March 21, 2026 | Jacqueline Hixssen
ANCHORAGE, AK — The Wolverines skated to an 8–5 win over the Kenai River Brown Bears after trailing 3–1 late into the second period.
Balint Lobenwein opened the scoring just five minutes into the contest to give the Wolverines an early edge. Before the first period came to a close, former Wolverines forward Parker Newman evened the score.
The Brown Bears regained momentum midway through the second, taking the lead and extending it just two minutes later to go up 3–1.
Luc Bydal sparked the comeback, netting back-to-back goals to bring the Wolverines even. With just over two minutes remaining in the frame, Bydal carried the puck into the zone, drawing both defensemen to the near side before finding his brother, Rylan Bydal, far side. Rylan quickly moved it to Aiden Lawson, who buried a one-timer to give the Wolverines the lead heading into the third.
The Wolverines carried that momentum into the final period.
Leon Buzek opened the scoring in the third, finishing a feed from Sam Evert. The Brown Bears responded three minutes later, but the Wolverines answered in dominant fashion with three unanswered goals in a three-minute span. Rylan Bydal, Cale Quamme, and Aiden Lawson all found the back of the net to put the game out of reach.
Kenai River added one more in the final minute, but the comeback effort fell short as the Wolverines secured an impressive eight-goal night.
The two teams return to the ice tonight to wrap up the two-game series. Puck drop is set for 7:30 pm, with doors opening at 6:00 pm. Get your tickets now at tickets.anchoragewolverines.com.
