ANCHORAGE ? Kevin Clark scored a pair of second-period goals and fellow sophomore Josh Lunden tallied three points as the Alaska Anchorage hockey team started the 2007-08 season on a high note with a 5-2 win Friday night over Wayne State in the Nye Frontier Classic at Sullivan Arena.
The Seawolves also got goals from freshmen Craig Parkinson and Brad McCabe as they attempt to win their fourth Classic title in five years.
Senior Mike Forgie and junior Derek Punches scored for the Warriors, who were also playing their first game of the year.
UAA sophomore Jon Olthuis made just 11 saves to earn the win in net as the Seawolves outshot the visitors from Detroit 26-13.
The Seawolves started the scoring 9 minutes into the contest on the all-freshman scoring line of Parkinson, Luka Vidmar and Winston DayChief, taking advantage of a power-play chance.
Forgie tied it with four minutes left in the first as the teams entered the locker room tied 1-1.
But Clark, a right wing from Winnipeg, Manitoba, would help the Seawolves take control in the second as he knocked in a cross-ice feed from Lunden at the 2:55 mark. Fifteen minutes later, Clark stole the puck at the UAA blueline and raced down the ice, again finishing the play off a Lunden pass to net the eventual game-winner.
UAA then took advantage of a WSU turnover in their own zone as McCabe scored his first career goal on assists from senior linemates Chris Tarkir and Merit Waldrop.
Punches had an unassisted tally midway through the third, but the Warriors could not put any more pressure on Olthuis, and Lunden finished the scoring for with 37 seconds left, getting assists from Paul Crowder and Mat Robinson.
Clark was named the Nye Frontier Player of the Game.
UAA will attempt to repeat its 2006 Nye championship when it faces Boston University (0-1-0) of Hockey East in the tournament's final game, Saturday at 7:07 p.m. ADT. Wayne State will take on Robert Morris in Saturday's early contest at 4:07 p.m.
