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Pocket Aces

The Alaska Aces have the top goalie tandem in the ECHL. Chris Beckford-Tseu, who opened the season 7-0-1 with a 1.49 goals against-average and .942 save percentage, and Matt Underhill (7-3-1, with a 1.91 GAA and .932 save percentage), put the Aces on the fast track. Alaska won a team-record eight consecutive games through Dec. 5 and became the league’s first team to reach 30 points at 14-3-2. The Aces outscored Fresno, Long Beach (twice) and Utah 20-4 in a four-game span during the streak. “We both try to play big,” said Underhill, who is 6-foot, 2, 210 pounds while Beckford-Tseu is 6-foot-3, 205 pounds. “We use our size and fall back on athleticism. We keep it simple.” Underhill started a game for the Chicago Blackhawks in 2003-04. Beckford-Tseu, 21, is a St. Louis prospect. CAJUN…

Closing in on dream

If Keith Aucoin is feeling comfortable with the Lowell Lock Monsters, there’s good reason. Going home for the 27-year-old is a four-mile drive. “I enjoy it,” Aucoin said. “It’s nice to be close to home. It’s not very often that guys get to play in front of family and friends like that, so I just take it all in because it might not happen again.” The 5-foot-9, 184-pound center from Chelmsford, Mass., following an outstanding high school career, landed at Div. III Norwich University in Vermont and pretty much gave up on his NHL dream despite shattering every school offensive record and winning a national title. “You don’t really hear about many guys getting the chance to play in the NHL from the Div. III level,” he said. “Once I put my foot in…

60-plus minute men

If there was any lesson to be learned in the first quarter of the season, it was not to let Manchester get to overtime. First-year coach Jim Hughes’ team went beyond regulation in 15 of 23 games, and the Monarchs managed to win 11 of those. Manchester had not gone more than two games without requiring extra time and had one four- and two three-game streaks of consecutive overtimes. “We have a resilient group,” Hughes said. “We may have an edge because we’ve done it several times, so I’ve got to believe there is a certain comfort factor.” The Monarchs were 4-0 in overtime before dropping a 1-0 decision Dec. 3 against Springfield. They also won six of nine shootouts during a 13-game streak of earning at least one point. That streak ended in a…