Future Brown goaltender Gavin Nieto posted a shutout and captured the NAHL's Robertson Cup as the Fairbanks Ice Dogs posted a 2-0 win against the Wichita Falls Wildcats Sunday in Edina, Minnesota.
Eight Division I commits represented the Ice Dogs (full list below), headed to eight schools. Several more Ice Dogs could find their way to Division I programs, including Robertson Cup MVP Reggie Lutz, who scored five of Fairbanks' seven goals in the Robertson Cup.
NAHL.com Story | College Commitments
Fairbanks advanced to the championship game by sweeping the Aston Rebels in the best-of-three semifinals, while Wichita Falls swept the Bismarck Bobcats.
Sunday's championship game started scoreless through two periods, with Nieto and his counterpart, Justin Kapelmaster (Ferris State) silencing the opposition. Lutz finally broke through at 9:06 of the third period and uncommitted Josef Ingman scored 47 seconds later to give Fairbanks a 2-0 lead.
Nieto, who finished with 31 saves, closed the door from that point on and earned all-tournament honors.
It's the third Robertson Cup for Fairbanks, the national championship in the NAHL. The NAHL is USA Hockey's only Tier II junior league.
Robertson Cup All-Tournament Team
| F | Reggie Lutz (MVP) | Fairbanks | Uncommitted |
| F | Clay Cross | Fairbanks | Uncommitted |
| F | Austin Albrecht | Wichita Falls | Uncommitted |
| D | Aaron McPheters | Fairbanks | Alaska Anchorage |
| D | Jake Dalton | Wichita Falls | Bowling Green |
| G | Gavin Nieto | Fairbanks | Brown |
NCAA Commits on Fairbanks Ice Dogs
| Todd Burgess | Rensselaer |
| Logan Coomes | Merrimack |
| Ryner Gorowsky | Bentley |
| Aaron McPheters | Alaska Anchorage |
| Alex Mehnert | Air Force |
| Gavin Nieto | Brown |
| Jakob Stridsberg | Arizona State |
| Tyler Tomberlin | Niagara |