Avs ready to skate into brutal stretch

PALMER — Neither Alaska Avalanche head coach Corey Millen or assistant Josh Petrich can ever remember playing seven games in nine days during their hockey careers. And Millen was a college hockey star at the University of Minnesota and a longtime NHL player.

But seven games in nine days — that’s exactly what their players will have to endure.

Alaska begins that brutal stretch with a pair of games against the Fresno Monsters tonight and Saturday in Fresno, Calif.

“It’s definitely tough. But we’ve got a good group of kids, we just have to bear down,” Petrich said by cellphone from Fresno Thursday evening. “We’ve got 14 big points at hand.”

Alaska will try to use the games — two at Fresno, three at home against Dawson Creek and two more road games at Kenai River — to keep climbing the crowded ladder that is the North American Hockey League West Division.

Alaska (12-8-1) currently sits in third place with 25 points, just a point shy of second-place Fairbanks (10-5-6) and four points behind first-place Kenai River (14-5-1). The Avs also are four points ahead of fourth-place Fresno (8-6-5), Alaska’s opponent this weekend.

Alaska pulled within the point of Fairbanks by taking 2 of 3 during a three-game set at Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada, last week.

The Rage built an early four-goal lead and held on for a 4-2 win over the Avs during the first game. But Alaska responded with victories of 7-2 and 5-3 the next two nights.

“From the third period Friday on, we played pretty well,” Petrich said. “We just dug ourselves too big of a hole (on Friday).”

The Avs powered their way to consecutive wins over the Rage, netting a trio of power-play tallies.

“We took advantage of the power plays they gave us,” Petrich said.

The Avs were boosted by the return of forward Brandon Brossoit, who had two goals and an assist in the three-game set.

“Brandon is offensively gifted, he helps us out a lot,” Petrich said.

A handful of Alaska players piled up the points during the long weekend. Rookie forward Evan Janssen, who leads the team in scoring with 25 points (12 goals, 13 assists), scored a goal each night, and finished the weekend with 3-4-7 totals. Ryan Dau, another first-year forward, finished with 2-3-5 totals.

Captain Joe Schmitz collected two assists on Saturday and added a pair of goals on Sunday.

“A lot of guys had big weekends,” Petrich said.

In goal, Bodhi Engum earned wins on back-to-back nights for Alaska.

“Bodhi was unbelievable on Saturday, and we went back with him,” Petrich said.

After the weekend series in California, the Avs return home to host Dawson Creek on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Alaska hits the road again, with games at Kenai River next Friday and Saturday.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com and follow him at twitter.com/matsu_sports.