Box Score Post Game Press Conference
FAIRBANKS, Alaska - Junior right wing
Andy Taranto scored late in the third period to break a 2-2 tie and lift the host Alaska Nanooks to victory over the Lake Superior State Lakers on Saturday night at the Carlson Center.
Junior
Jarret Granberg and sophomore
Colton Beck netted power-play goals in the first period and senior goalie
Scott Greenham made 25 saves en route to his 10th win of the season and the Nanooks 11th of the year.
LSSU got a power-play goal from defenseman Zach Trotman and an even-strength goal from Chris Ciotti in the middle frame, while goalie Kevin Murdock made 23 saves for the visitors after relieving Kevin Kapalk (14 saves) at the beginning of the period.
Granberg put the home team up early in the first period, beating Kapalka with a slap shot off a feed from senior left wing
Carlo Finucci and freshman defenseman
Trevor Campbell at 3:59.
Beck doubled the Nanooks lead later in the frame, when he took a smart cross-ice pass from Taranto and fired a wrist shot that beat LSSU's goalie to make it 2-0 at 16:46 and the lead held through the end of the period.
Coming back into the second period, the Lakers pulled Kapalka in favor of Murdock and the change sparked new life into the visitors. Back-to-back penalties to Kunyk (Elbowing, 1:11) and senior forward
Ron Meyers (Boarding, 1:54) gave them a 5-on-3 advantage and they made the most of it. Trotman beat Greenham with a slap shot from the point to make it 2-1 at 2:16. The Nanooks killed off the rest of Meyers' penalty but Ciotti lit the lamp with the equalizer at 8:15.
Neither team would score for the reaminder of the period and it looked as though the Lakers would take the lead 14 minutes into the third period, but the goal was waved off on the ice just 19 seconds before Taranto would prove the hero with his ninth goal of the season at 14:28. Beck fired a shot on Murdock, who made the inital stop, but Tranto was on the doorstep to pop in the rebound. Kunyk picked up his second assist of the night, improving his team-high scoring total to 18 points off 13 goals and 15 assists.
LSSU pulled Murdock with less than 15 seconds remaining in hopes of tying the contest, but the Nanooks and Greenham held on for the win.
Alaska went 2-for-5 on the power play and denied the Lakers on four of their five chances.
The Nanooks venture to East Lansing, Michigan next weekend to wrap up their CCHA schedule at Michigan State. Live coverage of both games will be aired locally on KFXF Fox 7 in Fairbanks beginning at 3:05 p.m. AKST (7:05 p.m. EST) on Friday and 4:05 p.m. AKST (8:05 p.m. EST) on Saturday.
