FAIRBANKS - The Alaska Anchorage hockey team survived an early hiccup, dominated special teams play and got a strong outing from junior goalie Jon Olthuis to take a 3-1 win over Maine at the inaugural Brice Alaska Goal Rush on Friday night. Senior forward Kevin Clark scored the equalizer, sophomore forward Craig Parkinson put in the game-winner and junior forward Josh Lunden added an insurance tally for the Seawolves, who improved to 2-1-0.
“The penalty killing was outstanding. When our power play did get opportunities, they manufactured a lot shots and cashed them in too. And Jonny O came up big when we needed it,” UAA head coach Dave Shyiak said. “You combine those three things, to me that's pretty good ingredients for success.”
After giving up the game's first score 3:35 into the game, Olthuis and the Seawolf defense clamped down and help the Black Bears scoreless over the final 56 minutes of play.
During that span, UAA killed off eight Maine man advantages including more than minute and a half of 5-on-3 time, while capitalizing on 2-of-5 power play chances of its own. Olthuis notched 16 of his 28 saves, including several of the spectacular variety, over the final two periods to help the Seawolves secure the win.
“We've been talking about trying to get off to a good start and get the first goal,” Shyiak said. “We went behind again but there was no panic on the bench."
Nearly four minutes after Maine went up 1-0, UAA even it on Clark's power-play rebound tally past Black Bears' goalie Dave Wilson 7:16 into the first period. Sophomore defenseman Luka Vidmar and junior forward Brian Bales picked up assists on the score.
The Seawolves took a 2-1 lead on another power play tally 3:44 into the second. From behind the Maine net, junior forward Paul Crowder found Clark on Wilson's stickside for a point blank attempt. Wilson rebuffed the effort but Parkinson was camped out on the right-side of the crease to slam it home.
Late in the third, Lunden scored on a wild play after Maine's Wilson attempted to leave the ice. The Seawolves stole the puck in the neutral zone and Lunden nearly scored on a long strike from the just inside the mid-line.
Wilson hustled back into goal and Maine recovered the puck along the boards only to turn it over to Lunden in the slot. Lunden deked Wilson and slipped an unassisted backhander through the goalie's legs to extend his point streak to seven games, matching his career best.
UAA outshot the Maine by just one shot, 30-29, and eked out a win in the face-off circle, 29-27.
The Seawolves return to action Saturday at 4:35 p.m. against Mercyhurst, who faced host Alaska Fairbanks in the late game Friday.
