Fairbanks, Alaska | 4/8/22 | Isaac Smoldon
With his first shutout of the year, Raythan Robbins has kept the Anchorage Wolverines Club 49 Cup hopes alive, with the Wolverines beating the Fairbanks Ice Dogs by a score of 2-0 on Friday night. The all-Alaska trophy will be handed out following Saturday night’s rematch between the two teams, with the winner securing the prize.
Friday night’s game was a low scoring affair, and the 1st period exemplified that idea with no goals scored in the first 20 minutes. That is not to say that both goalies weren’t tested, quite the opposite in fact. Kayden Hargraves had to make 17 saves for Fairbanks, while Robbins stopped 14 for the Wolverines.
The middle frame would be the only period to see scoring, with Anchorage breaking the ice just before the halfway point of the period. Jackson Krock scored the eventual game winner with his fourth of the year, and late in the period, Hunter Schmitz added an insurance goal making the score 2-0.
Offense slowed back down in the final period, with Robbins only making six saves to stop a perfect 27 shots on the night. Due to clutch scoring in the 2nd, and Robbins’s excellent net minding, Anchorage beat the first place Ice Dogs, 2-0.
With the win, the Wolverines inch closer to securing a playoff spot, as they are now three points ahead of the fifth place Janesville Jets with a game in hand. If the playoffs were to start today, they would be taking on their cross-state rivals in the Fairbanks Ice Dogs. The two Alaska teams rematch Saturday night in Fairbanks, with the Club 49 Cup on the line. Puck drop is 7:30 AKST.
