Soldotna, Alaska |4/14/23 | Isaac Smoldon
The Anchorage Wolverines overcame a multi-goal deficit to send Friday’s game to a shootout, but ultimately lost to the Kenai River Brown Bears 5-4. Eino Rissanen made an impressive 48 saves in net for Anchorage and was not beaten until the fifth round of the shootout.
The contest was a back-and-forth affair from the drop of the puck, and the 1st period was no exception. Both teams fought to score the first of the game, and neither was successful until Kenai River potted a tally late in the opening frame. Revy Mack tied the game for the Wolverines at the 6:12 mark of the 2nd, but the Brown Bears regained their lead halfway through the period and took their one-goal lead with them into the 3rd.
Kenai River would extend the lead to two seven minutes into the final period of regulation, but Anchorage stormed back into the game, with Kyle Bauer and Luke Anderson scoring two quick goals to tie the game at three apiece. Just as quickly, the Brown Bears went back up by one, but a goal with under three minutes remaining in the frame took the game to extra time, with Trent Powell scoring off a pass from Aiden Westin.
Overtime would solve nothing, and so the game went into a shootout. The shootout would go four-and-a-half rounds with both goalies making excellent saves to keep their teams in it. Finally, Ben Monson ended things when his backhand shot beat Rissanen to win the game for the home team, with the final score listed as 5-4 in Kenai River’s favor.
The final game of the season for the Wolverines will be played tomorrow night at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex, starting at 7:30 p.m. AKDT. The Wolverines’ Live Broadcast is available to watch exclusively on HockeyTV.
For any questions or media availability, please contact Isaac Smoldon at live@anchoragewolverines.com.
The Anchorage Wolverines are a tier-II USA Hockey Jr. Hockey team competing in the North American Hockey League. The Wolverines are owned by Marissa Flannery and Aaron Schutt, Jena and Jay Frawner, and Kari and John Ellsworth, Jr.
