FAIRBANKS – Michael Juola took matters into his own hands for the Fairbanks Ice Dogs on Wednesday night.
Juola was part of all seven Fairbanks goals as the Ice Dogs won a hard-fought battle in Frisco, Texas, 7-6 in overtime against the Texas Tornado.
Defenseman Zach Tolkinen scored the game-winning goal on a power play with 15 seconds left in overtime, after Texas\’ Jon Adams was whistled for a tripping penalty with 40 seconds left in the extra session.
Juola wound up with two goals and five assists on the night in a game that saw the two teams trade scores throughout the night.
The score was tied 2-2 at the end of the first period and the Ice Dogs led 6-4 at the end of the second. The Tornado rallied to knot the score at 6 in the third with the tying goal coming on a power play with less than three minutes remaining in regulation.
Fairbanks went 4 for 5 on the power play, while the Tornado went 3 for 5 with a man-advantage.
The Ice Dogs blasted 44 shots on goal, compared to 40 for the home town Tornado.
Mark Pustin also scored two goals for the Ice Dogs, while Kyle Politz and James Saintey each scored twice.
Josh Nelson also picked up five assists for Fairbanks, with Pustin adding a pair and Saintey netting one.
Mike Taffe chalked up another win for the Ice Dogs with a 34-save performance.
The Ice Dogs have now won three straight games after suffering through a five-game winless streak.
Fairbanks will stay in Frisco for games on Friday and Saturday and then return to Fairbanks for Feb. 12 and 13 games against Texas at the Big Dipper Ice Arena.
