It was just less than four minutes into the first period when a fish head came tumbling onto the ice at Sullivan Arena in Anchorage, Alaska.

A fan at the arena, home to both the ECHL's Aces and the University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves, threw the fishy surprise onto the ice when the Aces scored their first goal on Friday night against the Victoria Salmon Kings, and then again after the first goal Saturday.

'That demonstrates a high-level of hockey knowledge,' said Whitehorse resident Jason Cunning, one of several Yukoners who got a kick out of the gesture. 'They get high marks for the fish head.'

Cunning joined 37 other residents of the territory as part of a charter flight to Anchorage, which was organized jointly by Air North, Yukon Travel and Northerm. While the trip was billed as a hockey weekend for the general public, including two games against the Salmon Kings, many of the Yukoners were also in Anchorage on business.

'It was a fun time,' said Cunning, who was in the Alaska capital strictly for the hockey. 'I bought some stuff, got to see Mount Logan. I had never been to Anchorage before, so it was nice to see it.'

Cunning said he was somewhat disappointed in the quality of hockey itself, although that may be because his expectations were too high.

'It was the first live hockey game I'd been to see in a year, so I had great visuals in my mind.

'It wasn't as good as watching a junior A (Canadian Hockey League) game, I don't think.'

Cunning said while major junior teams usually showcase at least three NHL prospects, the ECHL is mostly made up of career minor leaguers. Although he admits seeing NHLer Scott Gomez playing for his home town during the lockout was interesting.

'I thought he skated circles around everybody out there. Even in a game like that ... he turns anybody into a goal scorer because he just sees the ice so well every time.

'I thought it was funny how at the end of game two, when it got a little rough, Gomez just didn't play for the last seven minutes.'

Cunning said it was also neat to see how close Gomez still is with his family, nearly all of whom watch every game he plays in.

'A whole bunch of his family were at the game and he's just out there waving at them. It was just like he was playing in a pee wee game.

'I think it's great that he comes home and I'm sure he's added at least 1,000 per game to the attendance.'

The Yukon crew wasn't really sure what to expect as far as fans at the game, but in Saturday's match against the Salmon Kings, the Aces drew more than 4,000 spectators, despite the fact that Victoria is one of the worst teams in the league.

And while they didn't throw any hats on the ice when Aces forward Chris Minard scored his third goal Saturday (he ended up with five), Cunning said they seemed to follow the game fairly well.

Aces head coach and Kamloops, B.C. native David Payne, who has played and coached in numerous American cities, said the Alaska fans are as close as you can get to Canadians when it comes to hockey.

'I spent a lot of time in the Southern part of the United States, in a hockey environment that was kind of a fad. You had your hardcore fans, but certainly not as knowledgeable as the Canadian fan base. And when I came up here, it was really refreshing to get back to a hockey environment where people understand the nuances of the game of hockey the same as they do across Canada.

'They support the team 100 per cent. They recognize a good performance, they get on us when they need to. It's an outstanding crowd. They're loud, they're vocal and they love the Aces.'

While Victoria isn't necessarily known as a hockey city, Salmon Kings head coach Bryan Maxwell said the team is selling out Bear Mountain Arena, which holds about 2,500 spectators, every night.

'The fans have been fantastic,' said Maxwell. 'We got beat 10-4 at home the other night and they were still clapping at the end of the game, so our support's been good.

'We're going to light that city up. This is exciting hockey and I think they're really grabbing on to it and they're excited about our team.'

Aces goaltender Lance Mayes, who hails from Victoria, said he's heard nothing but good things about the fan support in his home town, and experienced it when he played in B.C. earlier last week.

'It's in the paper every day,' he stated. 'And especially with the lockout. I mean, it's great hockey whether they're winning or losing. They love watching it, and for half the price (of an NHL game). It's a Canadian city, they have good support and I think they're going to continue to support the team.'

While Mayes may miss some things about Canada, he said playing hockey in Alaska has made things much easier for him, thanks in large part to the fans and Aces organization.

'We get four or five thousand people here every night. You go to other places in the league like Long Beach, San Diego and places like that, they maybe get 1,500.

'The ownership here is great. It's basically a Canadian city, is how I view it, they way they support us and the draw that we get. Alaska is a hockey state for sure.'

Which is why Cunning said he would probably go back to Anchorage for a hockey weekend, despite the fact he was somewhat disappointed with the quality of this past weekend's games. But, he said, he may be more interested in watching the university's Seawolves.

There has been talk of a second hockey trip planned for sometime in the spring, when perhaps both the Aces and Seawolves will be engaged in a playoff run. Cunning has already been checking out the stats for the Seawolves, who are tied for seventh place with Minnesota State among 10 teams in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.

Only the top five teams advance to the playoffs and the Seawolves are seven points out of fifth place.

'I don't know if the university team is going to make the playoffs,' said Cunning. 'Unless Gomez decides to sign up for something like basket weaving.'

For more on the Alaska Aces, and their weekend series against the Victoria Salmon Kings, see Wednesday's edition of the Star.