NAHL: Ice Dogs blank Avalanche

Feb. 27, 2007

By MATT TUNSETH/ Frontiersman

WASILLA - For more than two periods of hockey Sunday afternoon, the Alaska Avalanche gave Fairbanks everything it could handle.

Then the Ice Dogs started to bark.

Fairbanks ripped off four goals in the final 13 minutes of play to run away with a 5-0 win at the Curtis C. Menard II Memorial Ice Arena in Wasilla, completing a three-game sweep of the Avs.

&#8220The guys in the first two periods were great, then in the third period it looked like we ran out of steam, both physically and mentally,” Alaska coach Keith Morris said following the game.

Maxim Maleev had two goals for Fairbanks, while Joe Shean, Kyle Schmidt and Travis Hamway each added a score.

Goalie Kenny Reiter turned back all 35 shots he faced to earn the shutout.

Alaska's Nathanial Pellegrino made 30 saves in the loss.

Both teams had several scoring opportunities in the opening period, but Pellegrino and Reiter both came up big, each turning back 11 shots in the frame. Fairbanks did manage to beat Pellegrino once in the first, but Randen Hill's score was disallowed because of a hand pass.

Hamway finally staked Fairbanks to a 1-0 lead late in the second period on a breakaway goal that just snuck between a sprawling Pellegrino and the goal post.

Neither team appeared to have control heading into the third period until Shean put a right handed shot into the top of the net past Pellegrino to earn a power play goal and a 2-0 lead for the Ice Dogs.

Fairbanks boasts the league's second-most potent offense, and they showed why late in the game, ripping off three more goals to turn what had been a tight contest into a rout.

Maleev benefited from a couple of costly turnovers by the Avalanche, taking advantage by posting two goals in three minutes of play and shutting down any slim chance of an Alaska comeback.

&#8220That's a team that's as skilled as you get in junior hockey,” Morris said of the Ice Dogs, who will host this season's league championships next month.

Alaska and Fairbanks will do battle once more this season, facing off Sunday to complete the season series - one that has seen the Ice Dogs win 14 of 17 games this season.

Avs sign Californian

for next season

The Avalanche announced Sunday that they have signed Tyler Peters, a 5-foot-11, 185-pound forward from Valencia, Calif., to a tender for next season. Peters has spent the past season with the Cleveland Junior Lumberjacks of the Central States Hockey League. He is currently second on the Lumberjacks in scoring with 16 goals and 29 assists in just 29 games.

Avalanche coach Keith Morris said he's excited to be bringing the offensive-minded forward to the team.

&#8220He's a very skilled guy,” Morris said. &#8220He's got a great work ethic and loves to come to the rink every day.”

In a press release issued by the team, Peters said he's pleased to be heading north to Alaska.

&#8220I have good friends who are playing for the Avalanche this year who had good things to say about the program and the coaches,” he said. &#8220When Coach Morris contacted me I was excited, and with the information from my friends and advice from my coaches, it was an easy decision for me to make.”

Contact Matt Tunseth at 352-2265 or matt.tunseth@frontiersman.com.

ICE DOGS 5, AVALANCHE 0

Sunday, Menard Arena

Alaska 0-0-0 - 0

Fairbanks 0-1-4 - 5

Scoring:

First period - none. Second period - 1. Fairbanks- Hamway (Schmidt, Shean) 19:11.

Third period - 2. Fairbanks- Shean (Maleev, McRae) 7:12 pp; 3. Fairbanks- Maleev (Bidwell) 14:07. 4. Fairbanks- Schmidt (Shean, Geelan) 14:34; 5. Fairbanks- Maleev (McRae, Geelan) 17:15

Penalties: Alaska 8 for 16, Fairbanks 6 for 12.

Power plays: Alaska 0 for 4. Fairbanks 1 for 6.

Goalies: Alaska- Pellegrino 11-9-10 - 30. Fairbanks- Reiter 11-11-13 - 35 Shots on goal: Alaska 11-11-13 - 35. Fairbanks 11-10-14 - 35