ANCHORAGE – The Alaska Anchorage Seawolves collected their first Western Collegiate Hockey Association win over the season with a 5-3 victory over the Northern Michigan Wildcats Friday at the Sullivan Arena.
The Seawolves (2-11-2) improve to 1-6-2 in conference play with a season-high five goals, including a season-high-tying three in the third period. With the win, UAA leapfrogs Northern Michigan (3-12-2, 1-9-1 WCHA) in the league standings to ninth with six points. NMU is 10th with four points.
UAA, which was winless at 0-11-2 when allowing an opponent to score first, responded in the second period with two even-strength tallies, 23 seconds apart. Sophomore Jonah Renouf tied the game at 1-1 after classmate Jeremiah Luedtke forced a turnover in the offensive end and found Jonah's twin, Nathan, streaking towards the net. N. Renouf fed his brother a backhander for the goal at 12:31.
Meanwhile, UAA's second strike came courtesy of junior defenseman Jarrett Brown at 12:54. Sophomore Mason Mitchell found Brown off the rush, who then corralled the puck with his skate before firing on net for the 2-1 lead before intermission.
After the second break, the Seawolves extended their lead to two with junior captain Matt Anholt's team-best fourth of the season. Moments after tipping a shot that hit the post – UAA's fourth of the night – Anholt tipped junior Tad Kozun's shot from the point, hitting mesh with just 82 second expired in the third.
The Wilcats would bring the score to 4-2 at 6:10, before senior Chase Van Allen fired a wrister from the top of the right circle, beating NMU's Atte Tolvanen high at 10:37 on the power play. Additionally senior Connor Wright picked up the empty net goal at 18:53 with Tolvanen on the bench for the extra attacker. Both senior goals were their firsts of the season.
A scrum in front of junior goaltender Olivier Mantha led to the Wildcat's finally tall with just 50 seconds remaining in the game.
NMU's first goal of the evening came with just 10.9 seconds left in the first by James Vermeulen.
The Wilcats out shot the Seawolves, 26-22. Mantha made 23 saves for the win, while Tolvanen turned aside 17.
UAA was tagged for seven penalties, serving 14 minutes in the box and was 1-for-5 on the man advantage.
The teams rematch tomorrow night at 7:07 p.m. AST.
