COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Senior Tommy Grant and freshman Matt Bailey
scored a pair of dramatic goals to lift the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves over the
Colorado College Tigers, 4-3, in a Western Collegiate Hockey Association game on
Friday night at the World Arena.
The Seawolves (4-7-2, 3-5-1 WCHA) trailed the Tigers (5-7-1,
2-5-0 WCHA) 3-2 in the final seconds of regulation when Bailey netted his
second goal of the night on the penalty kill and sent the game into extra
minutes. Grant netted the game-winning goal with just 70 seconds remaining in the extra session, giving UAA's its second
overtime win in three games.
Despite the Tigers outshooting UAA 17-4 in the first
period, the Seawolves were first to strike with an even-strength tally by
senior forward Craig Parkinson at 16:02. Junior forward Jade Portwood and
senior defenseman Luka Vidmar assisted on Parkinson's third goal of the season.
The Seawolves would lead 1-0 into the second frame before a
pair of goals by the Tigers, just 1:34 apart, would turn the
tables, giving CC a 2-1 advantage. Andrew Hamburg capitalized on a shorthanded opportunity
at 7:29 before Tyler Johnson scored his first of two goals at 9:03.
UAA didn't weaken and instead knotted the game at 2-2 with
Bailey's first score of the evening with just 0.3 seconds remaining in the
second. Bailey received a pass from classmate Brett Cameron and found a gap
between CC's goaltender Joe Howe and the pipe on the wrap-around.
The Seawolves were tagged for four minor penalties throughout
the third stanza, including one by Bailey at 14:33 and one on sophomore Alex
Gellert at 16:13, giving CC a 5-on-3 for 21 seconds. UAA was able to kill off
one penalty, but the Tigers would take the lead back on the power play at 17:48 with Johnson's
second goal.
More bad luck came to the Seawolves as senior Sean Wiles was
whistled for tripping at 19:06. With Wiles in the box, however, UAA pulled freshman netminder
Rob Gunderson for the extra attacker and was able to capitalize when Bailey fired a wrister to the mesh with just six seconds
remaining.
Senior forward Sean
Wiles then fed Grant the puck in front of the net for the one-timer in overtime to clinch UAA's fourth win all-time at CC.
Gunderson (3-4-1) posted a season-high 37 saves between the
pipes for the Seawolves, including a season-high 17 saves in the first period,
while Howe (4-6-1) made 32 saves. UAA and CC combined for 76 shots on net
throughout the game, while the 36 shots for UAA was a season-high.
UAA was 0-2 on the man advantage while CC went 1-for-7. The
Seawolves spent 14 minutes in the box, compared to the Tigers four.
UAA and CC will face each other for the third time of the
season on Saturday evening at 5:07 p.m. AST.
