September 18, 2026 | Jacqueline Hixssen
SPRINGFIELD, IL –The Anchorage Wolverines opened the regular season like a seasoned team, skating to a 7-4 victory over the Springfield Jr. Blues on Friday night.
Jack McKenna opened the scoring for the Wolverines after receiving the puck from Chase Trompeter in the neutral zone. McKenna carried the puck into the Jr. Blues zone before firing a shot from the near-side dot to give Anchorage an early 1-0 lead.
Eleven minutes later, Aiden Lawson and Caleb Mahar connected to double the Wolverines’ lead. After Mahar’s initial shot rang off the post, he regained possession and worked the puck back to Lawson at the point. Lawson fired a shot that deflected off Mahar’s stick and found the back of the net.
Trompeter extended the lead to 3-0 after finding himself alone in the Jr. Blues’ end, where he sniped a short-range shot past the netminder.
Mahar added his second of the night early in the second period. Oliver Morris sent a centering pass to Michael Kotora, whose shot deflected off the goaltender’s pad and into the slot. Mahar was waiting, hammering a slap shot home to give the Wolverines a four-goal advantage.
Springfield answered less than a minute later, getting on the board for the first time.
Morris quickly restored the four-goal lead. After sustained pressure from his line forced a Jr. Blues turnover in the zone, the puck ricocheted toward the front of the net. Morris settled it before lifting a shot over the netminder’s left shoulder to make it 5-1.
McKenna added another for Anchorage later in the period, tipping a shot from Lawson through the netminder to give the Wolverines a 6-1 lead.
The Jr. Blues closed out the second period with their second goal of the night before adding another early in the third, cutting the Wolverines’ lead to three.
Mahar completed the hat trick with just under six minutes remaining. Lawson sent a cross-ice pass to Morris, who quickly centered the puck to Mahar for the finish.
Springfield added one more before the final buzzer, but the Wolverines held on for the 7-4 victory.
Maverick Avent stopped 19 of 23 shots in the win.
The Wolverines will return to action tomorrow against the Minnesota Mallards in the first meeting between the two teams. The Mallards moved from the Central Division to the Midwest Division during the offseason, replacing the Chippewa Steel.
Puck drop is set for 4:00 pm AKST, with the game streaming live on NAHLtv.com.
