The Fairbanks Ice Dogs scored twice in a span of 2 minutes, 5 seconds in the third period to complete a 3-2 come-from-behind victory over the Bismarck Bobcats on Saturday at the Big Dipper Ice Arena.
The Ice Dogs trailed 2-1 entering the third period before Ryner Gorowsky and Ethan Somoza brought the Ice Dogs back.
Gorowsky knotted the game at 2 when he cashed in on a centering feed from Cayden Cahill with 6:58 left in the period. The goal was the second of the season for the first year Ice Dog.
Then it was Somoza’s turn. The 5-foot-11 forward snuck a shot from the slot through the five-hole of Bobcats goalie Hunter Shepard with 4:53 left in the game.
“Cahill and Gorowsky got it deep. Ryner came up the boards with it and gave it to the middle to me and I just got it and shot,” Somoza said. “I didn’t see it went at first. When I saw it went it I was just so happy.”
The goal was Somoza’s fourth of the season. Last season, Somoza scored 10 goals.
Cayhill was the only Ice Dog to have multiple points on the night. He finished with two assists, also picking up an assist on Gorowsky’s goal.
The Ice Dogs trailed 2-0 after one period before Chandler Madry got the Ice Dogs within one in the second period. While on the power play, Madry, who leads the Ice Dogs with 12 points, found a loose puck at the side of the net and tucked it into the net before Shepard could cover the post.
The goal was Madry’s third of the season and first on the man advantage. Jacob Stridesberg had the lone assist on Madry’s goal.
The Ice Dogs (4-5-1) were 1 for 4 on the powerplay while the Bobcats were 1 for 2 with the man advantage.
The Bobcats (3-5-0) outshot the Ice Dogs 15-6 in the first period. In the final two periods, the Ice Dogs fired 32 shots at net while the Bobcats fired 11.
“I think we just needed to get more pucks to the net,” Somoza said of the change between periods. “We were trying to be too fancy with the puck. We just started getting shots to the net and they started going in.”
With the win, the Ice Dogs have won two straight games for the first time this season. It’s just the second time this season that Fairbanks has taken at least one point in back-to-back games.
“It’s great. We got to keep it rolling into next weekend,” Somoza said. “Two’s just a start. We can keep going on a big roll here.”
Harrison Aide got the Bobcats on the board 2:18 into the first period. While on the rush, Ryan Callahan fired a backhand shot that Ice Dogs goalie Patrick Munson was able to stop but the rebound kicked into the slot.
Aide, skating in unmarked, was able to lift a backhand over Munson’s blocker.
Matt Perry extended the lead to 2-0 with 4:59 left in the first period. Alex Strand skated across the slot before dishing the puck back across the slot to Perry standing alone at the side of the net.
Perry slid the puck into the net for a power play goal.
Munson made 24 saves for Fairbanks while Shepard stopped 35 shots for the Bobcats.
Among Munson’s saves was a stop on Jared Pike on a breakway midway through the first period that kept the game 2-0.
Contact sports reporter Tim O’Donnell at 459-7583. Follow him on Twitter: @FDNMSportsGuy
