The visiting Kenai River Brown Bears picked up three points in a two-game series with the Minnesota Wilderness on Friday and Saturday in North American Hockey League play.
The Brown Bears lost 4-3 in overtime Friday before picking up a 5-1 victory Saturday.
“Three of four (points) on the road, we keep this thing going,” Kenai River head coach Taylor Shaw said. “We’d love to have four, but we don’t have to get greedy.”
The Bears, who have points in 10 of their last 11 games, vaulted to fifth place in the Midwest Division.
Kenai River is 19-21-4-3, good for 45 points. The Wilderness and Springfield (Illinois) Jr. Blues are tied for sixth just a point back, with Minnesota at 20-21-4-0.
The Chippewa (Wisconsin) Steel hold the fourth and final playoff spot out of the division with 52 points.
The Bears return home for a three-game series with the Springfield (Illinois) Jr. Blues from Thursday, March 6, to Saturday, March 8. The Thursday game is at 7 p.m., while Friday and Saturday are at 7:30 p.m.
Shaw said the team is looking forward to a week off and to the Chili Cook Off fundraising event on Saturday, March 1, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex.
“We’re just getting into the thick of it now,” Shaw said of the playoff race. “Our guys need a break, and I’m sure a lot of teams in the league need a break.
“We need a week right now, then we’re really going to get after it.”
Saturday, the Bears went up 2-0 on a first-period goal by Koen Burkholder, assisted by John Ross and Joel Hanson, and a second-period, power-play goal by Thomas Gunderson, assisted by William Esterbrooks and Ross. Gunderson has scored in three straight games.
With 1:01 left in the second, Frantisek Netusil cut it to 2-1 with a power-play goal.
“We were outshooting them pretty significantly,” Shaw said. “We were playing pretty well. Then they got a power-play goal with about a minute left, and that gives them the momentum.”
Shaw said Minnesota pushed pretty hard before taking a five-minute major with 7:56 left in the game.
Michael Fiedorczuk, assisted by Dario Lass and Luke Hause, and Esterbrooks, assisted by Brady Engelkes and Ross, scored on the power play for a 4-1 lead.
Colten Nestler finished it off with an empty-netter.
“The guys finished it off,” Shaw said. “A couple clutch power-play goals, too.”
Mitchell Mccusker stopped 26 for the Bears, while Niklas Erickson had 37 saves for Minnesota.
Friday, Netusil hurt Kenai River again in overtime. Netusil had the overtime winner in a 3-2 victory over the Bears in Soldotna on Feb. 1, and he came through again Friday with the winner with a minute left in the five-minute overtime.
Kenai River had come from behind twice to force overtime.
The Bears had their lone lead in the first period, when Wes Berg scored on Engelkes and Gunderson assists. Zach Homer answered for Minnesota with 40 seconds left in the first period.
The Wilderness went out ahead in the second period on a goal by Olle Karlsson, but Gunderson, assisted by Hause and Berg, answered for Kenai River before the period was up.
With 15:43 left in the game, Noah Dziver gave the Wilderness the lead. With 6:32 left, Nestler, assisted by Esterbrooks and Fiedorczuk, leveled the score.
“I thought we finally found our identity in that last 10 minutes there in the third period and it resulted in the tying goal,” Shaw said.
The coach said Kenai River had a nice chance in the final seconds of the third period that was thwarted, but Shaw said he was happy the Bears still got a point when they were down in the third period.
Owen Zenone made 24 saves for Kenai River, while Erickson stopped 25 for Minnesota.
Friday
Wilderness 4, Brown Bears 3
Ken 1 1 1 0 —3
Min 1 1 1 1 —4
First period — 1. Kenai River, Berg (Engelkes, Gunderson), 11:57. 2. Minnesota, Homer (Dziver, Lynch), 19:20. Penalties — Kenai River 1 for 2:00.
Second period — 3. Minnesota, Karlsson (Jendek, Netusil), 3:14. 4. Kenai River, Gunderson (Hause, Berg), 16:05. Penalties — none.
Third period — 5. Minnesota, Dziver (Lynch, Homer), 4:17. 6. Kenai River, Nestler (Esterbrooks, Fiedorczuk), 13:28. Penalties — Kenai River 2 for 4:00; Minnesota 1 for 2:00.
Overtime — 7. Minnesota, Netusil (Jendek, Margenau), 4:00. Penalties — none.
Shots on goal — Kenai River 7-6-14-1—28; Minnesota 9-9-8-2—28.
Goalies — Kenai River, Zenone (28 shots, 24 saves); Minnesota, Erickson (28 shots, 25 saves).
Power plays — Minnesota 0 for 2.
Saturday
Brown Bears 5, Wilderness 1
Ken 1 1 3 —5
Min 0 1 0 —1
First period — 1. Kenai River, Burkholder (Ross, Hanson), 11:14. Penalties — Minnesota 1 for 2:00.
Second period — 2. Kenai River, Gunderson (Esterbrooks, Ross), pp, 6:56. 3. Minnesota, Netusil (Jendek, Smith), pp, 18:59. Penalties — Kenai River 3 for 6:00; Minnesota 3 for 6:00.
Third period — 4. Kenai River, Fiedorczuk (Lass, Hause), pp, 15:58. 5. Kenai River, Esterbrooks (Engelkes, Ross), pp, 16:31. 6. Kenai River, Nestler (un.), en, 18:12. Penalties — Minnesota 3 for 17:00.
Shots on goal — Kenai River 15-14-12—41; Kenai River 6-11-10—27.
Goalies — Kenai River, Mccusker (27 shots, 26 saves); Minnesota, Erickson (41 shots, 37 saves).
Power plays —Kenai River 3 for 7; Minnesota 1 for 2.
