Box Score Box Score
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Thirty saves by senior goalie
Scott Greenham were not enough to help the Alaska Nanooks in their final regular season Central Collegiate Hockey Association game of the year, as they were blanked 3-0 by the #16 Michigan State Spartans and suffered a series sweep on Saturday night at Munn Ice Arena.
The host Spartans, who honored their 10-member senior class before the game, gifted their four-year lettermen a three-goal shutout victory behind a 27-save performance from Drew Palmisano.
MSU took control of the game in the first period, when Tanner Sorenson hit Dean Chelios with a smart pass. Greenham made the save on the first attempt but Chelios did not relent and poked the puck free and across the goal line as Alaska's netminder attempted to cover it up.
Later in the period Alaska got its first of only two man-advantage opportunities but the Spartans and Palmisano denied all three shots attempted.
The Spartans got their first power-play opportunity just over mid-way through the game, when rookie
Nolan Youngmun assesed a two-minute minor for unsportsmanlike conduct. While the Nanooks killed off the penalty, it gave MSU time and space and the momentum they needed to double their lead. Tanner Sorenson tipped a shot from the point by Torey Krug at 15:58 to make it 2-0.
A penalty to junior
Chad Gehon at 16:58 created opportunity for the Spartan's third score of the night. Lee Reimer's shot from the right circle beat Greenham at 18:07 as the Nanooks faced a three-goal defecit heading to the locker room for the second intermission.
Four penalties in the final frame gave the home team three more man-advantage chances but Greenham was solid between the pipes for Alaska. The Nanooks were unable to muster a single shot on their second opportunity of the game as MSU ate up the passing lanes and Palmisano matched Greenham's efforts at the other end.
The Nanooks return to the 49th state to play a home-and-home series with the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves for the 19th annual Governor's Cup series. Despite trailing the overall meetings in the annual series 21-25-8-3, the Nanooks lead in Cup titles with 10 to UAA's eight. Friday the teams meetin in Anchorage at the Sullivan Arena (7:07 p.m. AKST), while the teams will close out the series in Fairbanks at the Carlson Center on Saturday night, when the Nanooks will look to hoist the Cup for the third straight year.
