Anchorage, Alaska |3/26/23 | Isaac Smoldon
The Anchorage Wolverines beat the Springfield Jr. Blues 6-3 on Sunday evening, securing four points in the Midwest division standings on the weekend. Tyler Hennen and Luke Anderson both scored their first Junior goals in the contest, while Wolverines’ netminder Eino Rissanen made 21 saves in the win.
Much like the previous game, Anchorage started on the back foot when Springfield scored under two minutes into the 1st. The Wolverines responded quickly however, with Tyler Hennen scoring off a pass from his older brother Hayden Hennen. A powerplay goal by the Jr. Blues gave them the lead headed into the 2nd, as Anchorage had to resume playing from a one-goal deficit.
The momentum of the game shifted in the 2nd period when the Wolverines piled four unanswered goals onto the Jr. Blues in rapid succession. Trent Powell scored to tie the game eight minutes into the period, and shortly after gave Anchorage the lead with a powerplay tally from the slot. Then it was Joe Cesario’s turn to score back-to-back goals, potting two on the same shift to put the Wolverines up by three after the 2nd.
Springfield scored another powerplay goal early in the 3rd to cut the lead to two goals early in the final period, but a strong defensive effort and good play from Rissanen meant that when Anderson scored his first junior goal on an empty net late into the period, it was over for the visitors. Anchorage won their final game of the weekend versus the Jr. Blues by a final score of 6-3.
With the win, the Wolverines are three points out of a playoff spot with seven games remaining in the regular season. Anchorage will continue their homestand next week, with another three-game series against the Chippewas Steel. Friday and Saturday’s games will begin at 7 p.m. AKDT, while Sunday’s will start at 4 p.m. AKDT. Tickets for all three games are available now at tickets.anchoragewolverines.com, with the live broadcasts available 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.
