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Box Score]
FAIRBANKS, AK - Alaska Nanooks head coach
Dallas Ferguson was a man of few words Saturday night while describing a 5-3 loss to the Nebraska Omaha Mavericks for a split of the teams' final Central Collegiate Hockey Association series at the Carlson Center.
The Mavericks, who are moving next season to the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, poured on four goals in the third period after tying the 16th-ranked Nanooks 1-1 in the second period. Fourth-place Alaska (6-5-3-3 CCHA, 9-5-4 overall) led 1-0 in the first with an amazing goal from sophomore defenseman
Aaron Gens.
Ferguson said he thought the Nanooks, who got third-period goals from senior center
Dion Knelsen and freshman right wing
Andy Taranto and 26 saves from sophomore goaltender
Scott Greenham, played well in the first period, similar to their effort in Friday's 4-3 win.
He was impressed with his team's penalty killing in the second period, leading to a 3-for-3 night.
“I was feeling really good going into the third period, just based off watching that. We competed well and you could see the emotion from our team,” Ferguson said.
His mood changed in the third period, where the Mavericks snapped the tie and added an insurance goal in a span of 1 minute, 14 seconds early in the period.
“I could go through each goal and tell you what went wrong,” said Ferguson, “but at the end of the day, we made some mistakes and they capitalized on them. We're very disappointed with the outcome, but there's not really much I can say to put it into words.”
The loss ended a five-game unbeaten streak against Nebraska Omaha that goes back to last season.
The Mavericks, who leaped from a ninth-place tie into a three-way tie for sixth place, talked about their forechecking, which flustered the Nanooks.
“Coach told us it was a big ice and we had to be aggressive on their D down low and just make sure we had one man high so we didn't give up odd-man rushes,” said senior right wing Nick Fanto, who had a goal and an assist in the third period for the Mavericks (5-7-2-1, 8-7-3).
Nanooks junior center
Derek Klassen said speed also helped the Mavericks.
“They're pretty fast in front, getting on pucks and going hard,” Klassen said. “I thought we dealt well with it pretty well, but a couple of mistakes in the third cost us. They're a fast team and we've just got to break the puck out.”
Alaska scored first at 7:41 of the opening period as Gens, with a feed from Taranto, launched a shot from the top of the slot that trickled in after bouncing off the blocker of Mavericks freshman goaltender John Faulkner.
Following a faceoff, the Mavericks tied the score at 39 seconds into the second period. Center Joey Martin won the draw against Nanooks center
Jarret Granberg, slid the puck to Matt Ambroz in the slot and the junior right wing put a high shot over Greenham's glove.
Greenham survived 10 more shots in the period, but he was victimized early in the third period. Martin snapped the tie at 2:32 of the third by whacking in a rebound at the left post.
“I think that in a 1-1 game, that second goal is huge,” Mavericks head coach Dean Blais said, “and the second one led to the third one and so on.”
Nebraska Omaha gained possession after a long Alaska cycle and defenseman Mark Bernier capped an odd-man rush with a wrist shot from the left circle at 3:46 for a 3-1 lead.
Fanto sealed the win with a slap shot from the high slot at 12:45, courtesy of a steal by teammate Dan Swanson. The goal also sent some of the 3,035 fans to the exits.
The teams exchanged goals in 15 seconds during a 4-on-4 scenario — Mavericks center Jeric Agosta put in a wrist shot off the crossbar at 15:05 and 18 seconds later, Knelsen contributed his ninth goal of the season and 94th career point for Alaska.
Taranto continued the Nanooks pressure, scoring with 59 seconds left in the game on a shot that deflected in off of a few Mavericks in front of the crease.
The Nanooks are on holiday break for the next three weeks and will meet the Mavericks for the last time in CCHA play on Jan. 8-9 in Omaha.
