Box Score FAIRBANKS – For the second game in a row, the No. 19/RV Alaska Nanooks hockey team came back from an early deficit, this time beating Air Force, 4-3 in their first game of the Brice Alaska Goal Rush Tournament.
Alaska (3-0-0) trailed early as the Falcons (1-2-0) scored two quick goals within the first four minutes of the game, to grab a 2-0 lead. The Nanooks would not give in, however, as they would outscore the Falcons 4-1 over the next 56 minutes.
Peter Krieger scored the game winning goal with just over two minutes to play after
Colton Parayko's power play goal at the 12:54 mark tied the game at three.
The Nanooks utilized strong special teams en route to the victory, as Parayko's power play goal was joined by two key penalty kills that lead directly to goals.
Krieger's tally came after Alaska killed off a 5-on-4 penalty with just over four minutes left on the clock, while
Austin Vieth scored his first collegiate goal on a 3-on-2 rush following
Nolan Kaiser's escape from the penalty box.
Vieth's mark at 4:24 of the second period started the comeback, making the score 2-1, before Air Force retook a two goal lead thanks to Scott Holm's power play rocket.
Just before the second period ended, Tyler Morely brought the Nanooks back within one, as he netted his first of the 2014-15 season having missed the first two games of the season through injury. Then, in the third period, the captain Parayko blasted a slap shot past Air Force's Chris Truehl to tie the game at three.
When it looked as if the game was headed to overtime, Krieger finished off an impressive attack led by
Nolan Youngmun and
Trevor Campbell to give the Nanooks their third win of the season.
Davis Jones started and won his third straight game for Alaska, this time stopping 13 shots, including 10 of the last 11 shots he faced. Truehl saved 21 shots of the 25 he faced in net for the Falcons.
Alaska returns to action tomorrow for the conclusion of the Brice Alaska Goal Rush Tournament in a 7:07 p.m. against Penn State. In the earlier game on Friday, the Nittany Lions lost in a shootout to Alaska Anchorage.
