ANCHORAGE – The Alaska Anchorage Seawolves returned from the Holiday Break to record a 4-1 upset against league-leader Bemidji State in a Western Collegiate Hockey Association game at the Sullivan Arena on Friday afternoon.
After scoring just 35 seconds apart in the middle of the first, the Seawolves (4-13-2, 3-8-2 WCHA) held on to their 2-0 lead throughout the rest of the 40 minutes of play. The Beavers (13-7-3, 13-2-2 WCHA), who fall to 2-5-2 in the last nine games, ended the shutout in the third before UAA responded with a shorthanded goal and an empty-net goal.
The Seawolves scored back-to-back goals in the opening period with strikes by sophomores Mason Mitchell and Alex Jackstadt at 11:56 and 12:31, respectively. Mitchell, from Calgary, Alberta, collected his third of the season, beating netminder Michael Bitzer top-shelf. Meanwhile, junior captain Matt Anholt fed a streaking Jackstadt a pass off the rush for the one-timer, backdoor.
In the second, Jackstadt cherry-picked himself into a breakaway halfway through the game, but Bitzer held strong and stopped the Anchorage local down low. Mitchell also had another chance to score, hitting the crossbar with less than three minutes left in the second.
After both teams failed to score in the second frame, the Beavers got on the board at 8:21 of the third with a power-play goal by Phillip Marianaccio. BSU was looking for the equalizer with a late-game power-play opportunity when Anholt (Prince Albert, Sask.) furnished his team-leading fifth of the season. Along with his assist in the first, Anholt leads UAA with eight helpers and 13 points. Additionally, Anholt keeps his current point streak alive to five games.
The Seawolves final tally came courtesy of junior forward Austin Azurdia with the empty-net strike at 18:10 – just 25 seconds after Bitzer was pulled for the extra attacker.
Getting the win between the pipes and helping UAA to its first win against a ranked opponent was junior goaltender Olivier Mantha (26 saves), improving to 4-11-2 on the season. Bitzer received the loss with 16 saves.
UAA was 0-for-5 on the power play, while BSU went 1-for-4. The Seawolves were tagged for four penalties, while the Beavers were send to the box five times.
Tomorrow's matinee will again be at 1:37 p.m. AST at the Sullivan Arena
