Avs forward named league player of week

PALMER — During his rookie season with the Alaska Avalanche, Jake Barber scored five goals. Judging by the first game of his second season, Barber shouldn’t have much trouble exceeding that total this year.

Barber notched the hat trick during a 5-2 win over the Kenai River Brown Bears last Friday and has been named the SBK/North American Hockey League West Division Player of the Week.

“Barb showed up big time,” Alaska head coach Brian Huebel said after the win.

The Dardenne Prairie, Mo., native scored in each period during the win. Barber hammered in a rebound six minutes into regulation to give the Avs the early lead. Late in the second, with Barber and Andy Pearson skating on a 2-on-1 break, Barber knocked a puck off a Kenai defenseman’s stick and into an open chunk of the Brown Bear net to give the Avs a 3-1 lead. Barber helped ice the game with an empty-netter during the final seconds.

Last year, Barber finished with five goals and three assists in 38 games with the Avs. Barber also finished with a +1 rating. All five of his goals last season came against the Fairbanks Ice Dogs.

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