Springfield, Illinois | 2/12/22 | Isaac Smoldon
The Wolverines were defeated again on Saturday by the Springfield Jr. Blues, losing the game by a score of 5-2. The Springfield win was cemented in the 3rd, where the Jr. Blues scored three unanswered goals to secure two more points in the Midwest division standings. Both squads face-off against each other tomorrow at 10 AM in the last out-of-state game the Wolverines will play in this regular season.
The 1st period saw conservative play from both teams. Anchorage and Springfield only managed 10 shots, and both Shane Soderwall and Askel Reid stayed perfect through the first 20 minutes.
The 2nd saw much more offense as there were 28 total shots recorded in the middle frame. Both teams scored twice in the period. Leo Bacallao struck first for the Jr. Blues, scoring just two minutes into the 2nd. Five minutes later, Clay Allen tied the game by scoring his eighth of the season. Hayden Riva helped Springfield reestablish their lead later in the frame, scoring with six minutes left on the clock. The Jr. Blues would be unable to carry the lead into the intermission however, as Talon Sigurdson scored with just 23 seconds remaining to tie the contest at two apiece.
Halfway through the 3rd period however, the tie would be broken by two back-to-back goals from Springfield, as Hagen Moe and Cole Dubicki scored 47 seconds apart to take a two-goal lead. An empty-net goal from Isaac Keller sealed the game for the Jr. Blues, who won by a final score of 5-2.
With the win, Springfield leap frogs the Fairbanks Ice Dogs to take first in the Midwest division. Anchorage meanwhile, remains in third place, but only six points separate them from the seventh place Chippewa Steel, as the divisional standings continue to tighten.
The last game that Wolverines will play in the Lower 48 for this years’ regular season takes place tomorrow at 10 AM AKST. It is the only game taking place in the Midwest, with Springfield looking to jump out further ahead of Fairbanks, and Anchorage trying to avoid the weekend sweep.
