MANKATO, Minn. – Despite a three-goal effort from three different rookie skaters, the Alaska Nanooks hockey team fell to the Minnesota State Mankato Mavericks 7-3 in a Western Collegiate Hockey Association contest on Friday night at the Verizon Wireless Center in downtown Mankato. The Nooks drop to a 4-10-1 overall record on the season and 3-7-1 in conference play, while the Mavericks improve to 9-5-1 overall, 6-4-1 WCHA.

"We felt like we did a lot of good things tonight. Through 50 minutes, I felt like we played the game we needed to," head coach Dallas Ferguson said on Friday night. "Our checking game was good and led to some quality scoring chances. We felt like we managed the momentum of the game, but in the third period, those two goals they scored 31 seconds apart really changes our game. Mankato has some dangerous players and we have to do a better job managing the momentum so one goal against doesn't turn into three."

Despite falling short four goals, the Nanooks countered their opponent throughout the majority of the game, as the Mavericks would take the lead, Alaska would rebuttal with one of their own, training by only one goal until the final ten minutes of the game.

A five-goal first period, riddled with penalties (a combined 36 PIMs for both teams), made it hard for either team to gain momentum early on. Special teams proved to be the difference-maker, as the Nooks went 2-of-5 on the power play throughout the night, while Minnesota State went 2-of-4.

Mankato's Daniel Brickley scored at the 5:11 mark of the first period on the power play to put the Mavericks on the board first, with Marc Michaelis and Brad McClure given the assists. McClure passed the puck down low in the Nanook zone to Michaelis, who went around the net before dishing the puck backward to Brickley, who was alone backdoor.

MSU's Zeb Knutson gave Mankato a two-goal lead at the 11:43 mark, as Michael Hunterbrinker moved the puck up the wall in the Alaska defensive zone, dishing the puck across the blueline to Clint Lewis, who spotted Knutson backdoor for a shot-pass redirect backdoor.

Rookie defenseman James LaDouce got the Nooks rolling with their first goal of the game on the power play at the 14:35 mark in the first period. Junior defenseman Zach Frye faked a shot on the blue line before sending the puck down to rookie forward Tyler Cline, who was parked at the side of the MSU net. Cline had the opportunity to walk to the net and try a stuff play on MSU's goaltender Jason Pawloski, but threaded the needle to LaDouce, who was floating high in the slot, for a quick wrist shot to make it 1-2.

Michaelis scored his first of three goals on the night at the 17:42 mark of the first, making it 3-1 on the power play. MSU's CJ Franklin passed the puck behind the Alaska net to Brickley, who walked out along the goal line before rifling a pass through the crease to Michaelis, who was alone back door.

With just five second remaining in the first period, the Nooks weren't giving up yet, as rookie defenseman Danny Kiraly tamed a bouncing puck at the blue line after a botched penalty kill zone clear by Mankato before shooting the puck on net, which redirected to go bar-down to make it a 2-3 game.

The second goal period only saw one goal per team, as Michaelis scored three minutes into the second period after cleaning up his own rebound in front of Alaska sophomore goaltender Jesse Jenks to make it 4-2.

Freshman forward Ross Heidt pulled the Nanooks to a 3-4 game after scoring an even-strength goal at the 6:31 mark. Freshman forward Colton Leiter walked the puck across the top of the MSU zone before dishing the puck to senior forward Marcus Basara shot the puck on net, which redirected off of Heidt, who was battling in front.

After a scoreless first half of the third period, Mankato opened the flood gates and scored three unanswered goals from the 11:46 mark onward to finalize the 7-3 victory.

Jenks made 34 saves on the night, while his counterpart on the other end of the ice, Pawloski collected 23. The Nooks were outshot 41-26.

Alaska will face the Mavericks in a rematch tomorrow, Dec. 3 at 4:07pm AKST at the Verizon Wireless Center in Mankato for another WCHA contest.

For more information on the Alaska Nanooks hockey team, follow @NanooksHockey on Twitter or like the Alaska Nanooks Hockey team page on Facebook.