The Fairbanks Ice Dogs completed a two-game sweep of the Kenai River Brown Bears with a 3-1 victory Saturday in North American Hockey League play at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex.
The Brown Bears, at 9-4-1-0, remain in first place in the Midwest Division, while the Ice Dogs, at 9-5-0-0, climb into second.
Fairbanks also moves into a tie with the Anchorage Wolverines in the race for the Club 49 Cup. The Wolverines and Ice Dogs have four points, while the Brown Bears have one.
Kenai River hosts the Wisconsin Windigo on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the sports complex.
The Ice Dogs used special teams to take a lead the Bears could not overcome.
Jacob Conrad’s power-play strike was the lone goal of the first period. Early in the second period, Brady Welsch scored short-handed to put Fairbanks up 2-0.
Anchorage’s Bryce Monrean, assisted by Hunter Newhouse and Hayden Walters, scored on the power play in the second period for the Bears.
Welsch iced the game with 1:27 left on an empty-netter.
Kayden Hargraves saved 25 for Fairbanks, while Bryant Marks stopped 37 for the Bears.
Saturday
Ice Dogs 3, Brown Bears 1
Fairbanks 1 1 1 —3
Kenai River 0 1 0 —1
First period — 1. Fairbanks, Conrad (Cameron), pp, 5:20. Penalties — Fairbanks 2 for 4:00; Kenai River 3 for 6:00.
Second period — 2. Fairbanks, Welsch (Herzberg), sh, 0:15; 3. Kenai River, Monrean (Newhouse, Walters), pp, 8:03. Penalties — Fairbanks 6 for 34:00; Kenai River 8 for 48:00.
Third period — 4. Fairbanks, Welsch (Recine), en, 18:33.
Shots on goal — Fairbanks 11-19-10—40; Kenai River 9-6-11—26.
Goalies — Fairbanks, Hargraves (26 shots, 25 saves); Kenai River, Marks (39 shots, 37 saves).
Power plays — Fairbanks 1 for 4; Kenai River 1 for 3.
