reach the goal total they have come to expect this season. Minnesota puts an average of 2.3 pucks into the net per game. The Flying Aces struggled on the penalty kill, allowing Alexandria to score three power play goals on four chances.
The Blizzard ended with 15 minutes in penalty time with five minors and one major. Minnesota\’s Jaxson Gosnell stopped 29 shots out of the 37 that he faced. The Flying Aces ended with 15 minutes in penalty time with five minors and one major.