WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah  -- John Lammers scored twice and added an assist to lead the Aces over Utah, 5-2, before 3,158 Friday at the 'E' Center.  Scott Reid (pictured) stopped 36 of 38 shots.  

Alaska snapped its four-game losing streak while ending a six-game run for the Grizzlies, who entered the game at 12-4, the best start in their ECHL history.  The Aces, meanwhile, improved to 9-8-2 and climbed to within four points of second-place Utah in the West Division.  The teams meet again in the rubber match (the Grizz won 2-1 Wednesday) tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. AT, with Peanut Farm Pre-Game Show coverage on KFQD 750 AM getting under way at 5:15 pm. 

Lammers was leading the league with six goals when Manitoba called him up to the AHL after Alaska's three-game series with Las Vegas October 22-24.  He spent 11 games with the Moose without landing on the scoresheet, but wasted little time getting on the board in his return to the Aces, setting up Eric Boguniecki's goal just 1:53 into the game.  Nick Tuzzolino jammed home his own rebound 37 seconds later, and Alaska led 2-0.

Tom May got one back for the Grizzlies on a tip-in at 5:20 of the opening frame, and 28 seconds later, Vladimir Nikiforov was awarded two penalty shots when the Aces were whistled for hooking and deliberately knocking the net off its moorings (only one shot would have been taken had Nikiforov scored on his first attempt).  Reid stopped them both, however, and Alaska maintained a 2-1 lead until May deadlocked the contest with his third goal of the series at 17:39 of a wildly entertaining first period.

Despite losing Colin Hemingway to injury early in the second period, the Aces regained the advantage when Nick Mazzolini scored his fifth goal in six games at 12:03.  Less than four minutes later, Lammers buried a rebound to give Alaska its fifth power play goal in 62 chances and a 4-2 margin heading to the final 20 minutes.  He tacked on an empty-netter, assisted by Lance Galbraith, with 1:18 remaining to secure the victory.  Reid improved his personal record to 4-3-2 in out-dueling Utah starter Mitch O'Keefe, who saw his personal eight-game winnings streak snapped.