Box Score HOUGHTON, Mich. – The 2015-16 season came to an end for the Alaska Nanooks hockey team, as the Nooks dropped their Western Collegiate Hockey Association quarterfinal playoff game 5-3 to the Michigan Tech Huskies at the MacInnes Student Ice Arena on Saturday afternoon. With the loss, Michigan Tech will continue on to the WCHA Final Five in Grand Rapids, Michigan, while the Nanooks conclude the season 10-22-4 overall, 8-16-4 in WCHA play.
Despite burying two power-play goals (2-for-4), Alaska couldn't catch up to the Huskies four, even-strength goals with an empty-net goal late sealing the Nanooks' fate. Junior goaltender Davis Jones made 35 saves, while Tech's senior goaltender Jamie Phillips made 21. Alaska was outshot by the Huskies 40-24.
Alaska came out of the gate hot, playing with desperation and looking hungry at the beginning of the first period. Two minutes and twenty-seven seconds (2:27) into the game, the Nooks put themselves on the board first and took the 1-0 lead. Junior forward Brandon Morley picked up a loose puck in transition, skating with it all the way into the offensive zone. B. Morley's speed surpassed the MTU defender as B. Morley cut in and shot the puck on net. Phillips was able to make the initial stop but couldn't cover the puck, resulting in all five Nanook skaters crashing the net. Junior forward Josh Erickson was able to take another shot on net, but Phillips' pad was there to stop it once again. Thankfully, rookie forward Chad Staley was crashing the net just in time to go upstairs backhand to give the Nooks the lead.
After a Nanook penalty kill, Michigan Tech picked up the pace of the game, using their speed to catch Alaska running around in their own zone. WCHA Regular Season Scoring Champion Alex Petan caught was able to catch the Nanooks off-guard, scoring at the 12:09 mark to tie the game at one a piece. Petan walked off the half-wall before throwing a backhanded shot on net that Jones wasn't able to cover. Petan continued sweeping through the slot to pick the puck up and net his 18th goal of the season unassisted.
Thirty-one (31) seconds later, MTU struck once again, making it 2-1 at the 12:40 mark of the first period. Reid Sturos took a long shot from the top of the circle at Jones, who was unable to control his rebound. In similar fashion to Petan, Sturos grabbed the puck before the Nanook defenders and scored short-side on Jones. Sturos' goal was assisted by Max Vallis and Michael Neville.
Michigan Tech continued the scoring early in the second period, extending their lead to 4-1 not even before five minutes could elapse in the second. At the 3:48 mark, Alex Gillies scored backdoor off of a bouncing puck to make it 3-1 before Joel L'Esperance picked up a loose puck in front of Jones to make it 4-1 at the 4:39 mark. Assists on Gillies and L'Esperance's goals were awarded to CJ Eick, Vallis, Brent Baltus and Mark Auk.
Down 4-1 early in the second, the Nanooks weren't going down without a fight. Seven minutes later (4:39), senior forward Tyler Morley scored a power-play goal to cut the Huskies lead to two. Senior defenseman Josh Atkinson was setting up the power-play breakout from behind the Alaska net, before skating with the puck up-ice, passing three Huskies on their PK forecheck. Atkinson's speed put him and T. Morley on a two-on-one rush entering the offensive zone, weaving past one another to drag the Husky defender toward Atkinson. Atkinson gave a backhanded pass over to T. Morley, who gave a forehand fake before stuffing it backhand. T. Morley's 18th goal of the season was assisted by Atkinson (two point night) and sophomore defenseman Justin Woods.
Six minutes later (17:23), the Nooks found themselves on the power play once again. Alaska was setting up the man-advantage in the offensive zone when senior forward Nolan Huysmans dished the puck over to Atkinson, who was quarter-backing the umbrella PP. MTU wasn't pressuring Atkinson right away, so the defenseman faked a slapshot and sent the puck over to junior forward Marcus Basara, who was sitting along the half-wall. Basara fired a one-timer that went past Phillips to make it a one-goal game, as the Nooks then trailed 4-3.
The third period proved to be a back-and-forth battle between the two teams, as both were playing a safe game early in the final 20 minutes of regulation, dumping the puck into the opponent's defensive zone whenever possible. From about the 16:00 mark onward, it could've been anyone's game, as many odd-man rushes were defended and goaltenders making key saves. The Nanooks pulled Jones with less than one minute left in regulation but after losing the face-off in the Husky zone, Tech's Malcolm Gould gained possession of the puck and sent it down the ice to make it 5-3 with an open net goal, sealing the playoff victory.
Alaska concludes the 2015-16 season with a Brice Alaska Goal Rush title, the Alaska Airlines Governor's Cup, two WCHA Scholar Athletes and 15 players named to the WCHA All-Academic team. Senior defenseman Josh Atkinson concludes his playing career at Alaska dressing in every single game during his four years (144). Senior forward Tyler Morley concludes his career at Alaska with 122 points (60 goals, 62 assists in 129 games), being named to the 2015-16 All-WCHA First Team. T. Morley will go down as the 33rd player to join the 100-point club and will tie Wade Klippestein for 16th place on the Alaska Nanooks Career Scoring Leader list.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks hockey team, follow @NanooksHockey on Twitter or like the Alaska Nanooks Hockey page on Facebook.
