MAT-SU — It’s been a roller coaster ride for Larry Kincaid during his final season of junior hockey.

The Houston High School product has skated for three different North American Hockey League teams, having been traded twice since starting the 2007-08 campaign with his hometown club, the Alaska Avalanche.

But all of the uncertainty, adversity and unexpected travel the 20-year-old has faced in the last several months are now the furthest things from his mind. Kincaid has his sights firmly set on his opportunity to skate in the 2008 NAHL Robertston Cup, and play for a Junior A Tier II national title.

“I’m about as excited as you get,” Kincaid said by phone Monday from Alexandria, Minn., where he now is a member of the Robertson Cup-bound Alexandria Blizzard.

Kincaid and the Blizzard punched their Robertson Cup tickets with a 2-1 overtime win over the Springfield Junior Blues on Sunday, and Alexandria is now one of four teams set to play for the league championship.

Alexandria, Topeka, Mahoning Valley and the defending Robertson Cup champion St. Louis Bandits will play in the four-day event that starts Wednesday in St. Louis, Mo.

The first round of the tourney is round-robin style and on the final day of the tournament, the top two teams from round-robin play will meet for the championship.

“Our team’s just unreal,” Kincaid said of Alexandria, which beat division foes Southern Minnesota and Springfield en route to the Robertson Cup.

The Blizzard used all five games in the best-of-five playoff series to beat each opponent.

“We played all 10 games in the playoffs. I think we deserve it,” Kincaid joked.

Kincaid started the season in Wasilla with the Avalanche. After posting eight goals and eight assists in 33 games, the Houston High School graduate was part of a four-player deal that sent him to North Iowa.

His tenure with the Outlaws was short, appearing in only six games.

Kincaid said Alexandria acquired him just before the NAHL trade deadline in early February, and since joining his new club, he’s been able to make an impact.

In 19 regular season games, Kincaid posted 11 goals, four assists and a +2 plus-minus rating. He also has a goal in nine playoff games. Kincaid said Alexandria gave him an immediate opportunity to contribute.

“They threw me in on the power play, the penalty kill,” Kincaid said. “They really like my style of play.”

Kincaid said he’s appeared on each of Alexandria’s four offensive lines.

“(The coach) really moves you around,” Kincaid said. “I played on the fourth line in my first game here, and the first line the next.”

Kincaid has spent most of his time on the third unit, he said, skating with fellow forwards Noah Nemgar and Jon Swavely.

“They’re just a couple little rats,” Kincaid said. “I just have to pass it to them. I love that line. It’s the best line I’ve been on in my junior career.”

The Blizzard have enjoyed a remarkable turnaround this season, and when Kincaid was signed by Alexandria in February, he was able to join arguably the hottest team in the NAHL.

Alexandria held just a 3-14-2 record after its first 19 games. After spending much of the first half of the season in the Central Division cellar, the Blizzard owned a 9-15-2 record on Jan. 1.

But in the second half, the Blizzard stormed up the standings, recording a 20-10-2 record in their final 32 to land in third place by the end of the season.

While Kincaid’s immediate goals revolve around the chance to hoist the Robertson Cup, earning the opportunity to play college hockey is his long-term focus.

“I’ve talked to a bunch of schools,” Kincaid said. “It’s a lot easier for schools to come see you play here.”

Among the schools Kincaid is considering is the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, a Division III program that competes in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association.

“My heart’s set on Eau Claire,” Kincaid said.

Kincaid said the Eau Claire coaches have already told him that if plays four years for the Wisconsin school, the chance to try out for a minor league hockey club could follow.

“(They said) if that’s what you want to do,” Kincaid said. “Or I can get a good job after I graduate. It’s nice having options.”

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.