Avs win in 2OT, storm to 2-1 playoff series lead

WENATCHEE, Wash. — It took nearly 100 minutes to decide it, but the Alaska Avalanche are headed back to the Valley with a playoff series lead.

Rookie forward Jordan Watt scored with 19 seconds remaining in the second overtime to lift the Avs to a 3-2 win over the Wenatchee Wild Saturday night at the Toyota Town Center in Wenatchee, Wash.

Parked in front of the Wenatchee net, Watt knocked a puck by Wenatchee goalie Robert Nichols late in the second extra period to give the Avs the win and the 2-1 series lead over the Wild in the North American Hockey League best-of-5 first-round playoff set. Saturday’s win was the second straight overtime victory for Alaska. The Avs edged Wenatchee 2-1 in overtime on Friday.

“We’re a hard-working team. We’ll never quit,” Watt said by cellphone from Wenatchee after the win. “We’re going to keep on coming and coming and coming.”

After falling behind early in the series with a 4-1 loss on Thursday, the Avs guaranteed there would be playoff hockey in the Valley with Friday’s win.

“The fact we’re coming home to our building with a 2-1 lead is the greatest feeling in the world,” Alaska assistant Josh Petrich said. “We’re so excited to bring playoff hockey back to Palmer. We absolutely feel great at home. We love it at home, and now we get to play in front of our fans.”

With the back-to-back victories, the Avs are now one victory away from winning their first playoff series in the organization’s seven-year history. Game 4 is slated for Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the MTA Events Center in Palmer. A fifth game, if necessary, would be played Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

Forward Mitch Kontny fed Watt with a centering pass to set up the game-winning goal.

“We dumped in the puck. Kontny was behind the net and did the dirty work,” Watt said.

Evan Hesse and Connor Wright also scored for the Avs in the win. Both of Alaska’s regulation scores came within a four-minute stretch of the second period. Wenatchee’s Trace Redmond scored midway through the first to give the Wild the 1-0 lead. Blake Roubos found the back of the net with less than three minute to go in regulation to tie the score at 2.

Wenatchee and Alaska combined for 86 shots in a five-period game dominated by the goaltenders — Nichols and Alaska’s Bodie Engum.

“Robert Nichols and Bodie stole the show,” Petrich said. “It was a goaltending war. Both goalies definitely deserved to win that game. It was too bad one of them had to lose, but I am way happier it was us winning.”

Engum made 43 saves in the game, and a combined 11 in the two overtime periods.

“Our goalie was unbelievable,” Watt said. “He stood on his head. He played fantastic in the two games he’s played.”

Engum also picked up the win on Friday.

Wenatchee was 6-2 against the Avs in eight regular season games this season and swept Alaska out of the playoffs last year.

“Wenatchee thought they were going to come out and sweep us out,” Watt said. “We definitely proved them wrong.”

Petrich called it the best game he’s seen in years.

“For a coach, it was physically and emotionally draining. I can’t imagine what it does for the players,” Petrich said. “These are two teams which left it out on the ice, which is great.”

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

Alaska 3, Wenatchee 2 2OT

Game 3, best-of-5 series

Saturday, Wenatchee, Wash.

First period — 1. Wenatchee- Redmond (Stewart, Carey) 10:43.

Second period — 2. Alaska- Hesse (unassisted) 13:03; 3. Alaska- Wright (Darge, Schmitz) 16:26.

Third period — 4. Wenatchee- Roubos (Carey) 17:15.

First overtime — no scoring.

Second overtime — 5. Alaska- Watt (unassisted) 19:41.

Shots on goal: Wenatchee 16-8-10-8-3—45, Alaska 6-13-6-7-9—41; Saves: Wenatchee- Nichols 6-11-6-7-8—38, Alaska- Engum 15-8-9-8-3—43; Power plays: Wenatchee 0 for 5, Alaska 0 for 4.

Avs 2, Wild 1 OT

WENATCHEE, Wash. — The Avalanche franchise erased a playoff drought with a 2-1 overtime win over the Wenatchee Wild on Friday in Wenatchee, Wash.

It marked Alaska’s first postseason win since April 3, 2009, and snapped the organization’s 10-game postseason losing streak.

Alaska’s 2009 playoff victory also came in extra time.

Defenseman Patrick Kinkopf scored just more than 90 seconds into the sudden-death tiebreaker Friday to lift the Avs. Forward Brandon Brossoit recorded the assist on the play. Both players are former members of the Wenatchee Wild. Kinkopf was acquired in a trade before the season. Brossoit was traded from Wenatchee to Alaska last year.

Blueliner Jeff Bergh also scored for Alaska.

The Avs outshot Wenatchee 14-4 in the third period and 32-17 in the game. Rookie goalie Bodie Engum stopped 16 saves to earn the win in the Avalanche net.

Alaska 2, Wenatchee 1

NAHL first-round

Friday, Wenatchee

First period — no scoring.

Second period — 1. Wenatchee- Kerr (Tafoya) pp 7:17.

Third period — 2. Alaska- Bergh (Wright) 15:44.

Overtime — 3. Alaska- Kinkopf (Brossoit) 1:33.

Shots on goal: Alaska 8-9-14-1—32, Wenatchee 7-6-4-0—17; Saves: Alaska- Engum 7-5-4-0—16, Wenatchee- Lewis 8-8-13-0—30.