Top scorer survives drought

WASILLA — Tyler Currier is a goal-scorer.

The Alaska Avalanche forward will try to drop to block shots, throw his weight around in the corner or dump the puck off to the open man.

But first and foremost, Currier’s main objective on the rink is to put the shot in the back of the net. And for about a two-month stretch earlier this season, it was like Currier was shooting the puck against a brick wall.

Currier — Alaska’s career leader in games, goals, assists and points in the history of the Wasilla-based North American Hockey League franchise — was held without a goal for 21 straight games.

“Every time going down (to the net), it was in my mind,” Currier said of the draught which stretched from late November until late February. “I was hoping to score, hoping to get it over with. I just needed to get a lucky bounce, a dirty goal. I just needed to get it into the net.”

Currier finally broke through with a two-goal effort during a 4-3 win over the Fairbanks Ice Dogs on Feb. 21 marking his first goals since he scored in a 6-5 loss to Wenatchee on Nov. 30.

“Once you get (the pressure) off, it’s a nice feeling,” Currier said.

For the most part, Currier — a third-year junior player — has been an anchor on the Avs’ top line, and it’s not tough to discover that the more Currier’s name shows up on the scoresheet, the more the Avs show up in the win column.

Alaska is 8-1-2 when Currier scores a goal, and the Anchorage native has at least a point in 14 of Alaska’s 22 wins.

Currier tallied only five helpers during his 21-game goal-scoring draught, but despite his poor luck on the offensive end, Alaska head coach Dave Boitz said Currier improved as a player.

“He’s focused much more on the defensive end and much more on being a well-rounded player,” Boitz said. “He’s improved dramatically in those areas.”

Currier also said he tried to look to other areas of his game when he was not delivering the goals.

“You worry about your plus-minus more than your points,” Currier said. “Play more defense, block more shots, stuff like that.”

Currier’s plus-minus rating has improved dramatically since last year. After ending the 2007-08 season with a dismal -18, he’s currently at a more acceptable -2. He’s had 14 games with a positive plus-minus rating, by far the best of his career. And coincidentally, the Avs are 12-2-0 in games in which Currier finishes with a plus rating.

Currier started the season on a tear, recording 10 goals and nine assists, and averaging just more than a point per contest in his first 18 games.

In the eight game that followed the draught, Currier collected five goals and seven assists.

Currier’s currently skating through his final weeks of junior hockey eligibility and when he leaves the franchise, he will be the franchise leader in several statistical category.

He’s now the team’s all-time leading scorer with 82 points. He’s also the franchise leader in goals (36), assists (44), games played (118) and game-winners (eight).

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