Avs keep fighting against top team in division

WASILLA — The Alaska Avalanche proved on Friday, even though the team is enduring a franchise-record losing streak, the Avs keep battling.

Sparked by a rousing fight in the early moments of the second period, Alaska used an Avalanche of effort to score three goals and virtually dominate the play in the middle frame.

Unfortunately for the Mat-Su Valley team, Wichita Falls scored three times in the third, and skated off the ice of the Curtis C. Menard II Memorial Arena with a 6-4 win over the Avalanche.

Wichita Falls scored twice during a four-minute span midway through the third and buried an empty-netter with five seconds left in regulation to squash Alaska’s hopes of snapping a losing skid that dates back to Jan. 4.

It marked the second consecutive night in which the Avs were within reach of upsetting the top team in the North American Hockey League’s South Division standings. Wichita Falls needed an overtime score to slip past the fifth-place Avalanche on Thursday.

Despite the loss, the Avs enjoyed a stellar second period.

Adam Friese, Alex Rasmussen and Michael McCurtain each scored for the Avs in the second period, and Alaska outshot the Wildcats 22-11 in the middle frame.

“That’s probably one of the best periods we’ve played all year,” Alaska captain Alex Young said after the game.

With the Avs trailing 2-0, Young brought 953 fans to their feet within the first three seconds of the second period after he dropped the gloves and squared off with Wichita Falls tough guy Justin Javorek at center ice.

After a few bobs and a couple of weaves, Young grabbed Javorek’s jersey and landed a handful of his close-fisted offerings before creating a pile on the Menard ice.

Both were issued five-minute fighting majors, and as Young skated toward the box the Alaska captain waved his arms in the air — a move that drew a raucous ovation akin to what’s seen during an encore at an Ozzy Osbourne concert.

And for the next 20 minutes, the Avs looked like a college team skating against the peewees.

“It got the guys going,” Young said. “Got the guys pumped up.”

Fueled by the Young scuffle, Friese landed the first offensive punch 5:34 into the second. After Alaska forward Jeremiah Dargis pushed the puck up the ice and into the Wildcats’ defensive zone, Friese skated beyond the blue line to retrieve the puck. The speedy Wasilla High School senior then skated away from the Wichita Falls defensive formation, and just before the right circle, Friese sent a quick wrist shot into the far side of the net to cut the Wildcats’ advantage to 2-1.

Rasmussen tied the score four minutes later when he tallied the one of the Alaska fourth line’s two goals in the period. With a pair of Avs crashing the net, Rasmussen powered the puck by Wichita Falls netminder Phillip Graveline.

The Minot, N.D., native also assisted on Alaska’s third goal of the period.

Rasmussen and his mates on the fourth line — McCurtian and Sean Ranum — set up the odd-man rush, and moved the puck toward the Wildcat net as the final seconds ticked off the second period clock.

With Rasmussen and Ranum perched on each side of the net. McCurtain — standing in front — knocked the puck past Graveline with seven seconds left in the period to tie the score at 3-3.

In the third period, Dargis and Kyle Politz capped a rush with Politz’ first goal as a member of the Avalanche. That cut Wichita’s lead to 5-4, but the Wildcats were able to keep Alaska from scoring the equalizer.

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

Wichita Falls 6, Alaska 4

Friday, Menard Memorial Arena

Wichita Falls 2-1-3—6

Alaska 0-3-1—4

First period — 1. Wichita Falls- Cardwell (Salazar, Everett) 0:21, 2. Wichita Falls- Henderson (Shkreli, Jameson) 4:00.

Second period — 3. Alaska- Friese (Dargis, Kranz) 5:34, 4. Alaska- Rasmussen (Cohen, Kranz) 9:57, 5. Wichita Falls- Detlefsen (Schkreli, Jameson) 11:27, 6. Alaska- McCurtain (Ranum, Rasmussen) 19:53.

Third period — 7. Wichita Falls- Schkreli (Detlefsen, Salazar) 10:42, 8. Wichita Falls- Cardwell (Everett, Salazar) 14:46, 9. Alaska- Politz (Dargis, Krantz) 15:52, 10. Wichita Falls- Hartung (unassisted) en 19:55.

Shots on goal: Wichita Falls 13-11-20—44, Alaska 4-22-2—30; Saves: Wichita Falls- Graveline 4-19-3—26, Alaska- Corey 2-x-x—2, Sidor 11-10-17—37; Power plays: Wichita Falls 1-for-3, Alaska 0-for-2; Penalties: Wichita Falls 3-for-9, Alaska 4-for-11.