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Fairbanks Ice Dogs defenseman Peter Kavaya has committed to play college hockey at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Mich., a member of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association.

The 6-foot, 170-pounder from San Clemente, Calif., has five goals and 18 assists for 23 points this season. He also has two game-winning goals and a +15 ranking.

“He’s a highly-talented hockey player and I think this is going to be a great fit for him,” Ice Dogs coach Rob Proffitt said Wednesday evening. “He’s going to a CCHA school, and he should have the chance to step in and play right off the bat.”

Kavaya became the third member of the current Ice Dogs squad to make a commitment to a CCHA team and the 10th player on this year to commit to a Division I school.

Goaltender Cody Reichard is scheduled to attend Miami (Ohio) and defenseman Brock Shelgren plans to go to Michigan State.

Other Ice Dogs who have committed are Gianni Baldassari (Holy Cross), Caleb Harrison (Holy Cross), Ryan Kayfes (Bentley College), Alex McRae (Army), Aaron Stonacek (Bentley), Matt Carlson (Bemidji State) and Austin Block (Air Force for 2009-10).

Two former Ice Dogs have also committed — Hunter Bishop (Ohio State) and Bryce Christianson (Alaska Anchorage).

Proffitt said he expects a couple more players to make commitments in the near future.

More Ice Dogs have committed to play at Division I schools next season than any other NAHL team.

This weekend, the Ice Dogs take on the Alaska Avalanche of Wasilla in the final two games of the regular season at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Big Dipper Ice Arena.

The Ice Dogs are tied for second with Wichita Falls in the NAHL South Division standings, three points behind the division-leading Topeka RoadRunners.

The Ice Dogs can claim the top spot by winning both games against Wasilla and having the RoadRunners get only one point in games Friday at Texas and Saturday at Wichita Falls.

“The way we’re looking at things is that the playoffs start this weekend,” Proffitt said. “We know that they are going to come in here wanting to beat us, so we have to get in that playoff mentality and get the train on the right track.”

The Ice Dogs have a weekend full of activities planned that ranges from between-periods jersey auctions to the team’s annual spaghetti feed, auction and raffle on Sunday afternoon at the Elks Lodge.

Six more players’ home jerseys will be auctioned off between periods each night this weekend. The Ice Dogs also plan to honor their host families prior to Saturday night’s game.

Playoff tickets and 2008-09 season tickets also will be on sale this weekend. The Ice Dogs will host the first two-games of their best-of-five first-round playoff series on April 4 and 5.

The spaghetti feed, raffle and auction takes place at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Elks Lodge. Tickets for the raffle are $100 apiece. Only 300 tickets are sold and $14,500 in prize money will be awarded.

The auction includes round-trip tickets for two and five nights hotel accommodations to Hawaii, autographed jerseys from Scott Gomez of the New York Rangers and Tim Conboy of the Carolina Hurricanes, and a pheasant hunting trip in South Dakota.

The silent auction for the items listed above actually begins during this weekend’s series with the Avalanche.