FAIRBANKS - The Alaska Nanooks hockey team skated to a 2-2 tie on Saturday, Jan. 13 in game five of the Alaska Airlines Governor's Cup. While it did not play a part in the final result, the Nanooks also defeated the Seawolves in a shootout following the 3v3 overtime period.
The tie makes the Nanooks 10-9-2 on the season.
The two teams were scoreless after the opening 20 minutes. Alaska Anchorage outshot the Nanooks 12-9 through the first and the Nanooks managed to kill the lone power play opportunity UAA had late in the first.
A.J. Macaulay got the scoring started late into the second period as the defenseman fired a shot from the slot, beating UAA netminder Greg Orosz, making it 1-0 Nanooks 16:44 into the middle stanza.
Payton Matsui and
Brady Risk earned the assists on the goal and the 1-0 lead stood through the second intermission. It did not take long for UAA to tie the game at 1-1 as Brett Bamber found the equalizer only 22 seconds into the third. Ben Almquist found Bamber from behind the Nanooks' goal and Bamber beat
Pierce Charleson.
Five and a half minutes later the Seawolves claimed a 2-1 lead as Porter Schachle beat Charleson high on a wrister from the left face-off circle. Moments later, the Nanooks thought they had tied the game back up at 2-2 on an
Arvils Bergmanis goal. UAA quickly requested a review and after a lengthy review, the Nanooks called
Jonny Sorenson for a five-minute major and game-misconduct, taking the goal off the board and awarding UAA a five-minute power-play. Only a minute into the penalty kill, Macaulay was whistled for an interference call sending the 'Nooks to a 3x5 scenario.
They hung strong and managed to kill the Macaulay penalty. Only 10 seconds after the first kill, still down a man, Macaulay exited the box and lifted a UAA skaters stick, knocking the puck out near center ice.
Chase Dafoe managed to race the puck down and on the breakaway, tied the game with a short-handed goal 11:14 into the third, sending the Carlson Center into a frenzy. The 2-2 tie stuck through the remainder of regulation. Despite heading to OT, the Nanooks were down a man entering the extra period after Macaulay was called for a slash with only 11 seconds remaining. The opening 1:49 of the 3v3 OT period was played 3x4 but Alaska managed to kill UAA's eighth power-play opportunity of the night. Neither side capitalized in the extra time, resulting in an official tie.
After going toe-to-toe in the shootout,
Chase Dafoe finally ended the night for Alaska and ended the sudden death round. Alaska went on to celebrate their 13th-straight Alaska Airlines Governor's Cup on the ice following the game.
The Nanooks hit the road in two weeks for a matchup with LIU on Jan. 26-27.
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