Avs suffer 11th straight loss

WASILLA — Following his team’s 11th straight loss on Wednesday, Alaska head coach Jamie Smith had a simple message for his team.

“Keep working.”

“When you’re in a bad run, you need the little breaks. But I tell the kids, you can’t pout about it. You just gotta keep working.” Smith said after his team’s 6-2 loss to Topeka at the Curtis C. Menard II Memorial Ice Arena. “Work, work, work. Work and get better.”

With his simple message, Smith is also urging his squad to focus on the simple things — moving the puck, forechecking, outworking the opponent in the offensive zone, and last but not least, getting shots on net.

“Do the simple things, work harder in the offensive zone and shoot the puck,” Smith said. “Guys are pulling up, just waiting for the perfect opportunity. It’s tough.”

Alaska was out-shot 40-15 in the game, and failed to manage more than six shots in a single period.

“Fire the puck on the net, you see what they’re doing,” Smith said, referring to Topeka’s tendency to pepper the Alaska goal. “They’re throwing it on the net every chance they get, and then all the sudden, boom — there’s a rebound. The puck lands on somebody’s stick, and there’s a goal.”

Topeka used that approach to build a 3-1 lead early in the second period, and cap the game with three unanswered scores.

Matt Hartmann and Eriah Hayes led the RoadRunners with a pair of goals each, while Dennis Brown posted three assists.

“That’s a good hockey team; they’re tough,” Smith said of the RoadRunners who improved to 26-9-3 with the win and skated to within four points of first-place Wichita Falls in the North American Hockey League South Division standings. “They’re 20-year-old loaded. They’ve got some skilled guys. They’ve got some Division I guys.”

Despite the discrepancy on the shot chart, the Avs were within reach of the RoadRunners for much of two-and-a-half periods.

After Hartmann scored five-hole on the power play early in the first period, Alaska forward Jeremiah Dargis scored with 5 minutes and 3 seconds remaining in the first to tie the score at 1-1.

Dargis took a pass from defenseman Nick Kelly at the blue line to create a 1-on-1 opportunity in the RoadRunners zone. With only one defenseman separating himself from the Topeka net and goaltender Lyle Rocker, Dargis used his long reach to sweep around the blueliner and put a shot on goal.

Dargis put the shot on goal, Rocker fell to his knees and Alaska forward Tyler Currier crashed the net, creating a pile in the crease. The score was not immediately allowed, but after on-ice officials conferred, the former Wasilla High School standout was credited with his 15th goal of the season.

Alaska cut Topeka’s lead to 3-2 early in the third when forward Dylan Jones capitalized on a Avalanche odd-man rush.

With Jones and captain Alex Young streaking past the blue line, Young shifted a nearly perfect pass to Jones, who flipped the puck into the upper shelf of the Topeka net.

Despite a losing streak that now stands at a franchise-record 11 losses — the then Wasilla Spirit had lost 10 straight games during the 2005-06 season — the Avs continue to be right in the playoff

hunt.

Alaska (15-26-2) stands in fifth place of the South Division with 32 points, and the Avs are only six points behind a Texas squad that has played four more games than Alaska.

“If we improve, and can get five points in the next five games,” Smith said. “then it comes down to Texas coming here and a head-to-head matchup.”

That pivotal series, a two-game set, is scheduled for March 1-2 at the Menard Arena.

“Then our last four games are Fairbanks, we’re not out of the mix,” Smith said. “We just need to keep improving and getting better and better.”

Dargis said despite the losses, he still has faith that his team believes in its ability to win, and continue to fight for that fourth playoff spot.

“I think we all know the chance is there, and it’s more than just a chance. We can do this,” Dargis said. “I think we’re going to be all right. We’re going to be OK.”

Topeka 6, Alaska 2

Wednesday, Menard Memorial Arena

Topeka 2-1-3—6

Alaska 1-0-1—2

First period — 1. Topeka- Hartmann (Artman, Wolfgram) pp 7:49, 2. Alaska- Dargis (Kelly) 14:57, 3. Topeka- Sundstedt (Stoddard, Brown) 19:03.

Second period — 4. Topeka- Hartmann (George, Brown) 14:39.

Third period — 5. Alaska- Jones (Young) 2:10, 6. Topeka- Seckel (Jendras, Kamrass) pp 5:14, 7. Topeka- Hayes (Shafer, Brown) 11:41, 8. Hayes (McGrath, Shafer) 15:58.

Shots on goal: Topeka 15-17-8—40, Alaska 6-6-3—15; Saves: Topeka- Rocker 5-6-2—13, Alaska- Sidor 13-16-5—34; Power plays: Topeka 2-for-7, Alaska 0-for-5; Penalties: Topeka 8-for-16, Alaska 9-for-18.