Back ‘on track’ just business as usual for Avs

WASILLA — It took 60 minutes to erase more than a month of frustration.

Thanks to a 3-2 win over Kenai River on Jan. 2 and a 4-2 victory the following night, Alaska’s grueling 11-game losing skid is a thing of the past.

But while Alaska did post its first victories since late November, the funny thing is, Alaska head coach Dave Boitz said there wasn’t a big difference during the play of his team during the wins, when compared to the team’s overall performance during a few of their losses.

“We didn’t play a whole lot different than when we played Wenatchee,” Boitz said Wednesday, referring to three losses to the Wild that started the Avalanche slide.

Like the wins over Kenai, Alaska was able to consistently put the puck on the net — the Avs averaged 32 shots per game during the losing streak — but Alaska was not always able to turn away its opponent’s scoring chances.

“The difference was our goalies played good enough for us to win,” Boitz said.

Dylan Woodring stopped 18 shots during the first win of the series and Nathaniel Pellegrino posted 19 saves the following day. And better yet, during the series, Alaska surrendered just a pair of even-strength goals.

Now, as the Avs take their newly-found winning streak north to face the North American Hockey League-leading Fairbanks Ice Dogs in a two-game series that starts tonight at the Big Dipper Ice Arena in Fairbanks, Boitz knows the Avs will have to continue to get solid play in net if Alaska hopes to stay off the losing side of the scoresheet.

“We have to get good goaltending,” Boitz said. “But we can’t rely on just the goaltending. We have to play good defense.”

Boitz said he’s not just looking for the blueliners to play well on defense, but also his forwards. Defense will obviously key for Alaska when facing Fairbanks, a team that has scored 120 goals this season, a number good enough for fourth in the NAHL.

Fairbanks (20-6-4) skates into the series with 44 points, fourth-best in the league. The Ice Dogs remain as one of only six clubs in the 19-team league with single-digit losses, but two of the Dogs’ six defeats came last week in Wenatchee. The Wild sweep marked the first time this season the Ice Dogs have skated off the ice without a win in a series.

Forward Austin Block, tied for sixth in the NAHL with 37 points, leads the Ice Dogs in scoring. Block’s 13 goals and 24 assists are also team highs.

Forwards Eric Craft (10-18-28), Brad McCabe (18-9-27) and Andrew McCabe (8-19-27) all have 27 or more points.

Fairbanks goalie Phil Cook is fifth in the NAHL with a .924 saves percentage.

Alaska forward Tyler Currier (10-11-21) continues to lead the Avs in scoring, but has been held without a goal since Nov. 30.

Forward Zach Smith (10-9-19) is tied for the team lead with 10 goals.

Avs acquire forward

Alaska acquired forward Cory Belisle in a trade with North Iowa last week.

Belisle, a 5-foot-10 and 175-pound front-liner, is a native of Anoka, Minn., the hometown of Boitz.

Not only do Boitz and Belisle share a hometown, but Boitz also tendered the 19-year-old last season while Boitz was still the head coach at North Iowa.

Boitz said Belisle was a touted prospect in high school and scored 35 goals as a senior.

Belisle appeared in 16 games with North Iowa, grabbing two goals and five assists. Boitz said Belisle was simply a young player fighting for playing time among a deep group of forwards at North Iowa, and the trade to Alaska should allow the touted player to develop.

“He’s an extremely talented offensive player,” Boitz said. “He’s a pretty good sized kid and skates well.”

Belisle scored his first goal as a member of the Avalanche during the 4-2 win over the Brown Bears.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.

NAHL Standings

East Division

Team GP W-L-OTL Pts

Mahoning Valley 31 20-8-3 43

Traverse City 31 18-8-5 41

Alpena 33 18-12-3 39

Marquette 35 16-15-4 36

USNTDP 28 15-11-2 32

Motor City 30 6-23-1 13

Central Division

North Iowa 32 19-10-3 41

Alexandria 31 18-10-3 39

Bismarck 30 18-11-1 37

Owatonna 32 16-15-1 33

Albert Lea 32 2-26-4 8

South Division

St. Louis 37 27-7-3 57

Topeka 34 27-4-3 57

Wichita Falls 29 13-12-4 30

Springfield 32 9-18-5 23

West Division

Fairbanks 30 20-6-4 44

Wentachee 23 13-9-1 27

Alaska 27 11-15-1 23

Kenai River 33 9-21-3 21

Alaska leaders

Scoring

Player GP G-A-PTS

1. Tyler Currier 27 10-11-21

2. Zach Smith 25 10-9-19

3. Ryan Kowal 26 7-10-17

Jason Cohen 25 3-14-17

5. Kyle Pichler 25 8-8-16

Shawn McNeely 27 3-13-16

7. Robb Haider 23 4-8-12

8. N. Nagtzaam 18 5-6-11

Justin Giles 26 4-7-11

10. Jake Parenteu 18 5-4-9