Seawolves winger Max Helgeson of Anchorage. Photo by Stephanie Burgoon/Alaska Sports Report
Suffice to say the Seawolves savored their sweep on the weekend.
A points party – 21 goals across two games – will do that for a team.
UAA beat visiting Stonehill College 9-3 on Friday, then upped the ante with Saturday’s 12-2 demolition of the fellow independent Skyhawks.
Seawolves winger Max Helgeson of Anchorage enjoyed a nine-point weekend – gulp. He furnished three assists Friday, then doubled down with three goals and three helpers Saturday. His center, Ben Almquist, merely stacked consecutive hat tricks. Winger Porter Schachle of Wasilla went 2-3—5 in the series. Rookie Aiden Westin of Anchorage contributed a goal Friday. Sophomore forward Brandon Lajoie of Eagle River notched three assists Saturday.
In all, 19 different Seawolves registered at least a point in the series as UAA improved to 14-16-2. The Seawolves’ previous high for goals in a series this season was eight at independent Lindenwood, Feb. 16-17, when they generated 5-3 and 3-0 victories.
A little perspective, though: Stonehill is 2-32-0. The Skyhawks, in their second season of Division I play, are 0-23-0 on the road. They sit 64th of 64 D-I teams in the Pairwise Rankings, which are basically a power ranking. (For what it’s worth, UAA is 40th and UAF, which entertains Stonehill on Wednesday and Thursday to wrap its season, is 25th).
UAA (14-16-2) wraps its season, the second since the program was resurrected, by entertaining fellow independent Arizona State on Friday and Saturday.
Elsewhere in NCAA hockey last weekend:
- UAF (15-14-3) tied 2-2 at Augustana in South Dakota on Friday and used Lassi Lehti’s 30-save bagel for a 2-0 win in Saturday’s series finale.
- Cornell junior forward Sullivan Mack of Anchorage snapped his four-game point drought with an assist in Friday’s 3-2 loss to Union and scored a goal in Saturday’s 3-1 win over Rensselaer. He owns 4-8—12 totals in 23 games.
- Colorado College freshman winger Bret Link assisted on the empty-net goal in Saturday’s 4-1 win over Minnesota-Duluth. He owns 4-9—13 totals in 31 games.
- In women’s D-I action, senior forward Mikayla Lantto joined the 20-goal club with a goal Saturday, but her Long Island University team, which entered on a 14-game winning streak, fell 4-3 in overtime to Franklin Pierce in the New England Women’s Hockey Alliance semifinals. Lantto fired a game-high seven shots on goal. Lantto finished with 20-11—31 totals in 37 games. Teammate Journey Miller, a junior forward from Soldotna, went 1-9—10 in 37 games.
- In men’s D-III, Bethel sophomore goalie Austin Ryman stopped 42 shots in Friday’s 2-1 double-OT win over St. Scholastica in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference semifinals, but Bethel fell 4-1 to St. Olaf in the championship game Saturday. Ryman stopped 24 shots in the title tilt. He finished the season 11-4-0, with a 2.06 goals-against average and .932 save percentage.
- In women’s D-III, Alvernia freshman forward Khenzie Connick of Anchorage was named the Middle Atlantic Conference’s Rookie of the Year and a Second-Team selection after going 10-9—19 in 26 games.
- And Lebanon Valley freshman forward Anna Dale of Juneau earned All-MAC Second-Team honors after 7-4—11 in 25 games, with a team-leading 94 shots on goal. Dale led the Flying Dutchmen in goals and was second in points.