Avs and Ice Dogs renew rivalry

WASILLA — When the Alaska Avalanche drop the puck against the Fairbanks Ice Dogs for the first time this season, fans looking on the ice will see a boatload of new players.

Gone are the Ice Dogs’ top seven scorers from a year ago and every goaltender who saw more than two games of action between the pipes for the Fairbanks squad last season.

All but four players on the Alaska roster are new to the Avalanche franchise.

Even though there are many new faces, the Avs expect the same old rivalry. While Fairbanks is also a team made up predominantly of new talent, Alaska head coach Jamie Smith expects the same old Ice Dogs.

“(Fairbanks head coach Rob) Proffitt believes in that gritty part of the game,” Smith said. “It’s going to be a test. We just have to be disciplined and grind it out.”

Alaska enters the two-game series against its intrastate rival on a hot streak, while Fairbanks hasn’t seen action since a 3-2 win over Texas on Oct. 21.

Last week, Alaska won two straight for the first time since November 2006, capturing an 8-1 win over Texas and a 3-2 shootout victory over the Kenai River Brown Bears.

Alaska’s win over Texas also marked its most lopsided victory in franchise history.

“For us, we’ve finally turned the corner, as far as the offensive point of the game,” Smith said. “And we finally got some breaks.”

Smith sees the next stretch as a crucial part of the 2007-08 schedule.

“We play our next 18 against Fairbanks, Bismarck and Kenai River,” Smith said.

Fairbanks sports a modest 8-6-1 record, Bismarck is a mere 4-8-1 and Kenai River has just a 3-11-2 mark.

Smith said he feels this is the time for Alaska to be competitive and make its way up the South Division standings.

Alaska is in action in four of the next five nights. After its series against the Ice Dogs, Alaska has Sunday off before hosting Bismarck on Monday and Tuesday. Each game is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Curtis C. Menard II Memorial Ice Arena in Wasilla.

Of Fairbanks’ eight wins, five have come on the road. The Ice Dogs swept road series at Kenai River and Bismarck, and scored a single road win against Southern Minnesota.

Forward Andrew McCabe leads the Ice Dogs in scoring, with six goals and 13 assists, while forwards Caleb Harrison and Eric Kraft each have five goals and five assists.

Cody Reichard has played 15 of the Ice Dogs’ 16 games in net, and boasts a 2.50 goals against average and .920 saves percentage.

Alaska hit the .500 mark at home with its wins over Texas and Kenai. Smith said the wins have done wonders for his team’s confidence.

“It’s monstrous actually,” Smith said. “Our guys are pretty dang confident right now.”

Smith was thrilled about his team’s offensive production. In the two wins Alaska scored 11 goals. That’s more than the Avs scored in their previous four contests.

Three different players — Michael McCurtain, Scott Barrera and Tyler Currier — scored twice in the win over Texas.

Alaska has also had stellar play in goal. Former South Anchorage standout stopped 17 of 18 shots in the win over Tornado, and Dusan Sidor recorded 30 saves and stopped all six shots in the shootout in the win over the Brown Bears.

Alaska forward named player of the week

Alaska forward Tyler Currier was named the NAHL South Division Player of the Week .

Currier posted two goals and two assists in the win over Texas,and added another helper in the victory over Kenai River.

He now is among team leaders with five goals and four assists, and has raised his +/- rating to -2.

Smith said he feels there are a couple of reasons for Currier’s recent success. First, Smith said, the Anchorage native has improved his play on both ends of the ice.

“He’s realizing this is just not an offensive show, this is a defensive game,” Smith said.

Smith said Currier is also becoming a more disciplined player, and believes the Anchorage native has the potential to score 40 or 50 points a season in this league.

Also, Smith said Currier’s line is gelling. Last week Smith added Eagle River native Michael McCurtain to a line that already included Currier and Alex Rasmussen.

“That really settled things,” Smith said.

Avs meet charity goal

The Alaska Avalanche wore special pink jerseys during its win over the Texas Tornado on Saturday.

The pink jerseys were worn in support of breast cancer awareness and education in Alaska. Following the contest, the jerseys were auctioned off for charity.

On Wednesday, Smith said the Avs raised more than $10,000 for Breast Cancer Focus, and Alaska non-profit organization.

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