The Aberdeen Wings remain perfect on the season after a 6-3 win over the Fairbanks Ice Dogs Friday night at the Odde Ice Arena.
In an unusual out-of-division matchup, Aberdeen and Fairbanks were identical in shots on goal, each tallying 26. However, a strong second period pushed the Wings on top.
Spencer Schneider scored the game’s first goal — and his first on the season — just over four minutes into the game. The assistant captain was assisted by Liam Fraser and Payton Matsui. The Ice Dogs answered back at the 14:25 mark with a goal from Laker Aldridge and the teams headed into the break tied 1-1.
However, the scoring shifted as Wings started the second period with three unanswered goals. Cade Neilson got the scoring started at the 10:48 mark with an assist from Jordan Randall. Captain Clayton Cosentino followed suit just under two minutes later with his first goal of the season, assisted by Kevin MacKay. Thomas Manty found the back of the net at the 16:10 mark, assisted by Natan Vertes and Cosentino, to put the Wings up by three. A late period goal by Ice Dog’s Bret Link sent the teams into the locker room with the Wings leading 4-2.
Seamus Campbell starting the scoring for the Wings at 2:48 in the third period with the assist from Jackson Yee and Matsui, who picked up his seventh apple of the season. With the Wings leading 5-2, Fairbanks tightened the gap at the 17:02 mark with a goal from Jasper Lester — and thirty-nine seconds later, Fairbanks pulled goalie Austin Ryman. However, Michael Reed found the empty net at the 19:55 mark, sealing the deal for Aberdeen. The unassisted goal was Reed’s fourth on the season.
Twelve different Wings players picked up points — six scored goals, and six more players added assists. And head coach Scott Langer is happy with the myriad names he’s seeing.
“We have been a team that relies on depth,” he said after the game. “It’s always a positive when you have multiple lines producing.”
Wings goalie Jake Sibell stopped 23 of the 26 shots he faced. Both teams went 0-1 on the power play. Cosentino’s goal-assist combo puts him tied with the league points leaders.
Wings fans will recall that this was the same matchup from the 2018 Robertson Cup National Championship — and that cup is still proudly displayed inside the Odde arena. Langer was happy with how well his team played against a well-matched squad, especially after coming off a short break in games.
“Considering we didn’t have much preparation, I was very pleased to see our team find a way to win,” he said.
The Wings will host Fairbanks again at the Odde tomorrow, Saturday, November 14. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the puck drops at 7:15 p.m. — and it’s First Responders Night, which will get first responders $5 admission at the door. Tickets can also be purchased ahead of the game online at tickets.AberdeenWings.com.