newsminer.com

FAIRBANKS — The Fairbanks Ice Dogs play in the same division as two other North American Hockey League teams in Alaska, but more than two months into the season they still haven’t played one of those teams in Fairbanks.

That will all change on Friday night when the Ice Dogs entertain the Kenai River Brown Bears at 7:30 p.m. in the friendly confines of the Big Dipper Ice Arena. The two teams meet again at 7:30 on Saturday.

In fact, the Ice Dogs will play their next 11 home games against either Kenai River or the Alaska Avalanche of Wasilla, firmly establishing the intrastate rivalries with their other two NAHL West Division foes.

The Ice Dogs and Brown Bears have already played five games in Soldotna and will play three more games on the Kenai Peninsula on Thanksgiving weekend. Fairbanks has won three of the previous games, with the two losses coming by one goal apiece.

The teams also have a three-game series Dec. 11-13 in Fairbanks so they should be plenty familiar with each other prior to the Christmas break.

The Ice Dogs sit atop West Division standings with a 9-4-3 record, five points ahead of the Avalanche (8-4-0), who have played four fewer games than Fairbanks.

Kenai River comes into the Dipper with an 8-10-1 record, having split a series with the Wenatchee Wild on Monday and Tuesday.

Wenatchee won 4-3 on Monday, but Kenai River came back to notch a 3-2 win the next night.

Ice Dogs’ forward Brad McCabe was named the NAHL West Player of the Week for his efforts in last weekend’s sweep of the Wild. He had three goals and an assist during that series.

He had a goal and assisted on Andrew McCabe’s game-winning goal in Friday night’s 3-1 win and collected two goals in Saturday’s 9-3 triumph. He was a +4 on the weekend.

Fairbanks also boasts the league’s fifth-leading scorer in Austin Block, who has nine goals and 14 assists for 23 points in 16 games.

Fairbanks has outscored its opponents 63-48 in 16 games this season. Kenai River has scored 63 goals, but has allowed 86.

This weekend’s series is sponsored by Advanced Medical Centers of Alaska.

Ice Dogs general manager Rob Proffitt said special entertainment has been arranged between the first and second periods Friday night, but he wouldn’t reveal specifics.