FAIRBANKS- The Ice Dogs can lock up home ice in the first round of the North American Hockey League playoffs with a win and a Springfield loss this weekend.
The Ice Dogs lead the NAHL Midwest division with 72 points, while the Springfield Jr. Blues hold the third spot with 62 points. Both teams have six games remaining in the regular season, meaning if the Jr. Blues win out, they could finish with a 74 points. Springfield travels to Chippewa to take on the Steel in a 2-game set. Meanwhile the Dogs play a 3-game series in Soldotna, against a Kenai River Brown Bear team that is clinging to its playoff hopes.
The Dogs helped their in-state rivals by sweeping the Janesville Jets last weekend. Forward Luke Mobley had a monster series, tabbing 8 points off 4 goals and 4 assists in the three game series, including a hat trick in Friday’s 8-3 win over the Jets. The NAHL named Mobley the Bauer Top Star of the Midwest Division on Monday.
“Luke had a phenomenal weekend on both sides of the puck. His continued development is starting to show and is becoming a large part of his team’s success,” Ice Dogs Head Coach Trevor Stewart said of Mobley in a league release.
Following their series in Soldotna, the Dogs return home for the final three games of the regular season, also against the Brown Bears. As is tradition, it will mark parents weekend, which wraps up with the annual spaghetti feed March 31. The weekend also marks an alumni reunion as former players are invited to take part in festivities.
