Box Score Post Game Press Conference
FAIRBANKS, Alaska - Despite power-play goals by junior forwards
Andy Taranto and
Nik Yaremchuk and a 27-save night from senior goalie
Scott Greenham, the Alaska Nanooks fell 4-2 to the visiting Lake Superior State Lakers 4-2 on Friday night at the Carlson Center.
The Lakers got even-strength goals from Kyle Jean, the game's First Star, and Nick McParland and man-advantage tallies from Domenic Monardo and Kyle Haines. LSSU goalie Kevin Kapalka (Perani Cup Second Star) made 27 saves opposite Greenham in helping his team move to 15-11-5 on the year and 10-9-4-4 in CCHA play.
The three-point night moved LSSU into a three-way tie for third place in the league standings with Michigan and Michigan State. It also left the Nanooks in 10th place in the CCHA with a 10-15-4 mark and 7-14-4 record in the CCHA.
Taranto garnered Third Star honors for the game after opening the game with the first score of the night. While skating with a man-advantage, he took a feed from defensemen
Aaron Gens and
Michael Quinn and wristed it past Kapalka at 14:12 to make it 1-0.
Jean responded just 36 seconds later, when he beat Greenham with the equalizer at 14:48.
McParland notched the go-ahead goal at 17:39, with assistance from Jean and Zach Trotman giving the visitors the 2-1 lead heading into the first intermission.
Monardo gave the Lakers a two-goal edge at 16:28 of the middle frame but a pair of penalties in the wanning minutes of the period gave the Nanooks their shot at a comeback.
After entering the final frame with 62 seconds of their fifth power-play chance left, Yaremchuk needed just 37 seconds to beat Kapalka and chip away at the home team's deficit. Junior forward
Adam Henderson sent a cross-ice pass from the right halfboards to the left point, where rookie defenseman
Trevor Campbell fired it at the cage. Kapalka made the stop but Yaremchuk collected the rebound near the goal line and just to the right of the sprawling goalie, where he pulled it back and out of reach before wristing it up and over him to make it 3-2.
It looked as though the Nanooks were catching positive momentum, when back-to-back penalties to senior forward
Justin Filzen and Gens mid-way through the period gave the Lakers a two-man advantage for 1:47. They didn't waste the gift, making it 4-2 with Haines tally at 10:40.
The Blue and Gold pulled Greenham with just under two minutes remaining in hopes of pulling within one but their efforts proved fruitless.
For the game the Nanooks were 2-for-6 on the power-play, while the Lakers were 2-for-5.
The teams reconvene the series Saturday night at 7:05 p.m.
