by Joshua Armstrong/jarmstrong@newsminer.com
FAIRBANKS – The Fairbanks Ice Dogs were hot early and cold late as they lost their third consecutive game against the Alaska Avalanche.
The Ice Dogs put two goals on the board in the first five minutes, but Alaska returned fire to register a 4-3 North American Hockey League win on Saturday night in Wasilla.
Fairbanks coach Josh Hauge said major defensive lapses caused the loss.
\”In the defensive zone, guys were getting focused on the puck and not aware of where their guy was,\” he said.
Ice Dogs goalie Jake Williams (2-3-0) had 25 saves in the loss. Hauge said Williams didn\’t have much of a chance to stop the four pucks that went by him.
\”You can only ask so much of your goalie,\” he said.
Fairbanks jumped to a 2-0 lead on goals by Joe Krause 1 minute, 23 seconds after the puck dropped and a Mark Pustin goal 4:04 into the game. The Avalanche then scored four consecutive goals. Logan Rounds had a power-play tally with 9:16 remaining in the first period, Tyler Svoboda scored with 16:24 left in the second period and Jacob Barber lit the lamp with 11:37 and 5:53 to go in the second.
\”When you get a team down 2-nothing, you\’ve got to bury them, and we let them off the hook,\” Hauge said.
The Ice Dogs could only respond with one goal – on the power play from Kyle Politz with 1:05 left in the second – but Avalanche goalie Kale Robertson didn\’t allow any pucks past him after that, improving to 7-2-1 on the season.
