Alaska win leaves Avs alone in first place

PALMER — There’s a new team at the top of the North American Hockey League West Division standings — the Alaska Avalanche.

Alaska moved into sole possession of first with a 4-1 win over Dawson Creek at the MTA Events Center on Tuesday.

Kevin Novakovich scored a pair of second-period goals to help Alaska improve to 16-8-1 and move two points head of Kenai River in the standings. Novakovich gave the Avs a 1-0 lead, scoring just more than three minutes into the second. He added his second goal of the game with just more than five minutes left in the period.

Cobi-Smith Mass and Jordan Watt added third-period goals for Alaska. Wehebe Darge and Jesse Kessler each contributed a pair of assists.

Alaska outshot Dawson Creek 30-22 in the win, getting the bulk of its shots in the second period. Alaska had 16 shots in the middle frame.

Goalie Bodhi Engum made 21 saves to earn the win.

Alaska capped the three-game set with Dawson Creek on Wednesday. Results were not available prior to press time due to early press deadlines because of the Thanksgiving holiday.

See the Sunday edition for more.

Alaska starts a two-game series at Kenai River on Friday at the Soldotna Sports Center. The series will mark the end of a brutal stretch that included seven games in nine days.

The Avs have been successful during this long stretch of games. Alaska’s win on Tuesday marked its sixth-straight.