January 2, 2026 | Jacqueline Hixssen
CHIPPEWA FALLS — Despite outshooting the Chippewa Steel 53–32, the Anchorage Wolverines fell in game one of the two-game series after a shootout loss on Friday night.
Special teams dictated much of the night, as the Wolverines struck twice on the power play and added two shorthanded goals.
Chippewa took a 4–2 lead out of the first period, with Duke Gentzler and Chase Trompeter accounting for Anchorage’s goals.
The Wolverines responded in the second as Cole Frawner and Luc Bydal found the back of the net to even the score, but the Steel answered late in the frame to regain the lead heading into the third.
Caleb Mahar delivered a momentum swing in the final period, scoring two shorthanded goals to give Anchorage its first lead of the night. Chippewa tied the game with just over four minutes remaining, forcing overtime.
After a scoreless extra frame, the game was decided in a shootout, where the Steel edged the Wolverines to take game one.
The series wraps up Saturday with a 4:00 p.m. AKST puck drop in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.
