Oct. 20, 2006
Final Stats
FAIRBANKS, AK - The Alaska Nanooks had victory snatched from their grasp Friday night in a 6-5 overtime loss to the University of Alaska Anchorage in the first game of the Alaska Airline's Governor's Cup. Seawolf Jay Beagle scored a shocking goal late in the third period to send the game into extra time, where Justin Bourne scored the game-winner with 1:51 left.
Bourne skated across the Nanook zone, faked right and using a group of players as a screen, slapped the puck past Alaska goalie Wylie Rogers' glove side for the game-winner and a one game lead in the quest for the Cup.
The Nanooks (2-1-0) wasted little time in staking a lead against UAA (2-0-1) with two first period goals.
Just 1:06 into the game, junior Kyle Greentree (Victoria, BC) scored on Alaska's first shot on goal. Greentree took a pass from freshman Brandon Knelsen (Three Hills, AB) and started up the right side, slipping past two Seawolf defenders in the process. With one defender to beat, Greentree centered the puck to a streaking Tyler Eckford (Langley, BC). Eckford sent the puck back to a cutting Greentree, who knocked the puck into the net past UAA goalie Nathan Lawson's glove side.
Ten minutes later, Greentree set up the Nanooks with his powerful slapshot. With the Nanooks on the power play, the 6-3 forward took a pass from Eckford just inside the blue line on the right side and fired a shot on the Seawolf goal. With both Alaska and UAA players in front of Lawson, Nanook freshman Dion Knelsen (Three Hills, AB) was able to deflect the puck past the Seawolf junior for a 2-0 lead at 8:57 mark.
While the Nanooks took an early lead on just seven shots, the Seawolves failed to put the puck past Rogers (Fairbanks, AK) despite 15 shots on goal. That would change in the second period, as the Seawolves responded to the Nanooks early onslaught with some offense of their own.
Just 2:16 into the second, UAA finally beat Rogers while on the power play. Seawolf sophomore Jay Beagle controlled a pass from Paul Crowder in front of a crowded Nanook crease and whacked the puck past Rogers' stick side. UAA's Justin Bourne also assisted on the goal.
UAA then knotted the game up with a nifty goal from sophomore Adam Corrin. Corrin took a pass from senior defenseman Chad Anderson with his back to the goal and without looking, shoveled the puck past Rogers' stick and into the net with 4:33 left in the period.
The tie score set the table for the wild, high-scoring third period. UAA took a 3-2 lead 4:27 into the third when Bourne, from the left side, fed Crowder on the Rogers' right side doorstep.
But the Nanooks struck a minute and a half later when Nathan Fornataro (Calgary, AB) scored at 14:05 with a shot through the legs of Lawson. Aaron Lee (Calgary, AB) and Curtis Fraser (Surrey, BC) assisted on the goal.
Dion Knelsen then scored unassisted at the 13:03 mark with a break-out goal. The 17-year-old faked right, causing a UAA defender and Lawson to bite, after which he backhanded the puck in from point blank range for a 4-3 lead.
UAA's Mark Smith tied the score again with a slapshot from the right side circle at 9:29 in the third. Alaska forged ahead when Tyler Eckford one-timed a rebound of a Lucas Burnett (Rossland, BC) shot past the left side of Lawson to take a 5-4 with 6:43 left.
The Nanooks held the lead into the final minute of regulation, when the Seawolves pulled Lawson for a sixth attacker. With 15.4 seconds left, Beagle scored on a frantic scramble in front of Rogers to silence a sellout crowd of 4,595 at the Carlson Center.
The two teams traded near-misses throughout overtime before Bourne notched the game-winner with 1:51 left.
The Seawolves peppered Rogers (1-1-0) with an amazing 45 shots on goal. The Seawolves outshot the Nanooks in every period including 4-2 in overtime to drop Rogers' career record against UAA to 5-2-1. Lawson (2-0-1) stopped 21 of 26 in the net to earn the win.
Eckford took home Toyota Player of the Game honors with one goal and two assists.
UAA fought back from deficits of 2-0, 4-3 and 5-4 to claim their first win in Fairbanks since October 2003.
The Nanooks and Seawolves continue their quest for the Alaska Airlines Governor's Cup at the Carlson Center Saturday night at 7:05 p.m. Alaska has taken the Cup title from UAA for the last five years and leads the Cup's 13-year history eight to five.
