“They’re a team that plays with a lot of pace, similar to us,” Ice Dogs assistant coach Scott Deur said of the Knights.

The Ice Dogs, with a goal and an assist each from Tyler Tomberlin and Cameron Cook and two assists from Alex Mehnert, still have the best record in the Midwest Division and the Tier II Junior A league at 43-8-3 for 89 points in the standings. Friday’s setback, though, ended an 11-game winning streak.

“We had an 11-game winning streak coming home, and we’re disappointed losing the first game at home,” said right wing Reggie Lutz, who scored Fairbanks’ first goal Friday. 

The Ice Dogs were coming off a divisional road sweep of the Springfield (Illinois) Jr. Blues and the Coulee  Region (Wisconsin) Chill during the previous two weekends.

“It’s a not a good feeling, but it makes us a better team in getting ready for the playoffs,” Lutz added.

The Ice Dogs have six more games left in the regular season, including tonight’s 7:30 series finale against the Knights, who are in fourth place in the East Division at 20-27-8 for 48 points.

Lutz cited a few little things that the Ice Dogs could have done better Friday, when they trailed 3-0 in the first period before finding the back of the net twice in the second period.

“I think just finishing at the net harder,” Lutz said. “They (Knights) played pretty well, but we think we needed to bury a few more chances we had.”

Knights goaltender Grant Valentine made it difficult for the hosts, stopping 44 of the 47 shots he encountered.

“He’s big and he’s athletic, and he moves really good side to side,’’ Lutz said of the 5-foot-11, 175-pound Valentine. “He showed the glove side a lot at net, and he kind of tracked (shots) really good on the glove side. 

“I think we’ve got to crash the net a little harder (tonight) and get some greasy ones (goals) in front of the net,’’ Lutz said.

Ice Dogs goaltender CJ Boothe finished with 16 saves among the 19 shots he faced.

The Ice Dogs, for the second time in two weeks, emerged from the first period without a goal while the Knights generated three to set the tone for their win.

“That’s huge,” said Knights left wing Paul Maust, who had three points, including a goal and an assist in the first period.

“We got a three-goal lead going into the second period ... and when you get a lead like that, we can set up our forecheck and play our system, and they’ve got to play to us, we don’t have to play to them,” Maust added. “It just makes the game a lot easier.”

Carson Knopp started the Knights’ surge at 1:25 of the first by redirecting in Tim Gelatt’s shot from the right point. Maust also assisted.

Blake Busch, with Gelatt’s long pass, capped a short breakaway with a wrist shot that went in off the left post at 15:34. 

Maust scored on a power play from the right side of the crease at 18:44, courtesy of assists by Zach Remers and Dmitriy Zaitsev.

Lutz, with assists from Tomberlin and Mehnert, ended Fairbanks’ offensive drought at 4:52 of the second with a shot from the right circle that cleared Valentine’s stick-side shoulder. 

Tomberlin cut the Knights’ lead to 3-2 at 17:14 with a one-timer from the right side of the crease, set up by Clay Cross’s crossing pass.  Cook had the initial assist.

“We were all pulling for each other and we knew we had to come out harder (in the second period),” Mehnert said. “We came out in the second period and we buried two quick ones. We were hoping to keep it going, but their goalie was hot today.”

Maust, set up by Remers and Tanner Bennett, scored the eventual game-sealing goal into an empty net with 1:03 left in the game.

Cook, after Boothe was pulled for an extra attacker, scored amid a scramble in front of the crease with 30.2 seconds left in the contest. Mehnert and Cayden Cahill assisted on Cook’s third goal and seventh point of the season.

Contact sports editor Danny Martin at 459-7586. Follow him on Twitter:

@newsminersports.