In fact, the Ice Dogs didn’t even muster a goal in Friday’s game against the Odessa (Texas) Jackalopes as Fairbanks suffered a 3-0 loss on the third day of the NAHL Showcase in Blaine, Minnesota.
The 4-1-1-0 Ice Dogs opened the season with four straight wins before falling 3-2 in overtime against the Austin Bruins on Thursday afternoon.
Friday afternoon, the Ice Dogs had plenty of scoring opportunities, blasting 34 shots at Odessa goalie Jonny Hogue, but none of those shots found their way to the back of the net.
Fairbanks goalie Jared Dempsey turned in a strong performance in stopping 30 of the 32 shots he faced. Dempsey was pulled in the final minute in favor of an extra attacker, and Odessa took advantage by scoring an empty-net goal to secure the verdict.
The Ice Dogs are now 1-1-1-0 in the Showcase and take on the Minot Minotauros at 3:15 p.m. today in the final game of the tournament.
Minot is 3-0-0 in the Showcase and on the season after rallying for a 2-1 victory over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Friday evening.
The Ice Dogs had 26 shots on goal in the first two periods on Friday, but Odessa managed to take a 1-0 lead with the only even-strength goal of the game.
Jaden Anderson scored the only goal the Jackalopes would need with 15 seconds remaining in the second period.
Odessa’s Chase Thudium scored a shorthanded goal at 6:42 of the third and Connor Woods’ empty-net goal with 46 seconds left on the clock put the final nail in the Ice Dogs coffin.
Fairbanks was 0 for 1 on the power play, and Odessa was 0 for 4.
Contact the News-Miner sports department at 459-7586.
