Avs rebound Friday, fall again Saturday

PALMER — The Alaska Avalanche coaches knew Gage Christianson had a knack for finding the back of the net.

Friday, the Anchorage native proved he could also come through with the clutch score.

The Anchorage native scored the game-winning power-play goal with 1 minute and 36 seconds left in regulation to give the Avs a 6-5 win Friday over the Fairbanks Ice Dogs at the MTA Events Center in Palmer.

Christianson, who scored twice in the win, won a battle in front of the net after the Avs kicked the puck loose from the corner. With the goals, Christianson became the team’s top scorer with 38 points (11 goals and a team-high 27 assists).

The game-winner was his third of the year.

“When we traded for him, the biggest thing we knew, he was going to be able to score,” Alaska assistant Josh Petrich said of Christianson, who was acquired in an offseason deal with division rival Wenatchee. “We knew that was what he was going to bring to the club.”

Wehebe Darge also scored twice for the Avs, who led by two goals twice in the game. Blueliners Joe Schmitz and Jeff Bergh added goals.

“There was a lot of offense,” Petrich said. “The d-zone was pretty sloppy for both teams.”

Schmitz and Darge scored goals during a five-minute span in the third to give the Avs the 4-2 lead. Bergh’s goal 16 seconds into the third game Alaska a 5-3 advantage.

“We were up by two goals at two points in the game and we didn’t shut them down,” Petrich said. “We gave them life. We could have put the hammer down and we didn’t.”

Chritianson’s game-winner gave the Avs their lone victory of the three-game series. Fairbanks won 3-0 on Thursday and took the series with an ugly 7-2 decision on Saturday.

The North American Hockey League West Division rivals combined for 163 penalty minutes during the final game of the series. A dozen players received fighting majors in the third period, three players were ejected and four others were handed 10-minute misconducts in the third.

Alaska remains in first place of the NAHL West with a 28-14-3 record and 59 points. Fairbanks moved within six points of the Avs, and sit in second with a 23-9-7 record and 53 points.

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

Alaska 6, Fairbanks 5

Friday, MTA Events Center

First period — 1. Fairbanks- Osborn (Levin, Hajdukovich) pp 14:49; 2. Alaska- Darge (Nelson, Hansen) 18:08.

Second period — 3. Alaska- Christianson (Watt, Hesse) 2:00; 4. Fairbanks- Osborn (Wolter, O’Rourke) 3:54; 5. Alaska- Schmitz (Hesse) pp 8:03; 6. Alaska- Darge (Novakovich, Janssen) 13:00; 7. Fairbanks- Clemmend (Hajdukovich, Levin) 14:23.

Third period — 8. Alaska- Bergh (Darge, Hansen) 0:16; 9. Fairbanks- Earnest (Munson) 4:19; 10. Fairbanks- Munson (O’Rourke, Levin) pp 14:07; 11. Alaska- Christianson (Watt, Novakovich) pp 18:24.

Shots on goal: Fairbanks 14-7-8—29, Alaska 10-9-5—24; Saves: Fairbanks- Fons 9-6-3—18, Alaska- Engum 13-5-6—24; Power plays: Fairbanks 2 for 4, Alaska 2 for 4.

Fairbanks 7, Alaska 2

Saturday, MTA Events Center

First period — 1. Fairbanks- Carlson (Osborn, Munson) 7:05; 2. Fairbanks- Wolter (Birkinbine) 10:59; 3. Fairbanks- Romo (Wendling, Racklin) 14:53; 4. Fairbanks- Hajdukovich (Levin, O’Rourke) 17:40.

Second period — 5. Alaska- Darge (Dau) 10:35; 6. Alaska- Hansen (Darge, Hesse) 10:48; 7. Fairbanks- Levin (Hajdukovich, O’Rourke) pp 19:41.

Third period — 8. Fairbanks- Hajdukovich (unassisted) 2:44; 9. Fairbanks- Carlson (Wendling, Hinz) 11:41.

Shots on goal: Fairbanks 8-7-8—23, Alaska 8-11-1—20; Saves: Fairbanks- Perry 8-9-1—18, Alaska- Kulmanovsky 4-6-6—16; Power plays: Fairbanks 2 for 9, Alaska 0 for 5.