Avs skate to split with Brown Bears

PALMER — In a game seemingly destined for overtime, Kenai River forward Brad Duwe made sure the Brown Bears weren’t playing any extra hockey Friday night. The former Soldotna High standout scored one of Kenai’s three third-period goals during the final minute of regulation to give the Bears the win.

But on Saturday, Alaska posted the key third-period score to grab a 3-2 win over the Brown Bears.

“We’d like to get a sweep, but with what happened on Friday, it was nice to bounce back and get the win,” Alaska head coach Brian Huebel said. “We’re happy with the split.”

Wasilla High graduate Matt Friese scored with less than three minutes to go to help the Avs earn the win and the series split.

“We got a little insurance in the third and were able to grind it out,” Huebel said.

Alaska scored a pair of power-play goals en route to the win. Captain Zach Smith scored with the advantage in the first to give the Avs the lead, and Andy Pearson pushed Alaska’s advantage to 2-0 with another power-play goal in the second.

Doug Beck scored his NAHL-leading 10th power-play goal at the 4:26 mark of the second to cut Alaska’s lead in half.

Beck added another goal at the 20-minute mark of the third.

With the split, Alaska stays in second place of the NAHL West with a 21-13-1 mark and 43 total points. Kenai River (15-13-3, 33 points) stays in fourth.

Fairbanks extended its West Division lead to three points over the Avs by sweeping a three-game series with Fresno in California over the weekend.

On Friday, with the Bears skating on the power play, Duwe knocked a puck by Alaska goalie Blake Mendenhall at the 19:10 mark of the third. Connor Wright added an empty-netter 32 seconds later to ice the game.

Kenai scored a trio of third-period goals to erase an early 1-0 deficit and earn its fourth win over the Avalanche in eight tries.

Sean Muller scored eight minutes into the third to put the Bears on the scoreboard.

Cody Bisbing scored in the first for the Avalanche.

Kenai River outshot Alaska 37-31 Friday and 38-25 Saturday.

Mendenhall and Peterson made 34 saves and 36 saves respectively on Friday and Saturday.

Alaska is now off until Dec. 31 when the Avs play the Fairbanks Ice Dogs in the Interior.

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

Alaska 3, Kenai River 2

Saturday, MTA Palmer Ice Arena

First period — 1. Smith (Pearson, Williams) pp 10:51.

Second period — 2. Alaska- Pearson (Williams, Friese) pp 1:54; 3. Kenai- Beck (Persson, Duwe) pp 4:26.

Third period — 4. Alaska- Friese (Tryggeseth) 17:16; 5. Kenai- Beck (Duwe, Lubanksi) 20:00.

Shots on goal: Kenai 11-20-7—38, Alaska 10-8-7—25; Saves: Kenai- Dahlstrom 9-7-6—22, Alaska- Peterson 11-19-6—36; Power plays: Kenai 1-for-4, Alaska 2-for-5.

Kenai River 3, Alaska 1

Friday, MTA Palmer Ice Arena

First period — 1. Alaska- Bisbing (Hesse) 7:47.

Second period — no scoring.

Third period — 2. Kenai- Muller (Murphy) 8:05; 3. Kenai- Duwe (Beck, Ware) pp 19:10; 4. Kenai- Wright (Frere, Keenan) en 19:42.

Shots on goal: Kenai River 12-16-9—37, Alaska 13-11-7—31; Saves: Kenai- Dahlstrom 12-11-7—30, Alaska- Mendenhall 12-16-6—34; Power plays: Kenai 1-for-4, Alaska 0-for-5.