FAIRBANKS ? Despite falling behind 3-0 early in the game, the Alaska Anchorage hockey game dug itself out of the deep hole to secure a 6-4 win over Mercyhurst Saturday evening in the Brice Alaska Goal Rush at the Carlson Center. Junior forward Ken Selby's breakaway goal early in the third period proved to be the difference.
The win, combined with Alaska Fairbanks' 2-0 loss to Maine later in the evening, gave the Seawolves (3-1-0) the title of the inaugural tourney.
Things looked bleak when the Lakers' Chris Risi put his team up 3-0 a little less than seven minutes in. But the Seawolves rallied for their third comeback win of the season thanks to a more aggressive attack that kept the puck out of Mercyhurst's (0-4-0) hands.
Junior forward Tommy Grant finally got the Seawolves on the board with 1:32 left in the first period with a rebound of junior forward Paul Crowder's shot. Junior forward Kevin Clark, who was named the tournament MVP, picked up the second assist on the score. Senior defenseman Mat Robinson joined Clark on the all-tournament team.
UAA kept the heat on Lakers goalie Matt Lundin when junior forward Josh Lunden beat him only to have his shot carom off the crossbar with under a minute to go to send the Seawolves to the locker room with a little momentum despite trailing by two goals.
The bounce went the Seawolves' way when Clark sent a pass off the skate of a Laker defender and past a distracted Lundin's stickside just under a minute into the second. Lunden picked up an assist on the play.
With the teams playing 4-on-4, Lunden bounced a quick shot off Lundin's side and into the net off a nifty pass to the backdoor from sophomore defenseman Kane Lafranchise. Junior forward Brian Bales added an assist on the play, which knotted the score at 3-3.
The Seawolves went up 4-3 at the 14:50 mark when sophomore forward Craig Parkinson punched in a rebound of a shot by Mat Robinson that hit the left post. Senior forward Jeremy Smith notched his first point as Seawolf with an assist on the score.
With 1:39 left in the second and a power play set to expire, the Seawolves and sophomore goalie Bryce Christianson survived numerous quality shots by Mercyhurst before the Lakers' Brett Robinson stuck in a rebound on Christianson's glove-side to even it just as sophomore defenseman Luka Vidmar rejoined the fray.
The teams started the third still tied but Selby changed that 2:40 into the period with his game-winner. The Winnipeg, Manitoba, native took a pass from sophomore forward Sean Wiles on the right side of a 2-on-1 and sent a blistering wrister past Lundin to put the Seawolves up for good, 5-4, with 17:20 left in the game.
After a five-minute major for kneeing with 3:24 left that put the Seawolves on the man advantage for the rest of the game, UAA patiently worked the puck until Bales, a transfer from Bowling Green, notched his first goal in Green and Gold on a rebound of a Clark shot to make up the final margin. Grant added a helper on the play.
UAA's aggressive play accounted for commanding advantage in shots on goal, as the Seawolves shellacked Lundin with 44 shots including 17 in the final period. By contrast, Mercyhurst managed just 21 shots including a single attempt in the third.
With a goal and an assist, Lunden extended his point streak to a career-best eight games dating back to Feb. 29. The Coquitlam, B.C. native has five goals and six assists over that span.
Christianson (2-0-0) earned the win after the tough start as he picked up 17 saves. Lundin turned back 38 shots for the visitors in the loss.
The Seawolves, who have scored at least one power play a game this season, finished 1-of-4 on the man advantage, while limiting the Lakers to a 1-of-5 effort. UAA finished the weekend 3-for-9 on the power play and killed all but one of 13 situations facing an extra skater.
UAA will return home to the friendly confines of Sullivan Arena and face Minnesota Duluth to open Western Collegiate Hockey Association play Oct. 24-25. The puck drops at 7:07 p.m. both nights.
