The Wolverines went 3 for 4 on the power play in Friday night’s contest against the Janesville Jets, to help lead them to a 6-2 victory in the first game of the weekend. Anchorage goaltender Shane Soderwall had a stellar performance, making 24 saves on 26 shots for his first win at home, and Aiden Westin tallied two goals, including the game winner in the second period.
Anchorage started the game off slow, giving up a goal just over a minute into the 1st period from Grayden Daul. Drake Albers would score five minutes later to tie the game, but the game would continue to go back and forth, as Daul scored the Jets only other goal of the night off of a nice assist from Robby Newton shortly after. The Wolverines struck back again late in the 1st, with Jackson Reineke scoring his third of the season. Just 46 seconds later, Aiden Westin would put a puck in the back of the net on a play that would be called back following a goaltender interference call against Talon Sigurdson.
In the 2nd period, Anchorage would come flying out of the gates, with the eventual game winner coming from Westin. The Anchorage native outmuscled the Jets defense to create a 1-on-1 with the Janesville netminder that Westin tucked in short side. Not long after, Westin would notch another goal, this time on the power play. Anchorage would score twice more on the power play over the remainder of the game from Collin Pederson and Clay Allen. The Wolverines shut down any effort of comeback from the Jets in the 3rd, battling through several scrums on their way to a 6-2 victory.
Anchorage was backstopped by an excellent performance from Soderwall, who stood tall in the 1st period to keep his team in the game. Soderwall was excited to get his first win at home, saying, “making a big save and hearing the crowd roar, it’s the best feeling in sports.” With his assist on the last goal of the night, Sigurdson extended his points streak to six games, as he sits just four points back of the league’s current top scorer. The Wolverines and Janesville are set for a rematch Saturday at 7:07 AKDT.
