Avalanche make home debut Friday

Oct. 6, 2006

By Jeremiah Bartz/ Frontiersman

WASILLA - The Alaska Avalanche are just glad to be home - at least for the moment.

After enduring a 22-day road trip, a stretch that included the team's first nine games of the season, the North American Hockey squad is back in the Valley, preparing for its home opener. Alaska hosts Fairbanks tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Curtis C. Menard II Memorial Ice Arena.

But like the permanent fund dividend deposited in the bank accounts of thousands of Alaskans this week, with the blink of an eye, the Avs will be gone.

After the final horn sounds tonight, Alaska departs for Fairbanks for the first of 11 more games on the road.

&#8220Play one game, and then the next 11 on the road,” Alaska head coach Dean Larson said Wednesday. &#8220It doesn't get any easier.”

Part of the battle for any team is making adjustments and dealing with adversity. That rings ever so true for an Avalanche team that is made up primarily of players new to the Junior A level. Players are adjusting to new schedules, and a tougher, faster brand of hockey.

&#8220The demanding schedule is a lot of it,” Larson said. &#8220Mental preparation. You've got to learn how to prepare to play hard every day, every night.”

Preparation leads to consistency, something Larson said his team was sometimes lacking during the road trip.

&#8220We saw some ups and some downs,” Larson said. &#8220We have to find a way to be consistent, get an honest effort out of everyone, every night. We were great one game, and had a nose dive the next.”

With all of that said, Larson said he is excited about the potential he saw.

&#8220When we were playing well, I was really pleased,” Larson said.

The Avalanche came home with a 3-5-1 record, but showed the ability to put pressure on the opponent's net - something last year's squad struggled with at times. Alaska scored eight times in an 8-5 win over Marquette. The team had not scored more than seven goals in a game last season. Alaska has also averaged 2.77 goals per game this season. The team managed just an average of two goals in the first nine road games last year. Alaska also had 30 or more shots in seven of its nine games, including a season-high 63 in a 3-2 win over the NAHL At-Large Squad during the NAHL Showcase tournament. The Avs posted 50 shots in the win over Marquette.

&#8220That's a good sign,” Larson said. &#8220One thing you want to do is get a bunch of chances. First thing is to get the chances, we'll always take those. But the bottom line is, eventually you've got to put the puck in the net.”

Forward Brad McCabe posted a team-high six goals and 10 points during the road trip. The newcomer to Alaska skated last season with the Fort Vancouver Pioneers of the Junior B, Western States Hockey League. Larson said offensive production is something he expects out of McCabe, a player who has been getting ample amount of ice time. Four of McCabe?s goals have come on the power play.

Forwards Jesse Bryant and Travis Stevens have each scored five goals, and defensman Jeff Dimmen has a team-high seven assists.

Bryant scored 19 points last season for the Wasilla Spirit, the team that evolved into what is now know as the Alaska Avalanche. Dimmen led the Spirit with 20 helpers.

Adam Kraus and Nathanial Pellegrino have each started four games in goal for Alaska. Kraus is 2-2-0 with a 2.93 goals against average and .916 saves percentage. Pellegrino is 1-2-1 with a 3.51 GAA and .916 saves percentage.

Both players, Larson has said, will factor heavily into the success of the Avs this season.

Tonight Alaska faces a team it saw 19 times last season. The Mat-Su squad finished 6-8 against its Interior foe during the regular season and 2-3 during a five-game playoff series.

Larson and general manager Corey Millen saw the Ice Dogs during the Showcase, and Larson expects much of what he saw last year from the other team from the 49th state.

&#8220They're a hard-working team like always,” Larson said.

The Ice Dogs, who will skate in their 10th-straight road game tonight, are 4-5-0 on the young season. Fairbanks won two of three games against the Bismark Bobcats, in a series highlighted by the Ice Dogs' 3-2 shootout win on Sept. 30. Before its stop in North Dakota, Fairbanks split a two-game set with Alexandria.

Hermantown, Minn., native Kyle Schmidt leads the Ice Dogs with nine goals and five assists. The forward posted 11 goals and four assists last year. Fairbanks has four players with four or more goals.

Goaltender Shane Madolora, a standout with Fairbanks last season, is 3-5-1 with a .903 saves percentage.

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