[
Box Score]
KALAMAZOO, MI - Facing a weekend sweep at the hands of the Western Michigan Broncos, sophmore defenseman
Joe Sova netted a game-tying goal with just 14 seconds remaining to lock the game at 4-4. The tie held through overtime and Alaska's freshman forward
Andy Taranto scored the only goal in a three-round shootout to give the No. 13/12 Alaska Nanooks two points Saturday night at Lawson Arena.
Following Friday night's 3-1 let down, Alaska head coach
Dallas Ferguson said the game plan was to gett off to a strong start. The Blue and Gold executed the plan, striking twice in the first 20 minutes to take a 2-0 advantage into the first intermission.
After both squads went scoreless through a pair of man-advantage opportunities, sophomore
Ron Meyers got things started when he made good on a feed from Sova and sophomore
Aaron Gens at 15:10. Team captain
Derek Klassen doubled the score at 19:03 with assistance from Gens and senior
Brandon Knelsen.
Coming back from the intermission, WMU decided to get in on the scoring. The first goal came at 8:31 in the period when a bad pass proved costly for Alaska. The Broncos Trevor Elias took off on a breakaway and beat the Nanooks' netminder
Scott Greenham to make it 2-1.
It wasn't but 28 seconds when the home team got their second unanswered goal from Jordan Collins to tie the game 2-2.
Alaska retook the lead 1:20 into the third period on a power-play goal by senior center
Dion Knelsen. Taranto had the puck behind the WMU goal and passed it to Knelsen in the slot. Knelsen secured the puck, turned and fired it past the Broncos' goalie Riley Gill.
WMU responded minutes later to tie it, 3-3, on a goal by Chris Clackson and then the Broncos took their first lead of the game at the 15:19 mark of the final frame on Elias' second goal of the night.
Down but not out, Alaska squared the game with 14 seconds remaining in the game with their second power-play tally of the evening. The Nanooks pulled Greenham for a six-on-four advantage for the final minute. After Knelsen and Taranto cycled the puck they found a wide open Sova, who took a shot from just beyond the slot and beat Gill for the game-tying goal.
Neither team could take advantage of the extra five minutes in overtime and the game headed to a shootout. Taranto was the only player to convert his shot, as Alaska picked up the extra point, prevailing 1-0 in three rounds.
The Nanooks return to Fairbanks to host the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks in the final series of 2009 next Friday and Saturday at the Carlson Center. Following Friday's game there will be a skate with the Nanooks, while Saturday's game will feature the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee's Teddy Bear Toss during one of the two game intermissions. All items collected are being donated to Santa's Clearing House.
