The Minnesota Wilderness are in Alaska to close out the month of January. The trip includes three games in Fairbanks this weekend and two in Kenai River on January 31 and February 1.
The Fairbanks visit will mark the only visit the Wilderness will make to Alaska’s interior this season. The three game set begins Thursday and will conclude Saturday with all games being played at the Big Dipper Arena.
Game time for the Thursday opener will be 7:00 p.m. AKST, while Friday and Saturday’s games begin at 7:30 p.m. AKST.
Minnesota (17-16-3) will be looking to snap a 3-game losing streak. The Chippewa Steel defeated the Wilderness in both games last weekend in a home-and-home series, 6-3 on Jan. 17 in Chippewa Falls and 5-2 the following night in Cloquet.
In its last set of games, Fairbanks (21-7-5) split a home series vs. the Janesville Jets. The Ice Dogs were victorious 7-1 in the contest last Friday, but then dropped Saturday’s game in overtime, 5-4.
This weekend’s games will mark the final three meetings of the season between the Wilderness and Ice Dogs. The two squads last met on opening weekend in Cloquet (Sept. 13-14). Minnesota swept that 2-game series by scores of 3-2 and 4-2.
Media: NAHLTV.com
Midwest Division standings:
| Place | Team | Games Played | Points | This weekend’s opponent |
| 1 | Wisconsin | 37 | 53 | 2 games @ Springfield |
| 2 | Anchorage | 36 | 51 | 2 games vs. Kenai River |
| 3 | Fairbanks | 33 | 47 | 3 games vs. Wilderness (Thurs., Fri., Sat.) |
| 4 | Springfield | 34 | 40 | 2 games vs. Wisconsin |
| 5 | Chippewa | 36 | 38 | 2 games @ Janesville |
| 6 | Wilderness | 36 | 37 | 3 games @ Fairbanks (Thurs., Fri., Sat.) |
| 7 | Kenai River | 37 | 31 | 2 games @ Anchorage |
| 8 | Janesville | 35 | 24 | 2 games vs. Chippewa |
Tale of the Tape
| Team | GF | GA | PP | PK |
| Wilderness | 132 | 132 | 32 for 160 (20%) | 24 for 126 (81%) |
| Fairbanks | 118 | 78 | 27 for 172 (15.7%) | 24 for 140 (82.9%) |