Ice Dogs grab early lead in series

PALMER — A slow start led to a rough beginning for the Alaska Avalanche in their first home series in nearly two months.

Fairbanks scored a pair of first-period goals to earn a 3-0 win and spoil an Avalanche homecoming at the MTA Events Center on Thursday.

“We weren’t ready to play,” Alaska head coach Corey Millen said after the loss. “I warned them before the game. I warned them all week. They’ll be coming ready to play.”

Alaska, playing in its first home game since Dec. 3, skated into this series with a 5-0-1 record against the Ice Dogs. But with the early goals and 26 saves from Alex Fons, Fairbanks became just the fourth team this season to shut out the Avs.

“We’ve had some success against these guys,” Millen said. “It’s just a simple case of not being ready.”

Sean O’Rourke and Pavlo Padakin each scored in the first period to help the second-place Ice Dogs improve to 22-8-7 and move within a half-dozen points of the first-place Avs (27-13-3) in the North American Hockey League West Division standings.

Alaska hosts Fairbanks tonight and Saturday. Both games start at 7:30 p.m.

O’Rourke gave the Ice Dogs the early lead just six minutes into play, and Padakin found the back of the net just shy of the 17-minute mark.

JT Osborn, the NAHL leading scorer with 59 points, got loose in the Avs defensive zone and scored five minutes into the second period to push Fairbanks’ lead to 3-0. That goal chased Alaska starter Nick Kulmanovsky from the Avalanche net. Kulmanovsky made 11 saves on 14 shots.

Alaska did outshoot the Ice Dogs 21-10 in the final two periods and 12-4 in the third. But by that point, Millen said, the Ice Dogs already had the confidence.

“That game, unfortunately, was decided early,” Millen said.

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

Faribanks 3,Alaska 0

Thursday, MTA Events Center

First period — 1. Fairbanks- O’Rourke (Finch, Racklin) 5:56; 2. Fairbanks- Padakin (Finch) 16:58.

Second period — 3. Fairbanks- Osborn (Munson, Racklin) 5:12.

Third period — no scoring.

Shots on goal: Fairbanks 13-6-4—23, Alaska 5-9-12—26; Saves: Fairbanks- Fons 5-9-12—26, Alaska- Kulmanovsky 11-0-x—11, Engum 0-5-4—9; Power plays: Fairbanks 0 for 4, Alaska 0 for 2.