FAIRBANKS – A two-goal game by freshman defenseman Wyatt Ege, lifted the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves to a 4-3 non-conference win against ECAC's Rensselaer Engineers in Game 1 of the Brice Alaska Goal Rush at the Carlson Center Friday.
Ege, a local of Elk River, Minn., furnished UAA's first multi-goal game of the season with two tallies in the third period to recover the Seawolves from a 3-2 deficit, after UAA led, 1-0 at the end of the first. RPI (1-2-0), who defeated then-No. 1 ranked Boston College last weekend, used two goals in the second period to lead the Seawolves, 2-1 after 40 minutes of play before UAA added three goals in the third.
Now with four points in three games, Ege's first strike was unassisted, on the power play at 7:12 of the third. A former NAHL Ice Dog, Ege went top-shelf, beating netminder Jason Kasdorf. He struck again, less than three minutes later at 10:09 with another top-shelf goal, giving UAA the eventual 4-3 score.
The day started when junior forward Dylan Hubbs started the scoring for the Seawolves by punching in a rebound from freshman Cam Amantea at 14:23 of the first. A local of Beaumont, Alberta, Hubbs collected his first of the season and 11th of his career, while Amantea picked up his second helper on the short season.
Knotting the game 1-1 at 4:59 of the second was RPI's freshman Evan Tironese, who received a goal-line pass out in front of the net from Lou Nanne, left of sophomore goaltender Olivier Mantha. Following a penalty-free first period, the teams traded two, back-to-back penalties in the second, with the Engineers capitalizing at 11:56. Freshman Meirs Moore picked up the man advantage strike, putting RPI on top, 2-1.
In the third, sophomore forward Austin Azurdia furnished his first of the season – 84 seconds in – deadlocking the game once again at 2-2. Freshman Mason Mitchell got the puck on net with a wraparound, allowing Azurdia to tap it in.
A shorthanded strike by Milos Bubela at 7:12 gave the Engineers their final lead of the game. Mantha, who had stopped Bubela earlier on a breakaway, made the initial odd-man rush save, before Bubela rounded up the rebound.
Meanwhile, Mantha made 27 saves with the win, while Kasdorf – who was pulled for the extra attacker with 1:09 left in the game – made 23 saves. RPI outshot UAA, 30-27.
UAA, now 2-1 in non-conference play, returns to the Carlson Center tomorrow to face American International for the first time since 1982 in Game 3 of the Goal Rush.
