THE FIRST BITE

WASILLA — In playoff hockey, overtime playoff hockey, you can’t let your guard down for a minute. It only takes a second to strike.

Fairbanks forward Matt Millis proved that Friday.

Millis scored a power-play goal 43 seconds into overtime to give the Ice Dogs a 2-1 postseason win over the Alaska Avalanche Friday at the Curtis C. Menard II Memorial Ice Arena in Wasilla. Millis popped the rebound of a Kyle Politz shot into the net early during the extra period to give the Ice Dogs the one-game lead in the best-of-5 first-round North American Hockey League series.

“I thought we did a great job of putting pressure on them all night,” Alaska head coach Dave Boitz said. “Then we came out a little lackadaisical and they capitalized.”

Aaron McGill scored in the second for the Ice Dogs. Boitz said Fairbanks simply cashed in on a pair of Avalanche mistakes.

“We had one bad turnover that led to one goal and one bad penalty with eight seconds left in the game that led to the other,” Boitz said. “The little things are what can hurt ya.”

Alaska pulled goalie Landon Peterson during the final minute of regulation and forward Zach Smith scored with 41 seconds left to force overtime. But unfortunately for the Avs, who were hosting their first playoff game at the Menard in franchise history, it took the Dogs only 43 seconds of the overtime frame to bite back. The Avs were whistled for a hooking call with eight seconds left in regulation, and the Ice Dogs — who scored 34 percent of their 203 goals while on the power play — cashed in with the advantage.

Early in overtime, Fairbanks captain Jared Larson won a battle along the boards and shifted the puck to Politz, who put a quick shot on goal. Peterson made the save, but the puck ricocheted straight forward and Millis was there to slap in the game-winner.

“It started behind the net,” Boitz said. “We didn’t pressure them behind the net.”

Thanks to the McGill goal and a handful of ridiculous saves by goalie Joe Phillippi, the Dogs took a 1-0 lead very deep into regulation. As the Avs skated with the extra attacker, Smith forced overtime with 41 seconds left when he muscled the puck past Phillippi on a play created by a Jake Williams wrister from the right circle.

Trailing by a goal late in regulation, Smith sent a wide pass to Williams, who gathered the puck at the blue line. Williams skated to the top of the right circle and sent a quick wrist shot off the near-side post. Seth Johnson managed to get a stick on the rebound, and Smith crashed the net to force the puck in.

“It was a nice play,” Boitz said. “Williams got behind the defense and put it off the post, and Smith came in and knocked it home.”

Alaska had 11 shots in the third and outshot the Ice Dogs 23-17 after the first period.

“We had a lot of chances in (the third) period, we just didn’t capitalize,” Boitz said.

Phillippi, who haunted the Avalanche during Fairbanks’ three-game sweep of the Avs at the Menard during the regular season, made a handful of stupefying saves.

“Phillippi made some big saves, two on Matt Friese were unbelievable,” Boitz said.

Friese, a former Wasilla High School standout, could have easily scored multiple goals in the game. Late in the second, Friese wrapped the puck around the net, skated in front of the crease and put consecutive shots on net. Seven minutes into the third, Colony High product Blake Huppert centered a pass to Friese, who dove and took a stab at the goal.

Early in the second, Berkley Scott barely missed on a wrist shot created by the rebound of Jake Parenteau’s attempt from the point that bounced off the boards. Parenteau blasted a shot wide of the goal, but the puck bounced right back to Scott, who was parked on the right circle. Scott immediately sent a quick wrist shot on net that Phillippi somehow managed to stop. Later in the period, Phillippi was able to stop Johnson’s offering at the doorstep, a rebound off a shot from the point.

The Avs appeared to have a golden opportunity to crack the scoreboard with a five-minute power play late in the third period. At the 12:15 mark of the third, chaos erupted after McGill took a knee to Alaska captain Logan Maly at center ice. The hit flattened Maly and led to seven players leaving the ice with game ejections for fighting.

McGill was given a 10-minute misconduct and a game ejection for kneeing and a five-minute major for fighting after the hit.

Alaska’s Parenteau and Kyle Pichler were given five-minute majors for fighting and 10-minute game ejection misconducts for their roles in the melee. Jed McGlasson was handed a 10-minute delay of game misconduct. Fairbanks’ Sean O’Rourke and Michael Juola were handed five-minute majors for fighting and 10-minute game ejection misconducts. Mark Pustin was sent to the Ice Dogs locker room with a 10-minute delay of game misconduct.

After the seven players were sent off the ice, McGill’s five-minute major left the Avs with the long power play. But Alaska wasn’t able to capitalize. Actually, the Avs weren’t able to put much together at all during the power play. Right off the face-off, defenseman Trent Johnson put a soft wrist shot on net, the Avs’ only official shot on the power play. Scott and Robb Haider missed on a 2-on-1 chance also. The power play was essentially killed when the Avs were whistled with a hooking call with 2:16 left five-minute penalty, The teams skated 4-on-4 for all but the final 16 seconds of the major.

McGill put the Dogs on the scoreboard with 16:19 left in the second when he poked in the deflection of Pustin’s shot from the right circle. Pustin picked off the puck in the neutral zone, skated forward and sent a shot in from the top of the right circle. McGill was in perfect position to tap in the attempt.

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

Fairbanks 2, Alaska 1 OT

Friday, Menard Arena

First period — no scoring.

Second period — 1. Fairbanks- McGill (Pustin) 1:19.

Third period — 2. Alaska- Smith (S. Johnson, Williams) 19:19.

Overtime — 3. Fairbanks- Millis (Politz, Larson) pp 0:43.

Shots on goal: Fairbanks Fairbanks 10-10-5-2—27, Alaska 7-12-11-0—30, Saves: Fairbanks- Phillippi 7-12-10-0—29, Alaska- Peterson 10-9-5-1—25; Power plays: Fairbanks 1-for-5, Alaska 0-for-6; Fairbanks 13-for-73, Alaska 15-for-72.