Wasilla loses again to Ice Dogs

Coach:‘We just didn't play with any heart'

January 3, 2006

DARRELL L. BREESE\Frontiersman reporter

WASILLA - After outplaying the Fairbanks Ice Dogs in a 4-3 loss Friday, Wasilla Spirit head coach Dean Larson hoped his team would be motivated and ready to right a wrong Saturday.

&#8220Boy, was I wrong,” Larson said after his team dropped the second game of the series to the Ice Dogs, by a 4-2 score. &#8220We just didn't play with any heart, spirit or desire to win tonight. Everyone was lethargic out there.”

Despite lacking the motivation Larson hoped his team would display, the Spirit had a chance to win the game with just under five minutes remaining.

That's when the downward spiral began.

After fighting from behind twice in the game, tying the score at two, Wasilla self-destructed and the Ice Dogs were right there to capitalize.

Mario Mjelleli's slow-rolling slap shot painfully slipped past the sprawled leg of Spirit goalie Andrew Volkening, giving Fairbanks a 3-2 lead.

Then, Chris Johnson fired a shot, which Volkening initially stopped, only to have Johnson stuff the rebound into the top corner of the net.

Trailing 4-2, the Spirit came unglued, being whistled for 46 minutes of penalties, including four game misconduct ejections for abusing the officials, in the final three and a half minutes.

Among those called for being abusive was Larson, who lost his cool as he watched his team implode before him.

&#8220My emotions got the better of me,” Larson said. &#8220It was all frustration from watching the lackluster performance on the ice.”

The Spirit penalties gave Fairbanks a 5-3 advantage, but Volkening single-handedly kept the Ice Dogs from adding to their lead, stopping seven shots during the two-man disadvantage.

Even during the final minute, with the Spirit goal empty, as Volkening went to the bench for an extra attacker, the Ice Dogs could not add to their lead, sending four shots inches wide and hitting the pipes twice.

Steve Murphy and Jesse Bryant scored for Wasilla.

Friday, after building a 2-0 lead in the first period, the Spirit gave away the game in the second and third.

The Ice Dogs scored the game's next four goals to steal any momentum the first-period lead might have provided.

&#8220That's back-to-back nights we've stalled and players quit skating hard,” Larson said. &#8220I'm not sure what it is. It might be lack of conditioning, will to win, or maybe some of these players just don't want to play hockey.

&#8220Maybe we need to make some more changes,” he continued. &#8220We had a chance to pick up four points on them in the standings and move closer to second place in the division. Now we're in a hole that we have to climb out of.”

David Gault added to his team's leading point total of 23 (12 goals and 11 assists), with a pair of goals in Friday's loss. Mike Glaesmer had the other score.

Wasilla slipped to 16-21 on the season and is now 10 points behind Fairbanks in the league standings.

The team's next chance to close the gap on the Ice Dogs for second place in the West Division comes Friday and Saturday when it hosts the Helena Big Horns.

&#8220Helena is an improving team,” Larson said. &#8220We may be ahead of them in the standings, but they are closing in. We need to rebound from this weekend quickly to be ready for them.”

Contact Darrell L. Breese at 352-2267 or at darrell.breese@ frontiersman.com.