Sept. 27, 2008
Box Score
by Danny Martin, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
FAIRBANKS -- It's coincidental that freshman center Carlo Finucci is wearing jersey No. 39 for the Alaska Nanooks -- the same number worn by left wing Kyle Greentree, who led the Central Collegiate Hockey Association team in scoring from 2004-07 and is now in the Calgary Flames' National Hockey League training camp.
Ironically, both Finucci and Greentree led the British Columbia Hockey League in scoring in their last seasons in the junior league before coming to the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Skating with Greentree's old jersey number was the result of a number search for Finucci, who helped the Nanooks to a 4-0 victory over the U.S. National Team Development Program Under-18 Team in an exhibition game Saturday night at the Patty Center.
Finucci scored the game's first goal and linemate and senior right wing Braden Walls deposited the first of the Nanooks' two power-play goals later in the opening period. Sophomore left wing Dustin Sather added a power-play marker at 5:47 of the third period, where senior defenseman Steve Vanoosten also scored with a blast from the right point at 11:21 of the final period.
Walls and Sather each had an assist, too, and junior right wing Brandon Knelsen dispensed two helpers. Sophomore left wing Ryan Hohl and centers Dion Knelsen (junior) and Trevor Hyatt (senior) also chipped in assists in the contest that drew a packed crowd of 926.
Senior goaltender Chad Johnson and freshman reserve Scott Greenham combined for 21 saves to secure the shutout. Brandon Maxwell, a recruit for defending NCAA Division I national champion Boston College, registered 27 saves for the U.S. Under-18 team, which was coming off a 4-3 victory Thursday over the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves in the Menard Memorial Arena in Wasilla.
"We really didn't play our game,'' Under-18 right wing Chris Brown, who is scheduled to face the Nanooks again next season as he's a recruit of CCHA rival Michigan, said after Saturday's game. "We didn't play physical, we didn't create a whole lot of offense. We had a few defensive breakdowns, too. Goaltending was there but we just didn't help him out.''
The three Fairbanks Ice Dogs who played for the national team because of injuries -- left wing Andrew McCabe, center Jon Waggoner and right wing Austin Block -- skated on a line together. Block and Waggoner each had a shot in the game and Waggoner collected a hooking minor at 18:28 of the third period.
Finucci created a BCHL-best 102 points last season with 33 goals and 69 assists in 60 games for his hometown Burnaby Express -- for whom he wore No. 61. That number, though, wasn't available when he joined the Nanooks.
"I asked if they had 40 but they didn't have it, and I went with the number closest to it,'' said Finucci. "I picked No. 39 and after a while, some of the guys I know started telling that's Greentree's number, you've got some big shoes to fill.''
It's too soon to tell if the 5-foot-10, 195-pound center will match or surpass Greentree's 101 career points (41 goals and 60 assists) in 115 games for the Nanooks. But in the first period Saturday, he showed the offensive ability that helped him lead the BCHL in 2007-08.
Finucci took linemate Hohl's centering pass from the right corner and snuck a backhand past Maxwell at the left post at 5:42 of the first. Finucci had come on to the ice in a shift change for Dion Knelsen before he scored.
"I was kind of trailing into the zone there,'' said Finucci, "and when I saw Hohlsie pick it up, I was yelling to him about six times at the top of my lungs. He put it right on my stick.
"We got off to a good start in the game and in our season with a win here. We really played well defensively and held them to nothing. It's a good stepping stone for myself and the team.''
The Nanooks were concerned before the game about the national team's speed for two reasons.
One, they lost to the squad 5-3 in an exhibition at Sullivan Arena in Anchorage in September 2006, and two, they had played their annual Blue-Gold Game on Friday night at the Patty Center.
On Saturday night, Alaska adjusted well to the national team's speed, getting help from a defensive corps that featured three freshmen -- Joe Sova, Scott Enders and Cody Butcher.
"It was a bit of concern of mine going into tonight, seeing how our legs were going to be,'' said Alaska head coach Dallas Ferguson. "I just think it's one of those things that these kids play for and train for all summer ... The work they put in this summer and this preseason definitely helped out tonight.''
Alaska also got a boost from its special teams, producing two goals on seven power plays and denying the Under-18 team on three power plays, including a 5-on-3 in the second period. The Nanooks held the visitors to four shots on their man-advantage sessions while Alaska generated 11 shots on its chances.
Surprisingly, the Nanooks didn't emphasize special teams until late last week -- their second week of practice.
"We were focusing on some more team things,'' said Ferguson. "We had (special teams) plans, but we wanted to keep it simple. We wanted puck movement, we wanted bodies moving and we wanted to get shots and attack the net."
The Nanooks attack one more preseason game with an exhibition against the University of British Columbia at 7:05 p.m. Friday at the Carlson Center.
