March 13, 2009
Box Score
FAIRBANKS, AK - With an enthusiastic and vocal “Winter Whiteout” crowd swinging their white towels in the stands all around them, the Alaska Nanooks froze the #14 Ohio State Buckeyes en route to a 4-0 whitewash of the visitors to take the first game of the best-of-three CCHA Quarterfinal Playoff series Friday night at the Carlson Center.
Four Nanooks tallied markers on the evening and senior goalie and Hobey Baker candidate Chad Johnson turned aside all 26 OSU shots to secure the blanking for his fifth shutout of the season and sixth stonewalling in his four-year career. The CCHA All-Conference First Team selection is just one shutout shy of tying former Nanook netminder Wylie Rogers' all-time career shutout record.
Senior captain Adam Naglich got Alaska going with his ninth goal of the season at 7:57 of the first period. Left wing Kevin Petovello and defenseman Joe Sova assisted on the play that made it 1-0.
Just over four minutes later the Blue and Gold doubled-up, when rookie center Justin Filzen turned on the red light with help from his classmates Adam Cardwell and Scott Enders. The Nanooks would take their two-goal edge with them into the first intermission.
Despite the early advantage, first year head coach Dallas Ferguson did not allow his squad to rest on their laurels. Coming back into the second stanza, Alaska continued its offensive onslaught and netted its first power-play tally in five games. Petovello fired the puck just under the cross bar to make it 3-0 at 5:39. Enders and Naglich were credited with helpers.
The Buckeyes did all they could in the third period to try to erase their deficit including pulling netminder Dustin Carlson with 3:33 left in the game. The extra skater gave OSU a two-man advantage as Alaska’s Joe Sova (15:53, tripping) was serving a minor. Johnson and the Nanooks held up though, thwarting every effort the Buckeyes could muster.
Junior center Dion Knelsen made a sacrifice in the end that paid a huge dividend for himself and his teammates. OSU’s Nick Biondo fired a shot from the point, which Knelsen blocked and then collected as he beat Biondo back into the neutral zone and fired the puck between the Buckeyes’ unoccupied pipes.
Both teams return to the ice Saturday at 7:05 p.m. for Game Two of the weekend series. Alaska is just one game shy of punching its ticket to Detroit and Joe Louis Arena, site of the 2009 CCHA Championships next weekend, March 20-21.
