The Kenai River Brown Bears defeated the Fairbanks Ice Dogs 6-4 on Tuesday at the Breezy Point Hockey Center in Minnesota.
The Brown Bears and Ice Dogs are the only two junior hockey teams based in Alaska. Both are temporarily based in Minnesota while the new coronavirus pandemic prevents them from playing in Alaska. The Breezy Point Hockey Center in the Bears’ home in Minnesota.
Both Kenai River and Fairbanks front-loaded their schedule in an attempt to get back to Alaska later in the season. As teams catch up in games played, the two Alaska squads are slipping in the standings a bit.
In the Midwest Division, the Minnesota Magicians have played 23 games and lead with 33 points, while the Janesville (Wisconsin) Jets have 25 games and are in second place with 32 points.
The Bears and Ice Dogs are each tied for third with 28 points, with Kenai River 13-14-1-1 for 29 games and Fairbanks 13-16-1-1 for 31 games. The Chippewa (Wisconsin) Steel are out of playoff position with 16 points, but the Steel have only played 21 games.
After finishing a brutal stretch of their schedule, the Bears last played Feb. 28 before Tuesday’s game.
“It was nice to relax and refocus,” Kenai River head coach Kevin Murdock said of the time off.
Fairbanks jumped out to a 1-0 lead just 52 seconds into the game, but Peter Morgan had it tied for the Bears by the end of the first period.
The Morgan-Daymin Dodge-Morgan Winters line had three even-strength goals.
“They were really good tonight,” Murdock said of the line. “They also had a couple of great scoring opportunities they missed.”
Goals by Dodge and Brandon Lajoie, of Eagle River, put the Bears up 3-1 before Fairbanks cut it to 3-2 just before the end of the second.
In the third period, Winters and David Vieten had the Bears up 5-2 with six minutes left in the game.
Fairbanks would not die.
The Ice Dogs immediately opted for an extra attacker and cut it to 5-3 with 4:49 left.
Kenai River then took a penalty. Fairbanks went six-on-four, but Dodge made the Ice Dogs pay for a 6-3 lead. Fairbanks stayed six-on-four and it paid off when the Ice Dogs cut it to 6-4 with 1:54 to play.
Brown Bears goalie Andrew Rose then shut the door the rest of the way to earn his first win with the team.
“Especially with how things have gone in the last month, I give them credit,” Murdock said of his squad. “They’re sticking with it and figuring out ways to close out victories.”
The Bears play the Ice Dogs again Saturday at 4:30 p.m. AKST at Red Baron Arena in Minnesota.
Brown Bears 6, Ice Dogs 4
Fairbanks 1 1 2 —4
Kenai River 1 2 3 —6
First period — 1. Fairbanks, Neuharth (un.), 0:52; 2. Kenai River, Morgan (Dodge, Winters), 7:40. Penalties — Fairbanks 1 for 2:00; Kenai River 1 for 2:00.
Second period — 3. Kenai River, Dodge (Morgan, Winters), 15:17; 4. Kenai River, Lajoie (Thrun, Wahlin), pp, 17:49; 5. Fairbanks, Conrad (Neuhart), pp, 19:16. Penalties — Fairbanks 1 for 2:00; Kenai River 3 for 6:00.
Third period — 6. Kenai River, Winters (un.), 0:15; 7. Kenai River, Vieten (Dubicki), 14:00; 8. Fairbanks, Naaykens (Plante), 15:11; 9. Kenai River, Dodge (un), sh., 16:33; 10. Fairbanks, Plante (Conrad), 18:06. Penalties — Fairbanks 1 for 2:00; Kenai River 1 for 2:00.
