The visiting Kenai River Brown Bears had a three-game winning streak snapped Friday in a 7-4 loss to the Minnesota Wilderness in North American Hockey League play.
The teams finish the two-game series Saturday at 4:15 p.m. AKST.
The Brown Bears are 11-14-1-2 and are tied for sixth place in the Midwest Division with 25 points. The Wilderness currently hold the fourth and final playoff spot out of the division at 13-13-3-0, good for 29 points.
Friday, Kenai River fell behind 3-0. Twice, the Bears got back within a goal.
“We started off the game tonight with a pretty good first five and then let off the gas,” Kenai River head coach Taylor Shaw said. “There’s no room this time of year to let off the gas.
“So we just need to stick with it and be a little bit more detailed here for a full 60.”
Owen Zenone started in net, then was relieved by Mitchell Mccusker. Later, Zenone came back in.
Zenone made 15 saves on 18 shots, while Mccusker made seven saves on 10 shots.
“To be honest, it wasn’t necessarily Owen’s fault,” Shaw said. “We needed to try and wake up a little bit.
“He just happened to be the guy who needed to step on the initial sword.”
When Zenone was removed with 15:56 left in the second period, the Wilderness led 3-0 on goals by Tyler Webb, Zach Homer and Drew Beasley.
The Bears line of Jack Clarke, Gavin Jensen and Carter McCormick then made itself felt.
Jensen scored on assists from Luke Hause and McCormick, and Clarke scored on Jensen and McCormick assists, as the Bears had it to 3-2 with 6:51 left in the second.
Brady Zugec scored before the end of the second period on the power play, but Clarke opened the third period with a goal with help from William Esterbrooks and Jensen to make it 4-3.
Noah Dziver and Ben Roulette put Minnesota up 6-3 before Clarke, with help from McCormick and Jake Georgy, completed his hat trick.
Clarke, who played last season in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, has seven goals this season, and four have come in the last two games.
“It’s certainly an adjustment from where he played, and he’s just finding really good spots on the ice right now,” Shaw said. “I think he’d be the first to tell you, it’s not just him, it’s his line.”
Zach Howard had an empty-net goal to finish off the Brown Bears.
Niklas Erickson made 32 saves for Minnesota, meaning Kenai River won the shot count 36-29.
Shaw said it was a weird night where the Wilderness had two goals go in off skates, and also scored the empty-netter.
“We need our guys to make saves on the other ones, for sure,” he said. “They know that. They’re aware. And we’re going to clean it up.”
Friday
Wilderness 7, Brown Bears 4
Ken 0 2 2 —4
Min 1 3 3 —7
First period — 1. Minnesota, Webb (Manzella III, Dunaiski), 9:19. Penalties — Kenai River 2 for 4:00; Minnesota 3 for 6:00.
Second period — 2. Minnesota, Homer (Sylvester, Zugec), 1:37. 3. Minnesota, Beasley (Webb, Dunaiski), 4:04. 4. Kenai River, Jensen (Hause, McCormick), 6:12. 5. Kenai River, Clarke (Jensen, McCormick), 13:09. 6. Minnesota, Zugec (Beasley, Sylvester), pp, 15:19. Penalties — Kenai River 1 for 2:00.
Third period — 7. Kenai River, Clarke (Esterbrooks, Jensen), 2:19. 8. Minnesota, Dziver (Warner, Dunaiski), 2:50. 9. Minnesota, Roulette (Jendek, Anderson), 3:51. 10. Kenai River, Clarke (McCormick, Georgy), 15:38. 11. Minnesota, Howard (Sylvester, Anderson), en, 17:14. Penalties — Kenai River 1 for 2:00; Minnesota 1 for 2:00.
Shots on goal — Kenai River 10-15-11—36; Minnesota 10-9-10—29.
Goalies — Kenai River, Zenone (18 shots, 15 saves), Mccusker (10 shots, 7 saves); Minnesota, Erickson (36 shots, 32 saves).
Power plays — Kenai River 0 for 4; Minnesota 1 for 4.
