Photo by Stephanie Burgoon/Alaska Sports Report
At the rate the Anchorage Wolverines are rolling through the North American Hockey League – a franchise-record, 15-game point streak — we’re going to have to delve deep into our arsenal of adjectives to describe their dominance.
The Wolverines, who haven’t lost in regulation in six weeks, extended their mastery over the weekend with a road sweep of the Fairbanks Ice Dogs that featured Friday’s 8-2 romp and Saturday’s 6-5 overtime win.
Also, their superiority included clinching a second straight Alaska Airlines Club 49 Cup, the intrastate competition that also includes the Ice Dogs and Kenai River Brown Bears with Friday’s win. After Saturday’s win, the Cup tally reads: Anchorage 35 points, Fairbanks 16, Kenai River 15. That defines dominance.
The Wolverines (35-13-5, 77 points), in their third season on the circuit, have set franchise records for wins in a season and points in a season. And they still have a shot at winning the Midwest Division. They trail the Wisconsin Windigo (37-14-6, 80 points) by three points, but they also have six regular-season games remaining to Wisconsin’s three games left.
The last time the Wolverines lost in regulation was Feb. 9, when they fell 2-1 at Chippewa. Since then, they have reeled off a franchise-record, 12-game winning streak, gained one point in the standings with a 5-4 shootout loss to visiting Minnesota, then swept Fairbanks.
The Wolverines racked four goals in the opening 10 minutes Friday. Forward Bryce Monrean of Anchorage, Oliver Salo and Tyler Hennen each generated 1-2—3 scoring totals, defenseman Camden Shasby of Anchorage forged one goal and one assist, and defenseman Trent Powell of Soldotna contributed three helpers. Goaltender Liam Beerman, who has only won nine straight games, made 28 saves to improve to 24-8-2, with a 2.36 goals-against average and .924 save percentage.
Anchorage’s Bryce Monrean trails the play. Photo by Stephanie Burgoon/Alaska Sports Report
Monrean scored twice Saturday and Shasby, who also furnished an assist, delivered the OT dagger off assists from Cole Frawner of Anchorage and Salo.
Meanwhile, Kenai River swept the Minnesota Wilderness, 4-1 and 5-2, to take four points from a two-game series for the first time since Dec. 1-2, when they beat visiting Anchorage 4-3 in a shootout and won 4-3 in regulation in Anchorage.
Then the Brown Bears endured an 18-game nightmare (0-17-1) before emerging from that abyss with three straight wins and a five-game point streak (4-0-1). Forward Carter McCormick scored the game-winning goal in Friday’s win over Minnesota.
Elsewhere in the NAHL:
- Corpus Christi IceRays goaltender Bryant Marks of Wasilla made a career-high 49 saves Friday in a 3-2 overtime win at Oklahoma and followed by stopping 46 of 50 shots in Saturday’s 4-1 loss at Oklahoma. The 46 saves tie the second-most in Marks’ NAHL career. His save percentage for the weekend: .941. Marks, who is ticketed for UAA, has made 41 saves or more in three straight games and 40 saves or more seven times this season.
- Aberdeen Wings defenseman Drew Mackie of Anchorage, who is committed to Notre Dame, scored a goal and added a primary assist Friday in a 7-3 win over the North Iowa Bulls.