[
Box Score]
BIG RAPIDS, MI - Sophomore forward
Nik Yaremchuk scored twice and his classmate
Andy Taranto struck in overtime to lift the No. 14 Alaska Nanooks to victory against the No. 18 Ferris State Bulldogs Saturday night at the Ewigleben Ice Arena. The win helped the visitors earn a split series on the weekend and hold on to fourth place in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association standings, which they share with the Bulldogs and Northern Michigan.
After watching their hosts erase their two-goal first-period lead with three consecutive goals, Alaska got the game-tying tally from Yaremchuk at 16:37 of the third period and forced the extra session. Back-to-back Bulldog penalties gave the Nanooks the golden opportunity they needed and Taranto broke the stalemate with his overtime heroics, when he tipped the puck through Pat Nagle's five-hole for the game-winning 5-on-3 power-play goal at 3:43.
Yaremchuk opened the scoring just under half-way into the opening frame, notching his fourth goal of the year with a power-play marker. Defenseman
Scott Enders and center
Cody Kunyk were credited with assists on the play.
Senior assistant captain
Derek Klassen doubled the Nanooks' lead at 15:08 by beating Nagle of passes from his linemates Ron Meyeres and
Chad Gehon.
The Bulldogs retaliated in the second period, with scores at 1:35 and 16:13 to even the score. Aaron Schmidt cashed in early on to make it 2-1 and then Travis Ouelette knotted the game at two apiece before the teams headed to the lockerrooms for the second intermission.
Third-period action saw the teams swap goals. With FSU's Mike Fillinger serving a two-minute minor for boarding, Alaska looked to bag the go-ahead goal. The got a pair of good looks at the Bulldogs cage but Nagle was up to the task and a 2-on-1 rush the other way saw Mike Embach score short handed at 13:45 for the Bulldogs first lead of the contest.
Down but not out, The Nanooks continued to forge ahead and lay the offensive pressure on the home team. They tasted the fruits of their efforts just over three minutes later, when Yaremchuk came up big by striking at 16:47 to make it 3-3. Kunyk and rookie defenseman
Michael Quinn helped set up Yaremchuk for his fifth strike of the season and second of the evening.
Alaska finished the evening 2-for-8 with the man-advantage and 6-for-7 on the penalty kill. Greenham, who notched his ninth win of the year and 30th of his career, finished the encounter with 25 saves. Nagle had 17 for the Bulldogs in the loss.
The Blue and Gold return to Fairbanks to study for finals next week before the two-week holiday break. They return to action after the New Year, when they host the Western Michigan Broncos on Jan. 7-8 at 7:05 p.m. at the Carlson Center.
