Brown Bears snap 11-game losing streak with win over Avalanche

WASILLA — On Tuesday, Alaska used a 5-2 win over Kenai River to score its first win in seven games.

On Wednesday, it was the Brown Bears’ turn to snap a streak.

Kenai River stopped an 11-game losing skid with a 3-1 win over the Avalanche at the Curtis C. Menard II Memorial Ice Arena in Wasilla.

Kenai forward Doug Beck scored a pair of goals, and Kenai scored twice within a two-minute stretch of the third to give the Brown Bears’ their first win since a 3-2 shootout win over Alaska on Oct. 23.

“They out-played us,” Alaska head coach Dave Boitz said.

After Matthew Friese gave the Avs the 1-0 lead nine minutes into regulation, Kenai River scored three unanswered and goalie Dainis Vasiljevs made 21 saves in the final two periods.

Alaska meanwhile, looked flat as the Avs dropped to 17-8-6 overall and lost in regulation time for the fifth time in seven games.

“We didn’t have any energy,” Boitz said. “They out-played us. Their power play was better. Their passing was crisper. They went to the net harder.”

Beck capped an odd-man rush nearly 10 minutes into the second to record the first of his two goals and tie the game at 1-1.

Less than three minutes later, forward James Ramsey shoveled in a pass from the point to Brad Duwe, who used the back of his blade to push a shot past Alaska goalie Kale Robertson at the 12:02 mark.

Duwe’s goal gave the Bears the 2-0 lead.

Early in the third, buried in a crowd of players in front of the net, Beck punched a shot past Robertson to give the Bears the two-goal lead.

While Beck and Duwe gave Kenai the lead, Vasiljevs and the Brown Bear blue line preserved it.

Vasiljevs turned away 12 third-period shots, and Kenai killed a key 5-on-3 during the final nine minutes of the third.

Less than a minute after Kenai’s Brett Lubanski was sent to the box for tripping, forward Ryan Townsend was tagged with roughing, delay of game and unsporstmanlike conduct misconduct penalties after he checked Alaska forward Robb Haider into the Avalanche goal.

Those calls created a 70-second two-man advantage for the Avs, but Alaska was unable to capitalize.

Alaska had the advantage for most of the final 90 seconds of the game after pulling Robertson from the net.

The Avs kept the pressure on the Kenai net, but were unable to crack Vasiljevs once again.

Vasiljevs snagged a quick Kyle Pichler wrister during Alaska’s 6-on-5 chance, and former Brown Bear Jed McGlasson knocked a shot off the post as the Avs skated with the extra attacker.

Those were arguably Alaska’s best chances while playing with the sixth skater.

The loss marks Alaska’s final action of the calendar year — the Avs are off until Jan. 8 — and the break may not have come at a better time for the Avs.

Clinging to second place in the North American Hockey League West, the Avs are 1-5-3 in their last nine. The Avs have lost key players such as defenseman Daniel Hildenbrandt, and forwards Andy Pearson and Seth Johnson to injury.

Sickness has also been making its way through the Alaska locker room, Boitz said.

“It’s been a tough stretch,” Boitz said. “We’re really beat up. We’ve got a lot of guys hurt, a lot of guys sick, and a lot of guys not playing very hard.”

Kenai, meanwhile, celebrated victory for the first time in about six weeks. The Bears were 0-10-1 in their last 11. All of those losses came to teams within the division.

Kenai River is now 6-23-2, one of three NAHL teams with a league-low six wins.

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

Kenai River 3, Alaska 1

Wednesday, Menard Arena

First period — 1. Alaska- Friese (Huppert) 9:10.

Second period — 2. Kenai River- Beck (Bayagich, Kinnebrew) 9:49, 3. Kenai River- Duwe (Ramsey) 12:02.

Third period — 4. Kenai River- Beck (Bayagich) 1:49.

Shots on goal: Kenai River 7-12-9—28, Alaska 10-8-12—30; Saves: Kenai River- Vasiljevs 9-8-12—29, Alaska- Robertsno 7-10-8—27; Power plays: Kenai River 0-for-2, Alaska 0-for-3.