An overtime goal by the Fairbanks Ice Dogs broke a 2-2 tie and propelled the Ice Dogs to a 3-2 victory over the Kenai River Brown Bears.
In the best-of-five hockey playoffs between the Kenai River Brown Bears and the Fairbanks Ice Dogs, the Brown Bears scored first with a first period goal by Frankie Spillman. Fairbanks answered with two goals for a 2-1 lead after one period of hockey. Spillman added a second goal in the second period to tie the game at 2-2. The game remained scoreless through the third period. The Fairbank’s game-winner came at 4:43 of the overtime period. Final score: Fairbanks 3, Kenai River 2.
Fairbanks, the winner of the “rubber-game” on Saturday at the Big Dipper Arena now advances to the Midwest Division finals series to play Wenatchee. The Wenatchee Wild defeated the Minnesota Wilderness 1-0 in overtime on Saturday to clinch that series three games to two.
Game Four Results: Brown Bears 4- Ice Dogs 3
Alec Butcher, the NAHL’s leading scorer, stacked the Kenai River Brown Bears to an early 1-0, first period lead in Game Four of the NAHL Midwest Division playoff. The Ice Dogs tied the game at 1-1 by the end of the first period.
The Brown Bears scored the only goal of the second period off the stick of Albin Karlsson for a 2-1 Brown Bear lead.
In the third period, Fairbanks tied the game at 2-2 just two minutes into the period. The Brown Bears answered with two, third period goals; one for Matt Rudin and one for Jacob Davidson. Final Score: Kenai River 4 – Ice Dogs 3.
Game Three Results: Brown Bears 2 – Ice Dogs 5
The Fairbanks Ice Dogs take at two games to one advantage in the first-round playoff; the Ice Dogs outscoring the Brown Bears 5-2 in Tuesday’s contest at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex.
The Ice Dogs opened the scoring with a pair of goals coming just :20 seconds apart with under eight minutes remaining in the contest’s first quarter. The Brown Bears answered with a Nathan Colwell goal with under three minutes remaining to close the gap to 2-1 Ice Dogs. Fairbanks added a power-play goal with :34 seconds left in the first period. First Period Score: 3-1 Fairbanks.
Kenai River again closed to within a goal with the only score of the second period coming off the stick of Albin Karlsson. The Brown Bears trailed 3-2 after two periods.
The third period belonged again to the Ice Dogs as Fairbanks netted a pair of goals for the 5-2 victory.
Game Two Results: Brown Bears 3 – Ice Dogs 2
Down one game to none on Saturday, the Kenai River Brown Bears rallied for a 3-2 victory over the Fairbanks Ice Dogs to even the first-round, playoff series at one game apiece. After being held scoreless in the Midwest Division’s first playoff game, the Kenai River Brown Bears recorded a 3-2 overtime victory over the top-seed Ice Dogs on Saturday at the Big Dipper Arena. The win ties the series at 1-1 and guarantees the Brown Bears a pair of home playoff games.
Following a scoreless first period, Kenai River scored twice in the second with a pair of goals by Alec Butcher; in-route-to, a three-goal hat trick for the NAHL’s leading scorer. Fairbanks tied the game at 2-2 with the only goal in the third period.
In overtime, Butcher netted the game-winner on a Brown Bear power-play. Final score: Brown Bears 3 – Ice Dogs 2.
Game One Results: Ice Dogs 3 – Brown Bears 0
The Kenai River Brown Bears held the Fairbanks Ice Dogs to a single goal in each period in Friday’s first-round playoff hockey game in Fairbanks; however, Kenai River failed to light the lamp in a 3-0 Ice Dogs shutout of Kenai River.
The top-seeded Ice Dogs scored the game’s first goal on a power play in period one. Fairbanks added a single goal in the second and a goal in the third period. Kenai goalie Quinn record 31 saves, while the Brown Bears managed only 23 shots on goal against the Ice Dogs.