Photo courtesy of Fairbank Ice Dogs. The Fairbank Ice Dogs are returning to Marshall Friday and Saturday night for a weekend series against Chippewa at the Red Baron Arena. Both games are slated for 7:30 p.m.

MARSHALL — Continuing its tradition of visiting its previous home each season, the Fairbanks Ice Dogs are returning to the Red Baron Arena in Marshall for a pair of matchups against the Chippewa Steel on Dec. 6 and 7.

“The players are excited. Obviously, the community is tremendous,” general manager Rob Proffitt said. “The support is unreal. The building is top notch in first class, it’s a great place to play games.”

The Alaskan hockey team joined the North American Hockey League (NAHL) in 2003, originally founded in 1997, and is celebrating its 50th season this year being a part of the league which carries 35 teams across 20 states in the United States.

Although over 3,000 miles away, Fairbank found a home in Marshall for its 2020-21 season when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the team to relocate for a year.

“The community as a whole, it’s special … We were able to get the club to play there [in Marshall] through an immense amount of work from a lot of people and was just embraced by the community as a whole,” Proffitt said. “It’s just bigger than the game, it’s bigger than hockey. It’s like going back to a second hometown.”

The Ice Dogs also came back to Marshall just a few months ago to partake in various community services like assisting with Prairie Jam and speaking at a chamber meeting.

“The great news is we were there in September. They were kind enough to open up their homes, and we trained there for a couple weeks at the beginning of the season,” Proffitt said. “There’s a familiarity now with building families, which is just amazing.”

Currently ranked third of eight teams in the Midwest division with a 14-3 record with three shootout losses, one overtime loss and 32 points, the Ice Dogs saw Chippewa, currently 11-10 overall, seven times last year and walked away with a victory three of those times.

“We’re in a decent spot, our division is super tough every night. There’s a lot of parity and competition, but we’re off to a good start,” Proffitt said. “We’ve had a little bit of a tough time with them [Chippewa], and especially in Marshall, it’s been a couple years. The tide needs to change here with a win in the Red Baron.”

Led by head coach Ryan Theros, both games are slated for a 7:30 p.m. puck drop and doors will open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets can be bought on VisitMarshallMN.com or at the door.

“It’s going to be an event, not just a hockey game. We’re going to have giveaways, a four wheeler on the ice. We’ll be throwing merchandise into the stands, being interactive and engaging with the fans,” Proffitt said. “It’s that same pro-feel, but in a small town community that just gathers and becomes a social function.”