Oct. 27, 2006
Final Stats
FAIRBANKS, AK - The Alaska Nanooks scored a 2-1 win over Ferris State University Friday night in their first Central Collegiate Hockey Association contest at the Carlson Center. With the score knotted 1-1 and the Nanooks with a two-man advantage, junior Kyle Greentree (Victoria, BC) popped a one-timer off Bulldog goalie Mitch O'Keefe with just 4:21 left in the game.
Greentree earned Toyota Player of the Game honors and was the Perani Cup First Star for notching the game-winner, his fourth goal of the season. As the Nanooks started a 5 to 3 man advantage, Alaska coach Tavis McMillan called a time-out at 4:36 to set up the offensive attack.
Freshman Dion Knelsen (Three Hills, AB) won the face-off to defenseman Tyler Eckford (Langley, BC). Eckford brought the puck over the blueline and passed the it across the ice to a waiting Greentree, whose shot bounced off O'Keefe's stick side and into the goal. Three of the junior winger's four goals this season have come while Alaska was on the power-play.
After a scoreless first period, the Nanooks were able to break the stalemate just seconds after killing off their third penalty. Junior defenseman Brandon Gawryletz (Trail, BC) had just finished serving a two-minute minor for holding when he was fed the puck at the blueline by Knelsen. With the ice wide open and two Bulldog defensemen chasing him, Gawryletz skated in one-on-one against O'Keefe and shelved with a wrist shot past him gloveside at 4:38 into the second to make it 1-0.
The Bulldogs lone goal was scored at the 17:04 mark of the third by defenseman Jim Jorgensen. Justin Lewandowski and Brendan Connolly assisted on the score for FSU.
The Nanooks were out shot by the Bulldogs 29-23. Alaska's Chad Johnson (Calgary, AB) stopped 28 shots in goal to bring his record to 2-0-1 on the season and remain unbeaten against the Bulldogs (2-0-1, 1.95 GAA, .942 svs pct.). O'Keefe (3-4-0) turned aside 21 shots for the Bulldogs.
Dion Knelsen continued his sensational start to his freshman season by picking up two assists in the win. The 17-year-old now has three multi-point games and totals of four goals and five assists to lead the team nine points after five games, and puts him fourth amongst the nation's rookies for points per game with 1.8.
Alaska killed off all eight Ferris power plays on the night. The Nanooks have consecutively killed 12 penalties over 157:44 since Alaska Anchorage's Jay Beagle scored a power-play goal at 2:16 of the second period on Oct. 20. The Nanooks finished 1-for-8 on the power play but the lone man advantage tally was the game-winner from Greentree. The Nanooks power-play unit is second best in Division I hockey, with 29.7 percent efficiency (11 of 37).
The Nanooks and Bulldogs play a re-match tomorrow night at 7:05 p.m in their final meeting of the regular-season. It also closes out the Nanooks seven-game homestand. First face off is at 7:05 p.m AST.
