Officials of the Tier II Junior A league didn’t really change the name of their postseason showcase. Lutz, though, has been an impact player for the top-seeded Fairbanks Ice Dogs’ drive to the title game after his performance in a semifinal series against the Aston (Pennsylvania) Rebels at the Braemer Arena in Edina, Minnesota.

The right wing from Elk River, Minnesota, which is about 38 miles from Edina, accounted for four of the Ice Dogs’ five goals in the semifinal round, including two in Friday’s 3-0 victory that wrapped up the best-of-three series.

Goaltender Gavin Nieto registered his second postseason shutout for the Ice Dogs, who will play for the title at 10 a.m. ADT Sunday against the second-seeded Wichita Falls (Texas) Wildcats.

“It’s one game, winner take all,” Ice Dogs head coach Trevor Stewart said by cellphone Friday. “You ask anybody and they’d love to be in this position. It’s very important for us to be prepared.”

The Ice Dogs hope to add a third Robertson Cup in five years to go with the titles they captured in 2011 and 2014. Fairbanks was runner-up to Bismarck in 2010.

Lutz continued on Friday where he left off Thursday, when he produced both goals in a 2-1 win in Game 1 against the Rebels.

Lutz, with assists from linemates Tyler Tomberlin and Clay Cross, planted the first goal of Friday’s contest at 9:14 into the game. Tomberlin, a Niagara University commit and left wing from Andover, Minnesota, assisted on Lutz’s game-winner Thursday.

Lutz made it 2-0 at 16:05 of the second period with the second helper of the game and sixth point of the playoffs from Cross, a center from Glendale, Arizona.

“He was a solid player, better than (Thursday),” Stewart said. “I thought he found a couple of different ways to score. He had a strong game and we needed it from him tonight.”

Tomberlin, at 17:32 of the third period, deposited an unassisted goal to seal the Ice Dogs’ berth in the championship game.

Nieto compiled 25 saves Friday after recording 28 Thursday. The Brown University commit from Yorba Linda, California, had six shutouts in the regular season.

“He was super strong, he saw the puck the whole night,” Stewart said of Nieto’s performance Friday. “The guys did a good job in front of him. He was our best player.”

Darion Hanson recorded 25 saves for Aston, the East Division postseason champion.

The Ice Dogs posted the NAHL’s best regular-season mark of 49-8-3 for 101 points, a league single-season record for points in the standings.

Fairbanks defeated the Coulee Region (Wisconsin) Chill three games to a one in a best-of-five Midwest Division semifinal series. The Ice Dogs advanced to the Robertson Cup tournament by winning three games of a best-of-five division final series against the Minnesota Wilderness, last year’s Robertson Cup winner.

Dog Bytes

A viewing party for the Robertson Cup final is scheduled for 10 a.m. Sunday at Tubby’s BBQ in the Regency Hotel, 95 10th Ave. An all-you-can-eat pulled pork barbecue special is available for fans for $14.95 each.

• Five players scored a goal and eight recorded a point as the Wichita Falls Wildcats advanced to the Robertson Cup final with a 5-2 win on Friday over the Bismarck (North Dakota) Bobcats. 

Michael Rounds led the Wildcats with two points, assisting on Andre Pison’s goal in the first period while scoring later in the first. Wichita Falls added two goals in each the first and second periods, and scored an empty-net goal in the last minute of the game. 

Willie Brown and Alex Strand each scored for the Bobcats. Wichita Falls won 3-2 in Game 1 on Thursday.

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

@newsminersports.