Photo by Sam Thiel Fairbanks’ Cameron Ricotta (22) celebrates with Jake Hale (9) after scoring a goal during their game against the Minnesota Wilderness on Saturday at the Red Baron Arena and Expo. Fairbanks defeated the Wilderness 6-3.

MARSHALL — The Fairbanks Ice Dogs hockey team defeated the Minnesota Wilderness 6-3 on Saturday at the Red Baron Arena and Expo to earn a weekend sweep.

Fairbanks got out to an early lead when Owen Neuharth scored on the assist from Tyler Stewart and Dakota MacIntosh 16:57 into the first period to make it 1-0 before Jacob Conrad found the back of the net on the assist by Alexander Malinowski and Stewart on the power play a couple of minutes into the second period to push their lead to 2-0. The Ice Dogs would get another power-play goal a couple of minutes later from Cameron Ricotta, but the Wilderness answered with back-to-back goals to draw the deficit to one at 3-2. Fairbanks quickly responded with a goal by Stewart on the assist by MacIntosh and Nolan Cunningham before Ricotta found the net again on the assist from Jack Ring and Jake Hale to make it 5-2, and the Wilderness would get a goal a few seconds later to trim the deficit to two, but they couldn’t get any closer, as Fairbanks added an empty-net goal from Tyler Herzberg in the final minutes of the third to bring it to the 6-3 final.

Fairbanks outshot the Wilderness 37-25 on the game. Tyler Krivtsov earned the victory in net, recording 22 saves for Fairbanks.

Fairbanks will face the Chippewa Steel next weekend in Chippewa Falls.