Ice Dogs slip past Avalanche

Feb. 25, 2007

By Jeremiah Bartz/ Frontiersman

WASILLA - The Alaska Avalanche are sick - in a couple of ways.

The team is fighting illness, general manager and coach Keith Morris said, after Alaska's 2-1 loss to the Fairbanks Ice Dogs at the Menard Arena on Friday.

&#8220We've got the bug going around,” Morris said. &#8220We're sick, but I don't think they're a team that's feeling real well either.”

And the Avs are probably sick of playing the Fairbanks Ice Dogs, a team they've faced 15 times this season.

&#8220After you see each other a lot, you get almost tired of each other,” Morris said.

Nick Haddad and John Lennartson scored for Fairbanks, while Krystian Dziubinski posted Alaska's lone goal.

Alaska goaltender Adam Kraus was sick to his stomach after referees allowed a controversial Fairbanks goal in the second period.

After Haddad pushed back a rebound of a Jonas Hoog shot, Kraus appeared to have trapped the puck between his skate and the pipe on the goal. There was a delay in the reaction by the referees on ice, but eventually the shot was counted as a score.

Alaska quickly answered, scoring just more than a minute later.

Dziubinski took a drop pass from defenseman Todd Graham and put a wrist shot past Ice Dogs netminder Kenny Reiter at the 9:41 mark of the second period.

&#8220It was an outstanding play,” Morris said. &#8220It was a nice job of stepping up by the defenseman. (Graham) made a nice drop pass and (Krystian) shot it home.”

Dziubinski nearly set up a score on Alaska's possession of the puck prior to the score. The Alaska forward drove the puck toward the Ice Dog net, and sent a pass back to Josh Erhardt, who put a hard shot on net. Defenseman Tully LaBelle-Hamer also had a quality opportunity on goal.

Alaska out-shot the Ice Dogs 26-24 in the game, and 21-15 in the final two periods. The Avalanche had not held the advantage in shots in any of the last seven games.

&#8220We had Grade A chances, we just couldn't score,” Morris said. &#8220But that's the way it goes.”

On Saturday, Fairbanks slipped by the Avs 3-2 in overtime.

Jonas Hoog scored the game-winner for the Ice Dogs.

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