The Shooters suffered a 7-1 loss to Permafrost on Thursday night in the second round of the Novice East playoffs. The game began at a furious pace with both teams competing hard for loose pucks and every inch of ice. Permafrost would be the first to score with just over six minutes remaining in the first period. A shot from the blue line off a faceoff win beat Tencza five hole. The goal seemed to deflate the Shooters as they could not generate any offense in the remainder of the period and would be outshot 13-6 going into the first intermission. The team made a lot of positive adjustments for the middle frame but four goals by Permafrost extended their lead to 5-0. Their first goal of the second period, less than two minutes in, found the back of the net when a shot from the top of the right circle beat Tencza through a screen to the glove side. The Shooters settled in afterwards and their best scoring chance came off a rush by Wilson when she fired the puck from the top of the right circle. The puck squeezed through the goalies gear and was covered when he rolled back in the crease like a snow angel. But three more goals, one of which came on a breakaway with just a minute remaining, gave Permafrost a commanding lead. A tripping penalty in the final seconds gave the Shooters a power play opportunity to start the third period but they were unable to generate any shots on goal. Another breakaway goal that beat Tencza low to the glove side gave Permafrost a 6-0 lead with just over eleven minutes remaining in the game. Desperate to generate some scoring chances the Shooters pulled Tencza in favor of the extra attacker shortly after the Permafrost goal. Some sustained time in the offensive zone did follow and the team generated their first shot on goal of the frame with just over six minutes remaining. But Weaver, playing for Permafrost, finished their scoring line with an empty net goal. A. Bischoff ended the shutout bid with her first Shooters playoff goal for the 7-1 final. Overall, the Shooters were outshot by their opponent 31-21 while going 0-1 on the power play and taking no penalties. The loss eliminates the Shooters from the playoffs and ends their first season in the Novice East division.

The Anchorage Adult Hockey League announced the Novice East playoff bracket today. Ten teams will compete for the championship starting next week. The bottom four seeds (Haakinson, EDC, Thigh Slappers, and Wizards) will start the playoffs with a play-in game on 7 March. The teams finishing thrid through sixth will then play on 9 March. That includes the Shooters who will open against Permafrost at 8:45pm. A victory would advance them to the semi-finals on 16 March. The two teams remaining in this single elimination tournament will play for the division championship on 18 March. A complete copy of the playoff bracket, game dates/times, and rink locations can be found by clicking the 16-17 AAHL Novice East Playoffs link below.