Ice Dogs sweep Brown Bears

Anchorage’s Camden Shasby scored the game-winner with 12 minutes, 25 seconds, remaining in the game to give the Fairbanks Ice Dogs a 4-3 victory over the Kenai River Brown Bears on Friday in North American Hockey League action.

Shasby, a 16-year-old defenseman who played three games for the Bears last season as an affiliate player, got the first goal of his NAHL career.

Saturday, Fairbanks won 6-1 to move the Ice Dogs to 11-4-0-1, while the Bears fall to 2-13-0-0. Fairbanks also now has 4 in the Club 49 Cup, while the Bears and Anchorage Wolverines have 0.

“We played a pretty good hockey game tonight and probably deserved a better fate,” Kenai River head coach Josh Dubinsky said Friday after his squad outshot the Ice Dogs 45-32. “In a 60-game season, you’re going to win some you don’t deserve to win and lose some you don’t deserve to lose.”

Alexander Malinowski put the Ice Dogs up 1-0 heading to the second period.

Bryce Monrean, on assists from Anchorage’s Luke Helgeson and Cole Dubicki, tied the game with 10:47 left in the second.

A little over a minute later, Kenai’s Parker Lockwood, assisted by Luke Panchisin and Carter Green, scored the first NAHL goal of his career to put the Bears ahead 2-1.

But a minute and a half later, Jack Ring and Dakota MacIntosh already had the Ice Dogs leading 3-2.

The Bears drew a penalty just 35 seconds into the third period. David Vieten, assisted by Tyler Pfister and Cole Dubicki, tied the game at 3 with a power-play strike a minute later.

Shasby then connected on the game-winner on the power play for the Ice Dogs.

Dubinsky said the continued improved play of the Bears rookies is encouraging. He said Kenai River created a bunch of great scoring chances Friday, ironically missing on the great scoring chances while getting goals on other chances.

Kayden Hargraves made 42 saves for the Ice Dogs, while Tommy Aitken stopped 28 for the Bears.

“His rebound control was good,” Dubinsky said of Aitken. “He looked poised in the net. He was good for us tonight.”

Saturday, McCabe Dvorak, Alexander Malinoski and Billy Renfrew gave the Ice Dogs a 3-0 lead through two periods.

Cole Dubicki gave the Bears life by scoring 48 seconds into the third period, but Tyler Herzberg, Dvorak and Shasby had goals in the third.

Hargraves had 33 saves, while Aitken stopped 25.

The Bears host the Anchorage Wolverines on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the sports complex.

Friday

Ice Dogs 4, Brown Bears 3

Fairbanks 1 2 1 —4

Kenai River 0 2 1 —3

First period — 1. Fairbanks, Malinowski (Neuharth), 4:08. Penalties — none.

Second period — 2. Kenai River, Monrean (Helgeson, Dubicki), 9:13; 3. Kenai River, Lockwood (Panchisin, Green), 10:33; 4. Fairbanks, Ring (Dvorak, Greniuk), 11:41; 5. Fairbanks, MacIntosh (Ring, Herzberg), 12:03. Penalties — none.

Third period — 1. Kenai River, Vieten (Pfister, Dubicki), pp, 1:35; 2. Fairbanks, Shasby (Bergvall, Malinowski), pp, 7:35. Penalties — Fairbanks 1 for 2:00; Kenai River 2 for 4:00.

Shots on goal — Fairbanks 12-9-11—32; Kenai River 13-20-12—45.

Goalies — Fairbanks, Hargraves (45 shots, 42 saves); Kenai River, Aitken (32 shots, 28 saves).

Power plays — Fairbanks 1 for 2; Kenai River 2 for 4.

Saturday

Ice Dogs 6, Brown Bears 1

Fairbanks 2 1 3 —6

Kenai River 0 0 1 —1

First period — 1. Fairbanks, Dvorak (Ricotta, Bergvall), 6:17; 2. Fairbanks, Malinoski (Shasby, Neuharth), 18:07. Penalties — Fairbanks 2 for 4:00.

Second period — 3. Fairbanks, Renfrew (Malinoski), 11:39. Penalties — Kenai River 2 for 4:00.

Third period — 4. Kenai River, Dubicki (McCormack), 0:48; 5. Fairbanks, Herzberg (Greniuk), 8:55; 6. Fairbanks, Dvorak (Kulmanovsky, Ricotta), 12:38; 7. Fairbanks, Shasby (Ricotta), sh, 16:46.

Shots on goal — Fairbanks 8-8-15—31; Kenai River 12-13-9—34.

Goalies — Fairbanks, Hargraves (34 shots, 33 saves); Kenai River, Aitken (31 shots, 25 saves).