The Kenai River Brown Bears will host the Minnesota Wilderness tonight at 7 p.m., then Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in North American Hockey League action.
The Bears are getting down to the end of their schedule. After the three-game series against the Wilderness, Kenai River has just four home games left, and six overall.
The Bears are 13-33-3-2, in last place in the Midwest Division and have been eliminated from playoff contention.
This series will still have playoff implications. The Wilderness are 27-21-1-0 and in fifth place in the Midwest.
There is a tight battle for the third and fourth playoff spots out of the Midwest Division. The Janesville (Wisconsin) Jets are in third with 57 points, the Anchorage Wolverines are fourth with 56 points, the Wilderness are fifth with 55 points and the Minnesota Magicians are sixth with 53 points.
With his team out of the playoff race, Kenai River interim head coach Taylor Shaw has long said the players are still motivated by getting a college scholarship or advancing to the United States Hockey League, the only Tier I junior league in the United States.
Shaw has also said the team wouldn’t mind serving as a spoiler for other teams looking to make the playoffs. The Bears also have only five players on the roster who will age out of junior hockey after this season, meaning the team also is building for next season.
The interim head coach also has said the locker room had done a good job of buying in to staying competitive, as the Bears have won three of their last eight games.
