Drake Glover
Former UAA forward Drake Glover of Anchorage delivered a five-goal barrage in the Southern Professional Hockey League last weekend, including a four-goal strafing of a former college teammate.
Glover, who earns his paychecks for the Birmingham Bulls, generated the hat-trick-plus-one on former Seawolves teammate Brandon Perrone in Birmingham’s 6-3 win Friday over the Fayetteville Marksmen, Glover’s previous employer. That elevated Glover, who scored all four of his goals in a second-period span of 14 minutes, 37 seconds, into the 30-goal club for the first time in his career.
The four-goal outburst marked Glover’s second hat trick, and third multiple-goal game, this season. Glover made the 20-Goal Club last season with 20 goals in 49 games for Fayetteville and barely missed membership as a rookie two seasons ago with 19 goals in 45 games for Fayetteville.
Glover on Saturday added his league-leading 31st goal – Perrone had the night off – in Birmingham’s 4-3 overtime victory. Glover proved efficient in racking his five weekend goals – he did his damage on just 10 shots.
His 31-22—53 scoring totals in 48 games are all career highs. He is second in the league in points and second in plus-minus rating at plus-27.
And Glover wasn’t the only Anchorage guy to join the 30-Goal Club – center Nolan Walker of the ECHL-leading Kansas City Mavericks likewise flourished.
Nolan Walker
Walker scored his 30th of the campaign and added a power-play assist in Saturday’s 8-4 win at Allen. That came after he bagged his 29th on the power play in Friday’s 3-1 win at Allen. Walker added a primary assist in Saturday’s 5-4 OT loss at Wichita to stretch his point streak to a career-best six games (4-4—8).
With 30-30—60 totals in 56 games, Walker sits third on the circuit in goals and tied for ninth in points. That’s a remarkable improvement over his solid 15-26—41 totals in 68 games as a rookie with Newfoundland last season.
Walker has also gone 53 straight games without taking a penalty. He got busted for tripping in the third game of the season. Since then, he’s been law-abiding. Not a surprise. He only took one minor penalty – tripping, again — as a rookie. So, 124 career regular-season games, just two penalties.
Walker’s 30-goal season is the first by an Alaskan in the ECHL in more than a decade. Alaska Aces center Nick Mazzolini of Anchorage scored 36 goals in 68 games in the 2012-13 season.
Meanwhile, Tulsa Oilers forward Alec Butcher of Anchorage sits on the brink of joining the 20-Goal Club in the ECHL for the third consecutive season. Butcher scored his 19th goal of the season in Sunday’s 6-0 win at Allen. He owns 19-15—34 totals in 57 combined games this season for Tulsa and Reading.
Elsewhere in North American pro hockey lately:
- Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman of Anchorage made 28 saves in a 4-1 win over Toronto last Thursday for his third straight win and sixth straight game without a regulation defeat (5-0-1). Those streaks came to a halt Monday night when he stopped just 17 of 21 shots as the visiting St. Louis Blues won 5-1.
Swayman is 21-7-8, with a 2.49 goals-against average that ranks ninth in the NHL and a .920 save percentage that ranks second.
- Henderson Silver Knights goalie Isaiah Saville of Anchorage stopped 18 of 21 shots in a 4-0 American Hockey League loss to Bakersfield last Wednesday, then stopped 13 of 15 after relieving Jiri Patera in a 6-0 loss Saturday to Abbotsford. Saville is 6-8-1, 2.85, .904.
- Tanner Schachle of Wasilla had a big night Friday in ECHL Orlando’s 4-2 loss at Florida – he scored a power-play goal and furnished the primary assist on the Solar Bears’ other goal. He’s 3-11—14 in 39 games after his third multiple-point game of the season.
- Winger Cayden Cahill of Anchorage scored a goal for SPHL Peoria and added a primary assist in Friday’s 4-2 win over Pensacola. He owns 13-25—38 totals in 48 games.