January 3, 2026 | Jacqueline Hixssen
CHIPPEWA FALLS — Drake Owens delivered a standout performance in his junior hockey debut, backstopping the Anchorage Wolverines to a 5–1 win over the Chippewa Steel on Saturday night.
The Palmer native turned aside 30 of 31 shots, while the Wolverines took care of business offensively.
Anchorage jumped out to a 2–0 lead in the first period. Leon Buzek opened the scoring, finishing a feed from Cole Frawner, and Luc Bydal doubled the lead six minutes later after capitalizing on a setup from linemate Sam Evert.
Chippewa’s Lucas Mann, who appeared in four games with the Wolverines earlier this season, scored the Steel’s lone goal to open the second period.
Bydal quickly restored the two-goal cushion with his second of the night. Less than a minute later, Duke Gentzler added his second of the weekend and fourth of the season to make it 4-1.
Andrew Karkoc capped the scoring for Anchorage, burying the fifth goal with help from former Steel forward Connor Jalbert.
The Wolverines return home Thursday to take on in-state rival Kenai River. Tickets are available now at tickets.anchoragewolverines.com.
