Anchorage, Alaska | 3/4/22 | Isaac Smoldon
The Anchorage Wolverines beat the first place Fairbanks Ice Dogs by a score of 2-0 Saturday, and earned three points in the Midwest division standings over the course of the weekend. Anchorage also passed the Ice Dogs in the Club 49 Cup running, and they now sit just a point ahead of Fairbanks. Shane Soderwall recorded his second shutout in a row on Saturday in the win, making 31 saves on the night.
In the first period, Anchorage dominated early, and established their first lead of the weekend just 5 minutes and 15 seconds into the opening frame. Cameron Morris buried a shot past Kayden Hargraves, with linemates Talon Sigurdson and Aiden Westin picking up assists. The rest of the period was a scoreless affair, as Soderwall went 6/6 in the 1st, and Hargraves made seven saves on eight shots.
48 minutes would pass without a goal, as the two netminders continued to duel. 28 shots were turned aside by Soderwall and Hargraves in the 2nd, and their strong play continued into the final frame. Finally, with just under seven minutes left in the 3rd, Sigurdson scored off of a pass from Westin giving Anchorage the first multi-goal lead of the weekend. Despite a late penalty, the Wolverines shut down the Ice Dogs last-ditch attack and won by a final score of 2-0.
With the win, Anchorage took a one-point lead in the Club 49 Cup standings over Fairbanks, while also maintaining their 3rd place position in the Midwest division. Anchorage plays three games next weekend against 5th place Minnesota Wilderness, a Thursday-Saturday series starting March 10th. The series is also part of a 4-day “The Office” themed event, raising money for our city’s “Scott’s Tots” the Scotty Gomez Foundation. The events kick off Wednesday, 6pm at Serrano’s with a meet-and-greet with the Wolverines. The games will feature many The Office themed intermission games and prizes, including a costume contest Saturday and a “Cafe Disco” themed Skate with the Wolverines following the action. Tickets for all three games are available now on anchoragewolverines.com or at the door 30 minutes prior to the 7PM AKST puck drop.
