Avs finish 3-1 in NAHL Showcase

BLAINE, Minn. — The Alaska Avalanche are feeling pretty good about life in the North American Hockey League.

After a very successful run through the season-opening NAHL Showcase, the Avs sit at the top of the NAHL West Division with a 3-1 mark.

The Avs won their third straight on Saturday, scoring a 6-3 win over Springfield on the final day of the Showcase.

“We played really well,” Alaska forward Alex Young said by phone on Saturday. “We never gave up, kept working, and it seemed to work out for us.”

First-year forward Logan Rounds scored twice to lead the Avs to the win over Springfield. Both of Rounds’ goals came during a four-goal second period that allowed Alaska to erase an early 3-1 deficit.

Rounds, a former Service High standout, scored on the power play early in the period to cut the score to 3-2 and gave the Avs the 5-3 lead by scoring with five seconds left in the second period.

Kyle Pichler, Zach Smith, Rudy Pino and Shawn McNeely also scored for Alaska.

Jason Cohen led the Avs with three assists.

Garrett Tinkham, who was acquired in a trade with Springfield during the offseason, earned the win against his old team, stopping 33 shots for the Avs.

Springfield is also the new home of former Alaska forward and Wasilla High standout Jeremiah Dargis.

Dargis recorded two shots during the loss and has one assist in four games as a Springfield skater.

On Friday, Anchorage native Tyler Currier scored twice to lead the Avs to a 5-2 win over the US National Team Developmental Program.

Young scored a shorthanded goal and chipped in two assists in the win.

Pino and Ryan Kowal also scored.

The Avs are now off until Oct. 11 when they are slated to face the Kenai River Brown Bears in Kenai.

Alaska 6, Springfield 3

NAHL Showcase

Saturday, Blaine, Minn.

First period — 1. Springfield- Kitt (Globke, Coldwell) pp 5:05; 2. Springfield- Coldwell (O’Donnell, Prost) 17:33; 3. Alaska- Pino (Cohen) 18:34.

Second period — 4. Springfield- Frey (Curry, Callahan) 6:57; 5. Alaska- Rounds (Cohen, Giles) pp 7:50; 6. Alaska- McNeely (Kimbro) 10:21; 7. Alaska- Pichler (Currier, Cohen) pp 16:57; 8. Alaska- Rounds (Braun, Giles) 19:55.

Third period — 9. Alaska- Smith (Baldwin, McNeely) 16:01.

Shots on goal: Alaska- 11-10-7—28, Springfield 20-5-11—36; Saves: Alaska- Tinkham 18-4-11—33, Springfield- Wichorek 10-6-6—22; Power plays: Alaska 2-for-5, Springfield 1-for-6; Penalties: Alaska 7-for-14, Springfield 6-for-12.

Alaska 5, USNTDP 2

NAHL Showcase

Friday, Blaine, Minn.

First period — 1. USNTDP- Czarnik (Clare, Faulk) pp 8:33; 2. USNTDP- Johns (Clendening) pp 14:25.

Second period — 3. Alaska- Pino (Smith) 14:30; 4. Alaska- Young (Pichler) sh 15:09; 5. Alaska- Currier (Young, McNeely) 18:21.

Third period — 6. Alaska- Currier (Young, McNeely) pp 6:41; 7. Alaska- Kowal (Friese) 8:24.

Shots on goal: USNTDP 8-9-7—24, Alaska 10-6-5—21; Saves: USNTDP- Campbell 10-3-3—16, Alaska- McGinnis 7-9-7—24; Power plays: USNTDP 2-for-10, Alaska 1-for-8; Penalties: USNTDP 11-for-32, Alaska 14-for-28.

Avs U-18 team

scores big win

BLAINE, Minn. — The Alaska Avalanche U-18 team knocked off one of the top teams in the country during the North American Hockey League Future Prospects Tournament in Blaine, Minn., on Friday.

Houston High School sophomore Micah Ranum scored in a shootout to lead the Avs U-18 to a 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Hornets, the seventh-ranked U-18 squad in the nation.

Ranum also scored in regulation, giving the Avalanche the 1-0 lead early in the second period.

Wasilla High School junior Matthew Friese assisted on the play.

The Avs U-18 squad is used as a feeder program for the Avalanche Junior A hockey team.

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