Dec. 15, 2007
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FAIRBANKS, AK- Sixty-five minutes was not enough to separate Alaska and Ohio State on Saturday night, as the two teams were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw. The Nanooks (3-9-2, 2-9-1 CCHA) seemed well on their way to a third straight victory after jumping out to a 2-0 lead behind goals from Dion Knelsen and Landon Novotney. But unlike the previous evening, the bounces went the Buckeyes way this time by, as two unusual goals from Tom Fritsche and Tommy Goebel earned the visitors a share of the points.
"Sometimes, when the bounces don't go your way, they don't go your way," said head coach Doc DelCastillo afterwards. "I can't really cry over spilled milk. I thought the team played great. You can't really control certain things: we just controlled what we can control.
Rebounding from a tough loss last night, Ohio State (5-12-2, 2-9-1 CCHA) got off to the brighter start, creating two good chances within the first minute of play. A slip from Jeff Penner allowed the Buckeyes' Fritsche through on goal, but the senior fired straight at Wylie Rogers. John Albert then went close for the visitors, tipping a long-range shot just wide.
The pressure would only get worse for the Nanooks, as penalties on Derek Klassen and Brandon Gawryletz gifted the Buckeyes a 5-on-3 power play, during which they pelted the Alaska net. Jason Desantis sent in a rocket from the point, which Rogers did well to tip over. A wrister from Goebel likewise seemed destined for the top shelf, until Rogers got a glove onto it.
After snapping off a season-high 41 shots the night before, the Nanooks didn't get their first shot on target until 12 minutes in, when Novotney fired into goaltender Joseph Palmer's chest from a tight angle near the left edge of the crease.
Slowly but surely, however, the Nanooks were finding their way back into the game: a shift in momentum that was only amplified by three first-period penalties from Ohio State. Sure enough, the Buckeyes lack of discipline would prove costly, as the Blue and Gold finally capitalized on one of their power play opportunities.
After nearly three straight minutes with a man advantage, Alaska seemed to be running out of ideas against an organized Buckeye penalty kill until Adam Naglich dumped the puck down to Knelsen on the goal line, who, despite the tough angle, put a vicious slapshot on net. Palmer got plenty of his body onto the shot, but the puck still had enough momentum to inch across the line, giving the Nanooks the early advantage.
The goal seemed to revitalize the Blue and Gold, and they nearly added a second a minute later, as an intercepted puck bounced tantalizingly in front of the Buckeye goal. Palmer hesitated in coming out of his net, and Trevor Hyatt nipped in, diving at full stretch to get his stick on the puck, but the closing Palmer was able to divert the shot wide, denying Hyatt a highlight-reel score.
After conceding a goal late in the first period, the Buckeyes opened the second with renewed attacking vigor. Only a point blank save from Rogers denied Goebel, while the impressive DeSantis stung the goaltender's pads with a long-range effort.
Once again, however, the Nanooks would strike on the power play. After the Buckeyes were whistled for too many men on the ice, Sather slid a pass through traffic to Eckford out on the point. After settling the puck with his first touch, the junior defenseman sent a trademark slapshot whistling in on goal. As Palmer moved to cover the shot, Novotney got his stick onto the puck, tipping it high into the net past the stranded goalkeeper.
Within three minutes, however, the Buckeyes had pulled a goal back, albeit in bizarre fashion. After the puck was dumped into the attacking zone, Ohio State's Matt McIlvane slid the puck behind the net for Fritsche. Skating near the goal line on the right wing, Fritsche seemed to be centering the pass back for his oncoming teammates. His attempted pass deflected off a diving Gawryletz, however, and looped agonizingly over Rogers and into the net.
Despite the goal, Alaska still seemed in charge of the game, dominating long spells of the third period. A Braden Walls' steal created an odd-man rush for the Nanooks, but Walls' centering pass was just behind the onrushing Sather, allowing Ohio State to recover. Walls then fired a slapshot well over the Buckeye net, even though he found himself with just Palmer to beat.
Alaska's failure to put the game away came back to haunt them, however, as another bouncing puck found its way past Rogers. On the power play following a Ryan Muspratt hooking call, Sergio Somma, skating on the right wing, crossed for a Goebel directly in front of the Nanook goal. The opportunity seemed to be gone when Gawryletz got his stick onto the pass, but the puck bounced up off of Goebel and arched into the goal for the equalizer.
"Going into the third period, I thought two goals wasn't going to be enough to win this hockey game," said DelCastillo. "We had some opportunities, but Palmer played extremely well for them all weekend."
Sather came within an eyelash of another dramatic winner for the Nanooks, as Novotney's desperate backhand toward goal evaded Palmer, but Sather arrived a split-second too late to turn the puck into the gaping net. The Blue and Gold spent most of the overtime period on the back foot, as they were outshot by the Buckeyes 4-0 in the extra session, but managed to hang on to claim their third point of the weekend.
Toyota Player of the Game Rogers recorded 30 saves, while Palmer had 24 stops for the Buckeyes.
Alaska now get a week to recover before welcoming its rival Alaska Anchorage to town to decide the fate of the 2007-08 Governor's Cup on December 28-29. Following the Christmas holiday, the Nanooks begin a marathon schedule that sees them in action for the next nine consecutive weekends, including a string of six straight home games from Jan. 18-Feb. 2.