Avs shot down

WASILLA — When is a goal not a goal?

The Alaska Avalanche found out the answer to that question the hard way Friday night, as the Kenai River Brown Bears won a disputed shootout at the Curtis C. Menard II Memorial Ice Arena in Wasilla.

With the shootout tied at 2-2, Alaska's Tyler Currier appeared to beat Kenai River goalie Matt Wichorek for the go-ahead score when the puck trickled across the goal line. But the apparent tally was waved off as officials ruled the puck had come to rest in Wichorek's pads before rolling into the net.

Alaska coach Jamie Smith was less than thrilled with the decision.

“I didn't like it,” Smith said. “I thought it was terrible”

Currier briefly protested to the officials, who conferred for nearly a minute before deciding to wave off the goal.

“That's not the way I saw it, but what can you do?” Currier said.

Former Kenai Central standout Jed McGlasson played the role of hometown hero for the Brown Bears, beating Alaska goalie Dusan Sidor in the eighth round of the shootout for the game-winner, his second score of the night.

Had the Currier goal been allowed, Alaska likely would have been able to stretch its streak of consecutive shootout wins over the Brown Bears to six in a row this season. Instead, Kenai River picked up its second win over its Southcentral Alaska rival in three nights, and sent the Avs to their fourth consecutive defeat. Kenai River also took a 7-3 win from the Avs Wednesday at the Menard.

Despite starting the game with a man advantage due to a pregame Kenai River penalty for crossing the center line, Alaska found itself trailing after just one minute of play when Brown Bears forward Brett Englebright beat Sidor, who was falling down on the play. The shorthanded score came on Kenai River's first shot of the evening.

Less than two minutes later, Kenai River made it 2-0 when McGlasson broke free and beat Sidor with a backhanded shot — only Kenai River's third of the game.

Sidor settled down after his early shakiness, saving 29 of the final 30 shots he faced to finish with an even 30 stops.

The Avs finally showed signs of life late in the period when Kyle Pichler crashed the net to get on the end of a Kent Detlefsen pass, beating Kenai River goalie Matt Wichorek to cut the lead to 2-1 heading into the first intermission.

The teams traded goals in the second. Alaska pulled even on a monster slap shot from the blue line by Alex Young with the Avs on the power play, but Kenai River again went up when Tad Norris put in his own rebound to make it 3-2 after two.

Detlefsen started the play that led to Alaska's game-tying goal, ripping one of his patented slap shots hard off Wichorek's pads. Dylan Jones got the first crack at the rebound, which again bounced in front of the Kenai River net — this time right to Young. The third time was a charm for Alaska, as Young finished the play with his second goal of the game.

Alaska had to kill off a penalty to start the overtime, one in which neither team was able to find the net.

Wichorek finished with 28 saves to pick up his second win in three nights against the Avs.

Smith said he was happier with his team's play Friday than he was Wednesday, when the Avs were embarrassed by six Kenai River goals in the third period, and found a silver lining to Friday’s loss.

“At least we get a point out of it,” he said.

The one point for a shootout loss improved the Avs to 13-15-2 (28 points) on the season, good enough for fourth place in the North American Hockey League's South division. Kenai River got two points for the win, moving to 8-17-6 (22 points) and pulling within six points of the Avalanche for the division's final playoff spot.

The two teams will drop the puck at 7 p.m. tonight, the final game of the series between the two teams this season.

Contact Matt Tunseth at 352-2265 or matt.tunseth@frontiersman.com

BROWN BEARS 4, AVALANCHE 3 (shootout)

Kenai River 2 1 0 0(1) — 4

Alaska 1 1 1 0 — 3

First period — 1. Kenai River- Englebright (un), 1:01, sh; 2. Kenai River- McGlasson (Brown, Murphy), 3:30; 3. Alaska- Pichler (Young, Jones), 14:42.

Second period — 4. Alaska- Young (Detlefsen), 8:52, pp; 5. Kenai River- J. Harris (Norris, McDonald), 10:24

Third period — 6. Alaska- Young (Jones, Detlefsen), 14:46, pp

Overtime — none.

Shootout — 7. Kenai River- McGlasson.

Penalties: Kenai River 10 for 5; Alaska 7 for 14.

Power plays: Kenai River 0 for 6; Alaska 2 for 4.

Shots: Kenai River 8-14-9-2-1 — 34. Alaska 10-9-10-2-0 — 31.

Saves: Kenai River- Wichorek 9-8-9-2 — 28; Alaska- Sidor 6-13-9-2 — 30.