It looks like there might be a trend developing here.
A night after Fairbanks slipped away with a 5-4 shootout win, Alaska posted a 4-3 victory over the defending North American Hockey League West Division champion Ice Dogs.
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But even better for the Avs, the weekend series which produced three points in the standings for Alaska, could help reverse another trend — the Ice Dogs virtual domination of the Avs during the past several seasons.
Alaska scored three second-period goals for the second straight night en route to grabbing just its second win over its intrastate rival since the start of the 2008-09 season.
Last year, the Avs were just 1-11-2 against Fairbanks. In 2007-08, Alaska was nearly as poor against their neighbors to the north, posting just a 2-9-1 mark against the Dogs.
But things may be different this year.
“It’s going to be a good rivalry this season,” Boitz said Friday. “No question.”
Jacob Barber, Robb Haider, Nardo Nagtzaam and Berkley Scott each scored to help the Avs improve to 11-3-4 overall, and keep hold of second place of the West Division with 26 points.
Barber scored for the second time in as many nights to tie the score at 1-1 early in the second period.
Haider and Nagtzaam each found the back of the net within a four-minute span midway through the second to give the Avs the 3-2 lead.
After Fairbanks tied the score early in the third, Scott used a power-play goal with 4:06 left to give the Avs the 4-3 lead.
Kale Robertson stopped 21 shots to earn the win in the Alaska net. The Avs outshout Fairbanks 47-24 in the win.
Alaska will host Fairbanks again next Friday and Saturday at the Menard Arena.
Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.
Alaska 4, Fairbanks 3
Saturday, Menard Arena
First period — no scoring.
Second period — 1. Fairbanks- Larson (Waggoner, Tolkinen) pp 1:28; 2. Alaska- Barber (Walker, Rounds) 4:03; 3. Fairbanks- Blaisdell (Krause, Orourke) 8:07; 4. Alaska- Haider (Johnson, Nagtzaam) 9:31; 5. Alaska- Nagtzaam (Haider, Parenteau) 13:59.
Third period — 6. Fairbanks- Tolkinen (Juola, Pustin) 8:25; 7. Alaska- Scott (Rounds, Pichler) pp 15:54.
Shots on goal: Fairbanks 6-11-7—24, Alaska 14-15-18—47; Saves: Fairbanks- Taffe 14-12-x—26, Williams x-x-17—17, Alaska- Robertson 6-9-5—21; Power plays: Fairbanks 1-for-6, Alaska 2-for-9; Penalties: Fairbanks 11-for-22, Alaska 10-for-28.

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