MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Alaska Anchorage's Mitch Bruijsten
scored the game-winner at 13:28 of the third period to lift the Seawolves to a 4-3 upset win over Minnesota on Friday night in the opener of their WCHA first-round playoff series at Mariucci Arena.
The win lifted the No. 8-seeded Seawolves to 15-17-3 overall while the No. 5-seeded Gophers slipped to 16-13-6 overall.
Jordan Kwas
and Scott Warner
assisted on Bruijsten's game-winning power-play tally, which came after Minnesota had come back from a 3-0 deficit to tie things at 3-3 on Kevin Wehrs' unassisted goal at 11:18 of the third.
UAA freshman netminder Chris Kamal
had 20 saves to pick up the win and improve to 8-4-1 on the season in a game that saw the Seawolves own a 36-23 shots-on-goal advantage.
After a relatively slow first half of the first, both teams recorded a handful of scoring chances in the final 10 minutes – including a shorthanded breakaway attempt by senior Tommy Grant
. Following a UM turnover on the Seawolf blueline, Grant broke free from the pack and was able to get two shots off on the Gophers' Kent Patterson.
UAA was first to gain momentum when Grant and freshman Jordan Kwas
performed a give-and-go that resulted with a shot on net by Grant. Patterson sent the rebound into the capable hands of Wiles, who fired it home for his 10th goal of the season at 19:23.
The Seawolves kept it rolling following the first intermission, taking a 2-0 lead at 1:56 of the second. On a 3-on-2 situation, senior Craig Parkinson
entered the UM zone on the left and found Portwood at center for the one-timer. The second assist was credited to Wiles.
UAA sophomore forward Alex Gellert
gave the Seawolves a three-goal advantage at 9:19 on a shorthanded strike. With 20 seconds left in the UM power play, Patterson tried to clear the puck and instead found Gellert, who easily skated around the netminder for his second goal of the season.
It was three minutes after Gellert's goal that the momentum swung in favor of the Gophers. At 12:12, junior defenseman Curtis Leinweber
was whistled for hooking on UM's Jake Hansen, which resulted in a penalty shot. Hansen was able to find freshman goaltender Chris Kamal
's five hole for a 3-1 score.
Just 16 seconds later on the man advantage, the Gophers brought the game within one at 12:28 with a tally by Aaron Ness. Wehrs' tally completed the rally for Minnesota, but a complete comeback was not to be.
The Seawolves and Gophers will meet again Saturday in Game 2 at 4:07 p.m. Alaska time in the best-of-3 series.
