Oct. 24, 2008
Box Score
by Danny Martin, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
FAIRBANKS, AK— Chad Johnson played out of his mind against Bowling Green State University, while his Alaska Nanooks teammates blocked shots feverishly and killed power plays passionately in Friday night’s Central Collegiate Hockey Association opener at the Carlson Center.
However, a turnover spoiled their efforts and gave the Falcons from Ohio a 1-0 win.
Alaska, 0-1-0 CCHA and 2-2-1 overall, suffered its second straight loss by a shutout for only the second time in its history. The Nanooks fell 2-0 to the Maine Black Bears last Saturday.
The only other time Alaska went scoreless for 120 minutes was in November 1999.
Unlike the loss to Maine, the Nanooks didn’t give up a power-play goal to the Falcons, having eight penalties to the visitors’ six.
“I thought for the most part our team competed and we did a lot of things we wanted to do,” Alaska head coach Dallas Ferguson said in the postgame media conference. “I think the one thing that carried over (was that) we took some bad penalties again, and I told the guys that we can’t rely on our penalty kill to bail us out.”
It was very effective Friday, though, and Ferguson also used “awesome” in describing a penalty kill that ranks fourth among NCAA Division I teams with a 96.6 percent efficiency (28 denials in 29 power plays).
“Learning from last week, I didn’t feel like it (killing penalties) was killing our bench and killing our energy,” Ferguson said. “I was happy with the guys as far as keeping things positive and building off of it.
“The PK was solid, solid, solid tonight, and guys were blocking shots and competing; so that was definitely a positive for us.”
The Nanooks had 13 blocks, led by Derek Klassen’s four, and the Falcons had 16, led by Kyle Page’s five.
Among Alaska’s penalty-killing success was erasing a 1-minute, 43-second two-man advantage in the third period after right wing Justin Brossman’s interference minor at 6:54 and defenseman Joe Sova’s tripping penalty at 7:12.
Eleven of the 30 shots Johnson faced occurred during Bowling Green’s power plays.
“It was a tough third period, (with) a 5-on-3,” Johnson said. “Bearing down and getting in the shot lanes was a big key. It was kind of one things where you can build off of killing a 5-on-3. It’s momentum, and the fans get into it, too.
“It was big that we killed a 5-on-3 and then a 5-on-4, and it was just unfortunate that on the late goal we lost.”
The goal that caused Nanooks’ second straight defeat occurred at 16:46 of the third, just 1:08 after Alaska killed its eighth straight power play.
Falcons right wing Dan Sexton, whose five shots matched left wing teammate Jacob Cepis and Alaska right wing Brandon Knelsen for the game high, pressured Joe Sova as the Nanooks defenseman was preparing to transition the puck from behind the net.
Sexton, with a little help from teammate David Solway, forced a turnover which landed on the stick of Brandon Svendsen, who was coming in for a shift change. The senior right wing ripped a wrist shot from the slot that deflected through a screen in front of Johnson and snuck past him into the right corner of the net.
“It was a great hard-working play by Sexton and Solway,” Svendsen said. “Sexie caught me there in the slot, and I had a good look at the net and I got a good shot off.’’
Bowling Green coach Scott Paluch said his team has to get pressure to be successful. The Falcons improved to 1-0-0 CCHA and 2-2-1 overall.
“I thought for a 0-0 (score) for the majority of the game, there were some terrific chances for both teams, and the goalies were outstanding,” he said. “We have to create turnovers down low and play in the offensive zone, and we were able to get that. I thought it was a tremendously well-played game by both teams and we were fortunate to get a late goal.”
Johnson, who was vying for his first win since a 3-1 home victory over Lake Superior State on Nov. 25, 2006, frustrated the Falcons several times during the first 56 minutes of the game.
Two of his best saves was stoning Sexton on a solo breakaway at 11:24 of the second during a short-handed situation for the Falcons. He also stopped Kevin Schmidt point blank with a knee save at 10:59 of the first as the defenseman was at the right corner of the crease.
“He’s big, but he’s quick in certain areas,” Paluch said of Johnson. “You want to try to beat him on top, but he’s so quick. He was getting squared on the puck, and not a lot of rebounds were coming back. That’s a pretty good combination when you’re that big.”
Falcons senior Jimmy Spratt recorded his first career shutout while stopping 30 shots. Among his stellar saves was denying Nanooks defenseman Steve Vanoosten’s shot from the slot during a 3-on-2 with Brandon and Dion Knelsen at 6:38 of the second, and stopping Brandon Knelsen’s shot at the left post at 15:30 of the first on a backdoor play set up nicely by Dion during one of five Nanooks power plays in the game.
The 2004 Calgary Flames draft pick also maintained composure in the third against several odd-man rushes.
“You don’t really think about it. You kind of react to the play,” said Spratt, who participated in Calgary’s training camp in September. “Fortunately, things went well tonight. It seemed like last week I couldn’t buy a bounce, and tonight, they just happened to go my way.”
Bowling Green was swept last weekend at defending national champion Boston College and at Providence.
