MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - The Alaska Anchorage hockey team's losing skid to Minnesota was extended to nine straight games as the No. 2-ranked Golden Gophers skated to a 6-2 victory while grabbing a 1-0 series lead in the teams' best-of-three WCHA first round playoff series tonight in front of 9,876 fans here at Mariucci Arena.
UAA (12-20-3) and Minnesota (27-8-3) were deadlocked at 2-2 at the midway point of the game, but four unanswered goals by the No. 1-seeded Gophers would thwart any chance of a Game 1 upset by the No. 10-seeded Seawolves.
Five of the game's eight total goals were scored on the power play, with the Seawolves going 2-for-6 and Minnesota 3-for-8. UAA, which was outshot 32-25, scored on each of their first two power-play opportunities before getting shut out on its final four attempts.
Minnesota took a 1-0 lead with an even-strength tally from Jay Barriball at the 6:56 mark of the first, but UAA freshman Paul Crowder would tie the game with his team-best 11th goal of the season at 14:49 of the opening period. Crowder wristed a backhander from just outside the crease through Gopher goalie Kellen Briggs' (23 saves) legs.
UAA, which held a 12-9 advantage in shots in the first frame, appeared to have the momentum heading into the first break, however the Gophers would get a power-play score from Mike Vannelli with 13 seconds remaining in the period to take a 2-1 lead.
The Seawolves would battle back to tie the game once again at the 9:17 mark of the second on junior Merit Waldrop's fifth goal of the season. The Anchorage product stuffed in a rebound off a Jay Beagle shot from the right post for his first-career playoff goal.
It would be all Minnesota after that though as it would get a pair of quick goals from Barriball and Ryan Flynn at 13:19 and 14:54 of the period to take a 4-2 advantage at the second intermission. Blake Wheeler built the Gopher lead to 5-2 just 1:20 into the third, while Justin Bostrom would put the game on ice with Minnesota's sixth goal of the night at the 18:00 mark.
The Gophers, who have never lost to UAA in nine all-time playoff meetings, outshot the Seawolves 10-6 in the second and 13-7 in the third.
Freshman goalie Jon Olthuis made 26 saves in his first playoff start, including a game-high 11 in the third period.
Senior Justin Bourne picked up his 32nd point of the season with an assist on Crowder's goal, while freshman Kevin Clark, senior Chad Anderson and Beagle also collected assists for the Seawolves.
UAA will need to win Saturday's Game 2 rematch in order to extend the series to a deciding third game Sunday. Game time Saturday is 4:07 p.m. (Alaska).
