Ice Dogs claim win in historic junior hockey game

FAIRBANKS — On a starless Interior night, the first outdoor Junior hockey game was a parade of hard hits, fast shots and freezing revelry.

Somewhere along the way Friday night, the Fairbanks Ice Dogs scored a 3-1 North American Hockey League victory over the Alaska Avalanche.

But a few points in the West Division standings weren’t so consequential for the skaters who skittered across the hard ice in front of about 1,000 fans.

Words like “unbelievable” and “awesome” were continually repeated as players described the game.

“That was one of the most amazing experience of my life,” Fairbanks coach Josh Hauge said. “Just going out for warm-ups and seeing everything… it gave me chills and I haven’t had those in a long time.”

The harsh play of the first quarter (the game was played in 15 minute quarters) was as chilling as the near-zero degree air.

The brutality began at the same time as the game clock. Before the puck could hit the ground, the gloves of Fairbanks’ Joseph Krause and Alaska’s Tyler Currier.

“Krause wanted to fight,” Hauge said. “We all thought it was kind of funny that he did. But he kept on saying it, so we let him.”

The following 10 minutes were full of scrums and headlocks, as players adjusted to the hard ice and compensated with physicality.

But as the rough play died down, the scoring heated up.

Directly beneath the snaking plume of steam billowing from a rinkside hot tub, Ice Dogs defenseman Josh Nelson slapped a shot from the blue line that nestled in the upper right side of the net at 3:27 of the first quarter.

Instead of lighting a lamp, he caused Tobyn Read, a sturdily built man in Carhartts, to wave two orange flags while the crowd roared and jumped upon the snow.

Erik Kraft followed quickly, notching the Ice Dogs’ second goal at 12:44 of the second period.

Before the game, Gov. Sarah Palin dropped the ceremonial puck between Ice Dogs forward Andrew McCabe and Alaska forward Sean McNeely.

Though she shares a hometown with the Avalanche — Wasilla — she had no word of encouragement for McNeely, only offering “nice to meet you” to each player.

“It was an honor to just shake her hand,” McNeely said.

He earned another honor in the third quarter — as the only member of his team to net a goal outdoors. Read waved the flags again, but with a bit less vigor.

McNeely threw palms up and curled his fingers as if he were prompting a cheer on his home ice.

“It was something I saw one of (the Ice Dogs) do earlier,” he said. “I was really caught up in the moment.”

It seemed the world’s most famous hockey mom had a magic touch that night, as McCabe also netted a goal at 3:01 of the fourth, knocking a one-timer through Alaska goalie Nate Pellegrino’s legs.

McCabe’s momentum sent him sprawling on the ice into the net, where he feverishly pumped his arms in celebration, a show of enthusiasm he said he drew from the crowd.

“Fairbanks is a hockey town unlike any other,” McCabe said. “Everyone just buys in. … It’s unbelievable the support they give us here.”

Through the chain-link barrier, it was easy for spectators to throw verbal jabs into the action through miniature clouds of breath.

“The fans were riled up; you could here everything they said through that fence,” Nelson said.

Contact Fairbanks Daily News-Miner staff writer Joshua Armstrong at 459-7583.