Adam Smith & Chris Lipsett

http://www.oursportscentral.com/release.cfm?releaseid=45557

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The Alaska Aces have signed longtime AHL defenseman Keith McCambridge to a contract that includes the responsibilities of player/assistant coach as well as former AHL sniper Chris Lipsett.

McCambridge has spent his entire eight-year career in either the American Hockey League or the now-defunct International League, whose surviving teams were absorbed by the AHL after the 2000-01 season. He boasts 461 games of professional experience while accumulating well over 1,300 penalty minutes (roughly 165/season).

McCambridge was selected in the eight round of the 1994 NHL Draft by the Calgary Flames in the midst of an outstanding junior career that saw him lead two different teams to the Memorial Cup Finals, including a victory in 1995 with Kamloops. In his rookie year, Keith played a vital role as his Saint John Flames advanced to the 1996 Calder Cup (AHL) semi-finals. He later was signed as a free agent by Boston in 1999 and spent three productive years for the Bruins’ AHL affiliate in Providence, racking up more than 200 PIM in each of his last two seasons. Last year, McCambridge, who turned 29 last February, split time with Houston and Cleveland in the AHL, finishing with three assists and 128 PIM combined in 49 games.

The 6-2, 215-pound McCambridge and the 6-0, 190-pound Lipsett will occupy two of the four “veteran” (288 or more pro games) slots allotted to the Aces by the ECHL under the terms of the new collective bargaining agreement announced yesterday. “Keith is the ideal defenseman—tough to play against and sound in his decision-making,” said coach Davis Payne. “Chris is a proven scorer who has done it at the next level, both will be great leaders for us—Keith at the defensive end, Chris on the offensive end.”

Lipsett, 29, has spent the last two years playing in the top leagues in Britain and Germany, respectively. Prior to heading overseas, he enjoyed a pair of 20-goal campaigns for Kentucky in the AHL. Lipsett began his pro career in the ECHL, scoring 32 goals in his second year with Roanoke in 1997-98 and then leading the Pee Dee Pride to the Kelly Cup semi-finals the following season with 13 goals in 13 playoff games. He was a college teammate of Alaska goaltender Dan Murphy at Clarkson University, scoring 22 goals in his final two seasons with the Golden Knights (1994-95 and 1995-96).

Training camp opens at Tesoro Sunday at 3:00 p.m. as Alaska prepares for its exhibition games against Trenton October 10-11 and its season opener against Fresno October 24. Today, the Aces will begin mailing tickets for the two pre-season games to all full-season ticket holders. Season tickets will be distributed during the exhibition games, and made available at the Aces office (258-ACES) the following week.

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