FAIRBANKS, AK — The next two weekends are uncharted territory for the Brahmas, who have never made the trip up to Alaska before. It’s a long road stretch for the team, who play in Fairbanks and Kenai River, then come back to North Richland Hills for a few days before getting back on the road for a series in Topeka.
After picking up three points at home against the Corpus Christi IceRays to kick off 2018, the Brahmas will look to build momentum as they enter the crucial second half of the season.
Fairbanks is the first test for the Brahmas in Alaska. Following a relatively disappointing 69-point performance last season that saw them finish second in their division, the Ice Dogs are back in a familiar spot: Leading the Midwest with a comfortable lead over the second-place team, the Janesville Jets.
In fact, the Ice Dogs’ 51 points are good for second overall in the NAHL, behind only the NAHL South’s Shreveport Mudbugs.
With four players scoring at a point-per-game pace or better and two of the top five goaltenders in the league, the Ice Dogs appear to be the real deal.
Fairbanks may be a daunting opponent, but the Brahmas should be up to the task. After all, before the holiday break, the Brahmas handed those aforementioned league-leading Mudbugs a 3-0 shutout loss, and the recent acquisitions of forwards Jon Russell and Steven Ipri should give a boost to the offense.
Russell and Ipri made their Brahmas debuts this past weekend against Corpus Christi and quickly endeared themselves to fans by immediately making their marks on the scoresheet. Ipri picked up two assists, and Russell completed a hat trick and added an assist for a four-point weekend.
That’s the kind of firepower that the Brahmas had been sorely missing through their first 30 games, and both newcomers should play a key role in Lone Star’s offense moving forward.
Both games this weekend are at 7:30 PM AKST. In local time, that’s a 10:30 PM puck drop, so get your coffee pots ready for a late night brew!
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In addition, join us at Zuroma for a watch party tonight and Saturday night and don’t miss a second of the action!