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FAIRBANKS, AK - The Alaska Nanooks used a
Joe Sova (Berwyn, IL) power play goal with 1:16 left in the game to tie the game at one to force overtime and an eventual Nanooks win in a shootout.
Dion Knelsen scored a backhand goal on the Nanooks third opportunity in the shootout to give them the victory in the game and the championship of the Brice Alaska Goal Rush.
The Nanooks and Engineers battled to a stalemate in the first period despite very good up and down hockey. Both teams squandered power play opportunities as Rensselaer got a power play one minute into the game, but could not convert, and only managed two shots on goal. The Nanooks failed to convert on their own power play in the first period and were held without a shot.
Allen York stopped seven shots and Nanook goaltender
Scott Greenham (Addison, ON) made nine to keep the game scoreless.
The second period was much of the same for the Nanooks as they only registered six shots on net and didn't get their first until 5:32 into the period. The Engineers got on the board first at the 9:13 mark when Brandon Pirri tapped in a rebound opportunity to make the score 1-0.
The Nanooks best chance of the period came when
Dion Knelsen (Three Hills, AB) sent a centering pass into the slot where
Andy Taranto (Woodridge, IL) unleashed a one time shot that was stopped by York to preserve the shutout. The Nanooks were once again unable to cash in on four power play opportunities which only registered three shots.
The Nanooks came out for the third period and turned up the pressure on the Engineers and goalkeeper York. Alaska threw 18 shots at RPI while limiting the Engineers to only two shots. With 2:25 left RPI's Peter Merth took a tripping call to give the Nanooks one last attempt.
Brandon Knelsen (Three Hills, AB) won the faceoff and go the puck to
Scott Enders (Edmonton, AB) at the right point and quickly moved it to Sova who blasted a one time shot past an outstretched York to tie the game at one with 1:36 left in the game.
After a scoreless overtime, Greenham was a perfect three for three stopping shootout shots by Brandon Pirri, Chase Polacek and Tyler Helfrich to set up the dramatic finish. After misses by
Ryan Hohl (Northville, MI) and Taranto,
Dion Knelsen slowly came down the ice and forced goaltender York to the right and put a backhander into a wide open net for the winner.
Greenham stopped 23 of the 24 shots he faced while York made 33 saves on 34 shots.
The Nanooks move to 3-0-1 on the season and will return to action on October 30 and 31 when they play host to Ferris State to open CCHA conference play. Both contests will begin at 7:05 PM.
The 2009 Brice Alaska Goal Rush announced the all tournament team after the Nanooks win and the all tournament team was as follows:
G – Allen York – Rensselaer
G – Jon Olthius – Alaska Anchorage
D – Denny Urban – Robert Morris
Robert Morris 5, Alaska Anchorage 3
The Robert Morris Colonials used a high octane offense to churn out five goals and 31 shots in a 5-3 victory over Alaska Anchorage on the second day of Brice Alaska Goal Rush. Five different players scored for Robert Morris and three different players had two assists in the win.
Denny Urban scored the eventual game winning at the 18:05 mark of a frantic third period which saw six total goals and 23 total shots. Robert Morris took control of the game in the second by cashing in on two of their three power play opportunities, two of which were 5-on-3 power plays. The Colonials had 12 of their 15 shots in the period on the power play and went into the third up 4-3 on goals from Scott Kobialko, Trevor Lewis, Brandon Blandina and Urban. Nick Chiavetta scored an insurance goal at the 12:13 mark of the third period to seal the game for Robert Morris. Chris Kushneriuk, Nathan Longpre and Furman South each picked up two assists each for Robert Morris.
Brooks Ostergard picked up the win in net making 24 saves on 27 shots faced and made 69 saves in both games.
Curtis Leinweber and Kevin Clark each picked up a goal and an assist for the Seawolves while Nick Haddad also scored in the loss.
