Anchorage Wolverines top Kenai River 3-2 in long-awaited return to Sullivan Arena

Friday night didn’t mark the very first time a hockey game of any kind had been played in the Sullivan Arena this year. There was an instance during last year’s high school hockey postseason that required a game that began at the neighboring Ben Boeke Ice Arena to be transferred and finished there due to an emergency.

However, the matchup between the Anchorage Wolverines and the Kenai River Brown Bears marked the first for a junior hockey or semi-pro team in seven years since the Alaska Aces played their last home game on April 8, 2017.

A rowdy crowd of 3,953 people filled the lower bowl and balconies of the arena, far exceeding the maximum seating capacity of roughly 1,000 that Ben Boeke could hold on a given night. Those fans witnessed an exciting rivalry game in which the Wolverines topped the Brown Bears 3-2.

“It felt amazing, they put up a great crowd for us, and we’re just glad we were able to deliver,” Wolverines defenseman Brock Devlin said.

The last time Anchorage Wolverines head coach Nick Walters set foot in the Sullivan Arena for a hockey game was when he was the director of hockey operations for the University of Alaska Anchorage. It was the second of a two-game series in which the Seawolves hosted their in-state rival Nanooks from the University of Alaska Fairbanks on the first two days of March 2019 to close out the regular season.

Since then, the facility has been used as an emergency homeless shelter during the COVID-19 pandemic, and afterward, it had to undergo a much-needed makeover and restoration before it could be used as a major hockey venue again.

During that time, Anchorage’s junior hockey franchise called the Ben Boeke Ice Arena home since its inception four years ago so being back in a venue he spent a lot of time in growing up was “surreal” for Walters when his team hosted the 2024-2025 home opener.

“It’s been a long time coming, a lot of anticipation, a lot of work goes on behind the scenes that I don’t touch any of it,” he said. “To see the community come out and support these guys, it was an awesome first night, so we just have to keep doing our job to keep them wanting to come back.”

“It was loud and when you looked up, you saw a sea of people,” Walters said. “It was really cool and brought back a lot of memories of when I was a fan coming to these games as well. I couldn’t be any happier.”

Between the foghorn that made the whole place shake every time Anchorage scored a goal and the teal flags flying any time it made a big play, the atmosphere was both electric and energizing for the coaches and players.

“The fans were awesome and thanks to everyone that came out and made this night special,” Devlin said. “It was a special feeling for sure, and I’ll never forget that.”

Walters said the opener exceeded any and all expectations they could’ve imagined.

As for the game itself, special teams were key for the home team as the Wolverines not only didn’t allow Kenai to score on any power-play opportunities but Anchorage managed to score while shorthanded on a goal from Daniel Bagnole for the second of the game to give them a 2-0 in the second period.

“When we look at special teams, we always put a lot of emphasis into it during the week whether it is through video or on-ice stuff or maybe working two to three guys at a time on our set plays,” Walters said. “Not only to kill off both penalties but to get a shorty, we need special teams to be good to win games.”

The very first goal for the Wolverines in their new home ice was scored by Jakub Bednarik nearly 14 minutes into the opening period. The team’s final goal that proved to be the deciding factor in the was came from Devlin early in the third with 17:52 left to play.

“Being patient on special teams lets players make plays and I just found an open spot,” he said.

The Brown Bears had a goal scored at the 13:12 mark in the third period negated after review and was able to make it a one-score game less than two minutes later but the Wolverines were able to hold on for the victory.

“Kenai has got a good team over there, and we have a lot of respect for them,” Devlin said. “I think the rivalry was huge tonight and I’m glad we were able to come out on top.”

The triumph meant that Anchorage ended Kenai’s three-game win streak to open the season while starting one of its own after they shut out the Chippewa Steel last Saturday.

“It takes two to start a streak so hopefully we can keep it going,” Walters said.