The Kenai River Brown Bears dropped a 5-3 decision to the Minnesota Magicians on Friday in North American Hockey League play at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex.
The Brown Bears will complete their season by facing off with the Magicians tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the sports complex.
Both teams will miss the playoffs. The Magicians are 25-22-6-3, good for sixth in the Midwest Division, while the Bears are in last in the division at 13-40-3-2 and saw their current losing streak stretch to nine.
Nick Stevens, assisted by Kaden Hjelm and Sean Henry, put the Bears up with a power-play goal in the first, but Tyler Grahme had it tied for Minnesota headed to the second. In the second, Will Schumacher and Chris Kernan scored for Minnesota for a 3-1 game headed to the third.
Hunter Newhouse, assisted by Max Marquette and Kenai’s Parker Lockwood, cut the gap to 3-2 just 3 minutes into the third period. After Kernan made it 4-2, Nick Ostbloom, assisted by Carson Triggs and Barak Braslavski, got the Bears within one goal with 6:16 left in the game.
Mason Campbell iced the game for Minnesota with an empty-net goal.
Josh Langford stopped 41 for the Magicians, while Bryant Marks saved 43 for the Bears.
