Wolverines’ goalie Liam Beerman and defenseman Jack Darby watch the puck. Photo by Stephanie Burgoon/Alaska Sports Report
These Anchorage Wolverines long ago passed the point of being impressive, have rounded the corner on ridiculousness and left it buried in ice shavings on the way to absurdity.
C’mon, a franchise-record 19-game point streak?
Wrap your melon around this: Dudes haven’t lost in regulation in two months.
The Wolverines (39-13-6) have earned 36 of a possible 38 points in the North American Hockey League standings in their stretch of 17-0-2, which has elevated them into a tie with the Wisconsin Windigo for the Midwest Division lead and left them the only club that can win that banner outright. Oh, and they’re also solo fourth in the 32-team league in winning percentage and locked in a three-way tie for most points at a club-record 84.
Wisconsin (39-15-6, 84 points) has finished its regular season – 20 of the circuit’s 32 teams are done with that grind; only 12 teams, all in the Midwest and Central divisions wrap the regular season on the upcoming weekend. Anchorage closes with games at Fairbanks on Friday and Saturday nights, and it needs just one point to clinch their first divisional crown in their three seasons of existence. Anchorage is 8-1-1 against the Ice Dogs this season, including 4-0-0 at the Big Dipper Arena in Fairbanks. (Worth noting the Wolverines are a combined 18-2-2 against Fairbanks and the Kenai River Brown Bears in the already-decided intrastate “competition” for the Alaska Airlines Club 49 Cup – uh, yeah, the hardware has already gone to the Wolverines.)
In any event, back to the Wolverines and their extended heater, which has also packed a franchise-record, 12-game winning streak within. Look, back when they last lost in regulation, 2-1 at Chippewa on Feb. 9, the Wolverines were 22-13-4, which is not lights out, but is solid.
NAHL Midwest Standings
| POINTS | TEAM | RECORD |
| 84 | x-Anchorage Wolverines | 39-13-2-4 |
| 84 | x-Wisconsin Windigo | 39-15-3-3 |
| 71 | x-Janesville Jets | 33-21-4-1 |
| 63 | Minnesota Wilderness | 29-24-2-3 |
| 62 | Chippewa Steel | 28-25-4-2 |
| 49 | Springfield Jr. Blues | 20-29-8-1 |
| 48 | Fairbanks Ice Dogs | 20-30-2-6 |
| 46 | Kenai River Brown Bears | 20-34-4-2 |
x-clinched playoff berth
Liam Beerman. Photo by Stephanie Burgoon/Alaska Sports Report
Since then, of course, they’ve raised their game to another level – well, really, levels, plural.
Much of that can be placed at the skates of goaltender Liam Beerman.
He’s been good all season – overall he’s 27-8-3 with a 2.36 goals-against average and .924 save percentage — but what he’s delivered in the 19-game point streak is stupid good. All he’s managed is 12-0-0, 1.75, .937.
Beerman stopped 30 shots in Friday’s 5-3 home win over Janesville and 22 shots in Saturday’s 5-1 series sweep.
Beerman’s goaltending partner, Vaughn Makar, of Anchorage has also left plenty of glove prints on the team’s heater. He’s gone 5-0-2, 2.80, .916.
The team’s top two scorers, forwards Fyodor Nikolayeva (27-35—62 totals in 56 games) and Bryce Monrean of Anchorage (21-40—61 in 57 games) are guaranteed to average a point per game. Both players are ticketed for UAF.
Anchorage has 10 guys who have hit double digits in goals. They have a couple of offensive defensemen in Trenton Powell of Soldotna (8-33—41 in 50 games) and in-season addition Camden Shasby of Anchorage (7-26—33 in 39 games). A couple of other in-season additions – Romulus Riego De Dios with 14 goals in 37 games and Arvega Hovsepyan with 11 goals in 19 games – have bolstered the offense.
Special teams have basically been a wash for Anchorage, which is ranked 10th on the power play and 11th on the penalty kill. Of course, that also means the Wolverines tilt the ice at even strength.
The Wolverines have the stuff to make a Robertson Cup playoff run.
First, though, they have one more regular-season task: Earn the one point that will earn them the divisional crown.
Vaughn Makar. Photo by Stephanie Burgoon/Alaska Sports Report