ANCHORAGE - The Nanooks hockey team improved to 4-5-2 on the 2024-25 season with a 3-2 overtime victory over the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves on Friday, Nov. 15. The OT win also makes the Nanooks 4-0-2 over their last six games.
How it Happened
Alaska opened the night with two early goals in the first. Alaska Anchorage managed to pull even, forcing the extra period before
Broten Sabo tallied the game-winner on the power play.
Brendan Ross got the scoring started for the Nanooks as the rookie tallied his second goal in as many games. 5:16 into the opening period,
Nathan Rickey played the puck at the blue line from
Haden Kruse, the defenseman put a shot on net from the point and Ross redirected the shot out of midair, beating UAA netminder Greg Orosz to make it 1-0. The trio of freshmen teamed up for the goal and assists as Kruse posted his third point in just two career games while Ross scored his second-career goal and Rickey picked up his first-career point on the apple.
Nearly 10 minutes later,
Matt Koethe picked up his third goal of his senior season. The alternate captain capitalized on a one-timer after playing the puck from a group against the boards. Koethe powered it by Orosz making it 2-0 Alaska 14:36 into the first. The 2-0 lead stood through the opening 20 minutes.
1:07 into the second period, Alaska Anchorage got on the board. Conor Cole cut the Nanooks' lead in half with a power-play goal from outside the left faceoff circle. It took only another five minutes for UAA to tie the game at 2-2 as Dylan Contreras tallied his own unassisted goal 6:16 into the second stanza. From that point on, both goalies shut the door.
Nicholas Grabko managed to stop the other 10 shots-on-goal he faced in the second and the four he'd face in the third. As for the Nanooks, they put six SOG in the second and eight in the third, but could not capitalize on the third until the overtime period. Right off the bat in the 3-on-3 period, Alaska Anchorage was whistled for a faceoff violation, sending the 'Nooks to their second power play of the night. It took only two shots to find the back of the net as
Broten Sabo tallied his third goal of the season. The defenseman played the puck from
Kyle Gaffney and from the slot, beat Orosz 1:02 into OT.
Inside the Numbers
- Three penalties were called on the night. UAA went 1-1 on the PP while the Nanooks went 1-2.
- Nicholas Grabko made 21 saves on 23 total shots for a .913 save percentage in net. This is his fourth win this season and moves to 4-4-2 in net for Alaska.
- Six Nanooks tallied a point for the Nanooks in the win. Matt Koethe ended the night with two, one goal and one assist, giving him his second consecutive multipoint performance (11/9/24 at Union, 1G-1A-2P).
- Koethe and Sabo now lead the Nanooks with three goals, four assists and seven points on the season.
- Chase Dafoe won 11 of his 17 matchups in the faceoff circle tonight, providing a strong presence for the Nanooks. As a team, however, they lost 33 to UAA, winning 29. Dafoe now has 92 wins in the circle (.538%).
- Haden Kruse has three points through his first two-career games in the blue and gold. Tonight he added his first assist after a two-goal performance at Union in his collegiate debut.
- Koethe's goal was the Nanooks' third unassisted goal of the season. UAA's was the second the Nanooks have allowed.
What's to Come
The Nanooks and Seawolves face each other tomorrow night at the AVIS Alaska Sports Complex in Anchorage. Puck drop at 5:07 p.m. AKST. Live video can be found on the UAA Seawolves YouTube channel or you can listen to
Bruce Cech on KSUA 91.5 FM or KSUAradio.com.
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