Bears VS Ice Dogs! Anchorage and Palmer Venues!!!!

BROWN BEARS AND ICE DOGS TO PLAY IN ANCHORAGE AND PALMER IN 2018!

January 11, 2018 – Soldotna, AK

The Kenai River Brown Bears, proud members of the North American Hockey League, will host two home games on March 23^rd– 24^th against rival Fairbanks Ice Dogs in Palmer and Anchorage. GM Nate Kiel stated the plan to bring the NAHL to the Matsu Valley and Anchorage has been approved by the league and is an effort to showcase the NAHL brand to other Alaska markets. “With the loss of the Alaska Aces, and previous former NAHL Alaska Avalanche, we thought the timing was perfect for a weekend of junior A hockey in these cities.”

Friday’s game will be played in Palmer at the MTA Events Center, former home of the Avalanche, while Saturday’s faceoff will take place at the O’Malley Ice Center in South Anchorage. Both markets are historic hotbeds for Alaska hockey development, according to Kiel, and are a perfect fit for a high level of junior hockey. Game time both nights is 7:30pm.

The Bears have a history of developing local players, and currently have six Alaska natives on their roster, including top prospect Cam McDonald (Eagle River). The Ice Dogs also make great use of our Alaska talent with Tanner Schachle (UAA committ) from the Wasilla area as well as Daniel Haider (Army committ) out of the Anchorage area. Fairbanks GM Rob Proffitt stated “We are genuinely excited about this opportunity to bring Junior A hockey to the Valley as well as the Anchorage area. Hopefully this series will be just a snapshot of what there is to come in the future, as we continue down the path of having four Alaska teams in the NAHL.”

In making this major commitment to bring Junior A hockey to these markets, NAHL Alaska hopes to gain strong support in each community. Anyone interested in providing sponsorship or resources for these games may contact Kenai River GM Nate Kiel (907) 262-7825 or Fairbanks GM Rob Proffit (907) 452-2111 , or email projects@krbbears.com