The Ice Dogs enter the final stretch of the regular season with a pivotal three-game series ahead. They face the Chippewa Steel, a team fighting for a playoff spot, while Fairbanks looks to stay within the top two of the Midwest Division.
After battling for first place last weekend, the Ice Dogs now find themselves in third following a sweep by the Windigo and two wins from the Anchorage Wolverines. Fairbanks sits level with Anchorage at 72 points while holding a game in hand.
The battle for the second and third seeds is likely to come down to the two rivals, as Fairbanks and Anchorage remain neck and neck in the standings. While closely matched, both teams sit comfortably ahead of the Steel in fourth place by 12 points and trail the division-leading Windigo by eight.
Chippewa currently holds the final playoff spot but is in a tight race, sitting just two points ahead of the Minnesota Wilderness. With a game in hand, the Wilderness gained ground after sweeping the Steel in their most recent series.
Fairbanks now enters the last month of the regular season with five home games remaining until the postseason. The Ice Dogs played the Steel four times this season, with three wins in their meetings.
Both teams posted identical 6-4-0-0 records over their last 10 games, keeping them on winning trends overall. However, both enter the series looking to rebound after back-to-back losses.
For individual stats, Kyle Rohrer leads the team with 54 points on 17 goals and 37 assists — it sees him at 25th in the NAHL for points and 18th for assists. Following him is Adam Timm 48 points (17 goals and 31 assists) and Wyatt Carlson with 41 (15 goals and 26 assists).
Goalkeeping duties continue to be split between Charlie Menard and Mason McElroy, who are key fixtures for the Ice Dogs this season.
Menard appeared in 27 games, posting a 2.09 goals against average, a .925 save percentage, and three shutouts. McElroy played in 25 games, recording a 2.60 goals against average and a .910 save percentage.
Defensively, the Ice Dogs remain the best in the division in goals allowed, conceding just 139 on the season. Offensively, they rank fourth with 191 goals scored, giving them a +52 goal differential — well ahead of Chippewa, which sits at -6.
The upcoming games are set for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, with the first meeting starting at 7 p.m. and the following two games beginning at 7:30 p.m.
Contact Caleb Jones at (907) 459-7530 or at cjones@newsminer.com.
