HOCKEY SHOWCASE: With NAHL expansion possible, Alaska junior hockey teams hosting game at Palmer’s MTA Events Center

PALMER — It’s been six years since the Valley lost its North American Hockey League Junior A hockey team, the Alaska Avalanche. But the NAHL is back for one night, fueled by a campaign for the league to expand in Alaska.

The NAHL’s two Alaskan teams, the Kenai River Brown Bears and Fairbanks Ice Dogs, will drop the puck Friday at 7:30 p.m. in Palmer.

“It’s kind of a two-fold thing,” Kenai River head coach Josh Petrich said recently. “It’s about exposing people to the level of play, the quality of players in the North American Hockey League.”

Petrich is also making a return to Palmer. The Elk River, Minnesota, native served as an assistant coach with the Avalanche during the 2011-12 season. Petrich is now in his first season as the head coach of the Brown Bears. Before Petrich made his move to the Peninsula prior to this season, the Brown Bears appeared to be on their way out of the Kenai area.

The organization struggled on an off the ice, and the team’s days were numbered. Thanks to a late community effort, and thousands of dollars raised, the Brown Bears were able to stay for the 2017-18 season.

Petrich said things are looking up for the franchise, and attendance is on the rise. The Bears drew nearly 1,600 fans during its game against Springfield March 17. Petrich said team officials have already signed paperwork that guarantees the Brown Bears will play at the Soldotna Sports Center against next year.

Now, the focus is on the future of both the Brown Bears and the Ice Dogs, Petrich said. Petrich said representatives of both organizations would like to see two more teams in the 49th state, which would create a four-team Alaska division in the NAHL, which currently has 23 teams spread across the country.

“Us and Fairbanks would love to see two more teams, love to see an Alaska division,” Petrich said. “Travel would be a lot easier.”

Petrich said the Brown Bears have already had trips to the Lower 48 this season that have lasted up to 45 days.

“That’s tough on the boys,” Petrich said. “If we had two more teams, we could go up on a bus on a Thursday morning and go back on a Saturday night after the games. That would be great.”

The Valley was home to a Junior A hockey program in the Tier II NAHL from 2005 through 2012. The team, based in both Wasilla and Palmer, was known as the Wasilla Spirit during the 2005-06 season. The organization was rebranded as the Alaska Avalanche prior to the 2006-07 season called the Menard Sports Center in Wasilla home until the team moved to the MTA Events Center in Palmer before the 2010-11 season for financial reasons.

Petrich said Anchorage, Wasilla and Palmer are viewed as viable options for potential league expansion, and the games in Palmer and Anchorage this weekend will be used to also showcase the league to potential future owners.

“The second part of the process of it is to allow people that potentially want to get involved in ownership or running a team to see what it’s all about,” Petrich said.

Petrich said the Brown Bears and Ice Dogs want to stress the quality of talent currently in the league. He used his season with the Avs an example. The team included defenseman Casey Nelson, who is now playing with the Buffalo Sabers of the NHL. Another Avalanche standout during their final year in the Valley was forward Evan Janssen, who won a Division I national title with Denver last season.

“The perception was this was just glorified high school hockey,” Petrich said. “The thing I’m most impressed with about our league, last year 300-plus kids got NCAA scholarships. (More than 100 were Division I) and had some money attached.”

The Fairbanks Ice Dogs includes former Wasilla High standout Tanner Schachle, who has already committed to play Division I hockey at UAA.

Petrich said he expects fans to see exciting hockey.

“It’s going to be fast. It’s going to be physical. It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Petrich said.

Tickets can be purchased in advance Thursday from 4-6 p.m. at the MTA Events Center in Palmer.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.