FAIRBANKS, Alaska – A pair of first half goals from sophomore defensemen Zach Frye and rookie forward Ross Heidt lifted the Blue team to a 2-1 victory over the Gold team in Alaska hockey's Blue vs. Gold game on Saturday night at the Patty Ice Arena.
"I really liked the game tonight. We scrimmaged yesterday in practice and we saw a lot more progression tonight due to the fact we tried to make it really game-like," head coach Dallas Ferguson said of the intrasquad contest. "I liked the speed and competitiveness, but I really liked how when we went from the first period to the second period, both teams started to gain more control and got organized quicker; typically in these games, it's the other way around."
After a back-and-forth physical first half, Frye put the Blue team up 1-0 at the 16:30 mark with assists given to senior forward Brandon Morley and sophomore defenseman Nikolas Koberstein. The Blue team capitalized on a long shift for the Gold team, controlling puck possession in the offensive zone late in the first half. Koberstein slid the puck to Morley, who was the high forward in the zone before throwing a cross-ice pass to Frye, who was sneaking in weak side. Frye picked the far-corner upstairs on sophomore goaltender Jesse Jenks to put the visitors up 1-0.
Less than three minutes later (19:08), Heidt extended the Blue team to a two-goal lead unassisted. Heidt was forechecking the Gold team defense when a turnover at the hash-mark left him alone in front. The Red Deer, Alberta native also went top-shelf on Jenks to give the Blue team a two-goal lead going into intermission.
The Gold team was flying in the second half when freshman forward Kylar Hope finally slid one past rookie goaltender Anton Martinsson to close the gap on the Blue team's lead. Gold team defenseman Justin Woods moved the puck up in transition to Hope's former junior hockey teammate and freshman forward Kyle Marino, who made a touch-pass to Hope at the red line. Hope entered the zone on a one-on-one before looking to shoot, but instead made a move and drove to the net to make it 2-1.
The Gold team outshot the Blue team 26-18, with 19 of their shots coming in the second half. Both the Gold and Blue team went 0-2 on power-play opportunities, while the Blue team dominated the face-off circle going 26-18 over the Gold team.
All four of Alaska's goaltenders made an appearance in net on Saturday night with Martinsson leading both teams with 18 saves. Jones collected six saves on the night, while DellaMaggiore and Jenks picked up 10 and seven, respectively.
"I thought the goaltending was good on all four fronts, guys had chances to score and each of the goalies shut the door," Ferguson concluded. "Leading into next week, we need to continue working hard and focusing on our game but I thought tonight was a positive step forward."
At intermission, the Alaska Nanooks hockey team entertained an almost-sold-out crowd at the Patty Ice Arena with the annual skills competition. Junior forward Austin Vieth took home the team's fastest skater title, defeating sophomore forward John Mullally in the final heat. Hometown product Woods barely edged out Frye for the hardest shot champion, as Woods posted a 98 mph slapshot to Frye's 97mph clapper.
When it came down to the team's shootout, the Gold team won 2-1 over the Blue team, with helpers from junior defenseman Nick Hinz and Marino. Freshman forward Aaron Herdt was the only skater from the Blue team to score, while DellaMaggiore stopped all six shots he faced to be named the goaltending champion.
The Alaska Nanooks hockey team unofficially kicks off the 2016-17 season next Sunday, Oct. 2 with an exhibition match-up against the Simon Fraser Clan at the Carlson Center. Puck-drop is slated for 3:07 p.m. with the Family Four-Pack promotion also scheduled for the game (four general admission tickets, four drinks and four hot dogs for $40).
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks hockey team, follow @NanooksHockey on Twitter or like the Alaska Nanooks Hockey team page on Facebook.
