Retiring teacher, coach urges Colony grads to ‘find their 68’
By Jeremiah Bartz Frontiersman.com A football coach using a hockey reference as the centerpiece for his keynote address may
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JEREMIAH BARTZ/ Frontiersman sports editor
FAIRBANKS - If the final series of the regular season is any indication, the first round of the playoffs could be a real battle.
For the second-straight night the Wasilla Spirit and Fairbanks Ice Dogs ended with a 1-0 score. But on Saturday at the Big Dipper Ice Arena in Fairbanks it was the Ice Dogs who were able to put a check in the win column.
A.J. Hau's goal with 3 minutes and 38 seconds remaining in regulation snapped a scoreless tie, and turned out to be the game-winner in Fairbanks' 1-0 win over the Spirit.
On Friday, Mike Glaesmer notched a shootout tally to give the Spirit a 1-0 win over their foes from the north.
The regular season finale was just a tease of the first round of the North American Hockey League playoffs which pits Alaska's two teams against each other. The postseason starts on Friday at 7:30 at the Dipper.
Knowing they are facing the same team in consecutive series', assistant coach Corey Millen said the Spirit are focused on continuing to move forward, and playing good hockey.
“We've been playing really well lately, and the momentum is definitely huge - especially for our team,” Millen, also the team's general manager, said after Friday's win at the Menard Arena in Wasilla. “Good habits, doing the right things, getting into the playoff mentality - that's what we're preaching.”
The Ice Dogs host the Spirit in the first two games of the series. The teams also play on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in the Interior. Next week Wasilla and Fairbanks will face off on Friday, April 7 at the Subway Center in Anchorage. If the Spirit notch at least one win in the first three games, the teams will also play the following night in Anchorage. If necessary, the best-of-five series would conclude in Fairbanks on April 9.
The Subway Center will have to be Wasilla's home away from home for the postseason. Scheduling conflicts with the Wasilla Multi-Use Sports Complex have prevented Wasilla from playing on its home ice of the Menard Arena for the playoffs.
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