[Box Score]
ANCHORAGE, AK - A three-goal second period proved the difference for the No. 12 Alaska Nanooks as they topped the United States Air Force Academy, 5-2 in the opening game of the 2010 Kendall Hockey Classic Friday night at the Sullivan Arena.
Five different players turned on the red light for Alaska in the win and rookie forward
Cody Kunyk was named the Kendall Player of the Game with a goal and an assist in the contest.
The Falcons opened the scoring, making the most of a cross checking penalty to Kaare Odegard in the opening . AFA forward Stephen Carew skated into the high slot and sent a wrist shot that snuck past two Alaska skaters and a screened Scott Greenham to make it -0 at 5:28.
Alaska followed suit with their first goal of the season off the stick of rookie Cody Kunyk at 11:09. Senior captain Kevin Petovello was battling a pair of Falcons in the corner and managed to poke check the puck to his linemate and rookie Colton Beck behind the goal. He sent a quick feed to Kunyk who was camped at the left post and lifted it past AFA's netminder David Bosner for the tying tally.
After a relatively even first period, it was all Alaska in the second as the Blue and Gold caught fire to score three unanswered goals. Beck gave the Nanooks their second lead, when he deposited the puck past Bosner at 5:30 of second stanza. Junior defenseman Joe Sova and junior left wing Carlo Finucci assisted on the play.
Just over two minutes later, sophomore center Nik Yaremchuk tickled the twine lifting a Finucci rebound past a sprawling Bosner to make it 3-1 at 7:40.
The Falcons looked to answer, when a penalty to Derek Klassen gave them their fourth man-advantage of the game, but Greenham and his teammates held strong to kill it off and the momentum carried into the play that followed. Klassen exited the box and put the pressure on Greenham's counterpart, which paid off when he struck for the Nanooks' fourth marker of the evening to make it 4-1 at 17:39.
The third period saw the teams exchange goals. AFA's John Kruse beating Greenham at 11:50 to make it 4-2 but the Nanooks' senior captain Kevin Petovello scored his first goal of the season at 15:43 to regain the three-goal advantage.
Alaska finished the encounter 0-for-5 on the power play and 4-for-5 on the penalty kill. Greenham turned aside 18 Falcon shots, while his counterpart made 14 saves.
The Blue and Gold return to tournament action against No. 2 North Dakota, Saturday at 4 p.m.
