WASILLA — Before the Alaska Avalanche take the ice, head coach Dave Boitz sets a list of a dozen objectives for his players to meet.

There are goals for statistics such as hits, blocked shots and face-off percentage — the little things that lead to hockey wins. Boitz said the Avs hit eight or nine of those goals during a 4-2 win over the Fairbanks last Friday, but accomplished only two or three of those objectives in a 4-3 victory over the Ice Dogs on Saturday.

Despite the two-game sweep of the Ice Dogs, Boitz still believes there is room for improvement.

ROBERT DeBERRY/Frontiersman Avalanche forward Logan Rounds moves the puck up the ice during a two-game sweep of the Fairbanks Ice Dogs last weekend.

“I still think we’re not quite there yet,” Boitz said. “We’re still not where we’re capable of playing.”

And while the Avs may still have the potential to be better, Boitz is thrilled with the work of his club through the first 20 games of the season.

Alaska’s sweep of Fairbanks was the first in its history against the Ice Dogs. The Avs are now 13-3-4 overall, sitting solid in second place of the North American Hockey League West Division standings. Alaska’s 13 wins are also tied for second-best in the 19-team NAHL.

“I’m really happy with where we’re at, but there’s a lot of room for growth,” Boitz said. “I’m excited. I see a lot more that can happen with this team.”

Alaska will look to continue that growth, and its recent run of success, during a two-game series against the Kenai River Ice Dogs that starts tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Soldotna Sports Center.

While Alaska took seven of eight possible points during four straight games with the defending NAHL West Division champion Ice Dogs, Kenai River has had nearly three weeks off.

The Brown Bears last took the ice late last month with a two-game set against the Avs. But since that series — a set in which Kenai opened with a shootout win that was followed by a lopsided Alaska victory -— the Brown Bears have been a continuing state of disarray.

In the last month, Kenai has replaced its head coach and made a number of personnel moves. The Bears’ latest trade sent their leading scorer, forward Dajon Mingo, to West Division rival Wenatchee. Mingo left the Bears with a team-high 19 points (8 goals, 11 assists) in 20 games. Mingo led Kenai in virtually every offensive statistic category — goals (eight), assists (11), points (19), power-play goals (three) and shorthanded goals (four).

Kenai also traded its third-leading scorer, defenseman Micki Mahailovich, to Alaska prior to the last series between the two teams. Mahailovich posted 4-6-10 totals in 15 games with Kenai.

The losses of Mingo and Mahailovich lead former Kenai Central standout Jed McGlasson (4-10-14) as Kenai’s leading scorer. Josh Royston leads Kenai with six goals.

While Kenai has only one player on the roster with double digits in points, Alaska has eight players with 10 points or more.

Forward Nardo Nagtzaam (11-9-20) leads an Alaska club that is averaging 3.7 goals per contest. Zach Smith (10-9-19), Logan Rounds (6-10-16), Jake Parenteau (5-11-16), Robb Haider (6-9-15) and Kyle Pichler (3-12-15) all have hit the 15-point mark for Alaska.

Following the series at Soldotna, Alaska will host NAHL West Division leading Wenatchee Nov. 20-21 at the Curtis C. Menard II Memorial Ice Arena in Wasilla.

The Avs hit the road the following week, making stops in Wenatchee (Nov. 27-28), Fairbanks (Dec. 3-5) and Kenai River (Dec. 8).

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