FAIRBANKS, AK - Senior forward Dirk Southern's two goals led the Northern Michigan University offense and goaltender Derek Janzen made 28 saves to backstop the Wildcats to a 4-1 victory over the University of Alaska Fairbanks hockey team and earn a series split at the Carlson Center on Saturday night.
Southern opened the scoring in the game, notching his third goal of the season at 8:03 of the first period. Senior forward Andrew Contois and junior defenseman Matt Maunu picked up assists on the goal.
NMU out shot the Nanooks 12-1 in the first period, however UAF had coach
Tavis MacMillan felt as if his team got plenty of offensive chances that didn't reflect on the score sheet.
"I would have loved to have charted the scoring chances," said MacMillan. "Sometimes a scoring chance doesn't come as a shot on goal. I wouldn't have guessed it would have been that bad, and I honestly would have thought it was closer to even."
"It's not the opportunities we're lacking in. Right now we're a team that's lacking the finish. We're a lot more Swedish then we are Finnish."
MacMillan's team would finish on one of its chances in the second period as sophomore
Kyle Greentree (Victoria, BC/Victoria, BCHL) took an outlet pass from sophomore defenseman
T.J. Campbell (Ft McMurray AB/Ft McMurray, AJHL) and blasted a slap shot past Janzen from the left side to even the score at 1-1. Freshman forward
Braden Walls (Calgary AB/Drayton Valley, AJHL) was credited with the second assist on the play. The goal was Greentree's fourth of the season.
NMU would recapture the lead less than four minutes later as sophomore forward Mike Santorelli scored his fifth goal of the year, assisted by junior forward Pat Bateman and senior defenseman John Miller.
The Wildcats took a 2-1 lead into the second intermission and held a 24-16 advantage in shots through two periods.
UAF would face its biggest test of the game early in the third period as Walls received a 5:00 major and game misconduct for checking from behind 3:15 into the third period and would find themselves down two men 48 seconds later when Campbell was called for a delay of game minor to give NMU a full two minute 5-3 power play.
The Nanooks successfully killed off the 5-3 and seemingly had momentum in their favor.
"We tried to keep them to the outside and shoot from the perimeter," said UAF tri-captain and junior defenseman
Jordan Hendry (Nokomis SK/Battlefords, SJHL). "We got the rebounds and dumped them down to get a quick change."
However the Wildcats would dash the Nanooks hope for a late game comeback when junior forward Dusty Collins scored an insurance goal at 12:21 of the third period. Senior forwards Patrick Murphy and Jamie Milan assisted on the play.
"We killed a 5-on-3 with 10 minutes left in the game and then made a mistake which they capitalized on, and that was more deflating then anything," said MacMillan.
Southern would send many of the 3,932 in attendance heading for the exits when he scored his second goal of the game at 15:20. The goal was assisted by junior forward Rob Lehtinen and Contois.
Starting in his third straight game for the first time this season, freshman goaltender
Chad Johnson (Calgary, AB/Brooks, AJHL) recorded 32 saves and suffered his first loss of the season (3-1-2).
The Wildcats finished the game with 36 shots on goal and the Nanooks finished with 29. Both teams went 0-4 on the power play.
With the loss, UAF falls to 6-4-2 overall and 4-3-1 in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. NMU improves to 7-7-0 and 4-6-0 in the CCHA.
The Nanooks will travel to Sault Ste. Marie, MI for a two game series with Lake Superior State starting on Friday, Dec. 2. Face-off is set for 3:35 p.m. (AST) and will be broadcast live from Clarence "Taffy" Abel Arena on KSUA (95.1 FM). UAF and the Lakers tied both games last season at the Carlson Center by the scores of 2-2 and 1-1.
Hockey Game Box Score (Final)
NMU vs #16 Alaska Fairbanks (Nov 26, 2005 at Fairbanks, AK)
NMU (7-7-0, 4-6-0 CCHA) vs. Alaska Fairbanks (6-4-2, 4-3-1 CCHA)
Date: Nov 26, 2005 Location: Fairbanks, AK
Arena: Carlson Center
Attendance:3932 Start time:7:05 PM End time:9:11 Total time:2:06
Goals by Period 1 2 3 Tot
NMU................. 1 1 2 - 4
Alaska Fairbanks.... 0 1 0 - 1
1st period - 1, NMU, Dirk Southern/3 (Andrew Contois/8, Matt Maunu/3) 8:03. Penalties - Zach Tarkir, NMU (o-interference) 11:48;
Justin Binab, UAF (delaying the game) 17:55.
2nd period - 2, UAF,
Kyle Greentree/4 (TJ Campbell/3,
Braden Walls/1) 7:04. 3, NMU, Mike Santorelli/5 (Pat Bateman/6, John Miller/1) 10:51. Penalties -
Nathan Fornataro, UAF (tripping) 14:21; Bobby Selden, NMU (contact to the head elbowing) 17:01.
3rd period - 4, NMU, Dusty Collins/1 (Patrick Murphy/1, Jamie Milam/7) 12:21. 5, NMU, Dirk Southern/4 (Rob Lehtinen/6, Andrew Contois/9) 15:20. Penalties -
Braden Walls, UAF (checking from behind) 3:15;
Braden Walls, UAF (game misconduct) 3:15; TJ Campbell, UAF (delaying the game) 4:03; Dirk Southern, NMU (slashing) 6:18; Darin Olver, NMU (holding) 12:45.
Shots on goal - NMU 12-12-12 36; UAF 1-15-13 29.
Power plays - NMU 0 of 4; UAF 0 of 4.
Penalties - NMU 4 (8 min); UAF 5 (21 min).
Goalies - NMU, Derek Janzen 2-2-0 (60:00 minutes, 29 shots-28 saves); UAF,
Chad Johnson 3-1-2 (60:00, 36-32).
Three stars: 1. Dirk Southern 2. Derek Janzen 3. Dusty Collins
Referee:Dan Brown Linesman:Rufus King; Chris Miles
Win-Derek Janzen (2-2-0). Loss-
Chad Johnson (3-1-2).
- UAF HOCKEY -
