Wolverines’ forward Kade Shea was the center of attention Friday. Photo by Stephanie Burgoon/Alaska Sports Report
Whether or not by design, the dude wearing No. 12 on his back and sleeves helped deliver the Anchorage Wolverines a 12th consecutive win Friday night.
Kade Shea, a 6-foot-2, 195-pounds native of Duluth, Minn., scored a pair of goals 2 minutes, 21 seconds apart late in the third period at Ben Boeke Arena. Number 12 on your lineup card’s 14th goal of the North American Hockey League season, into an empty net with 28 seconds left, provided playoff-bound Anchorage the cushion it needed to eke out a 4-3 victory over the visiting Minnesota Wilderness.
“(Shea) is an outstanding kid,” said Wolverines head coach Nick Walters, a 2006 Chugiak High graduate in his first year at the helm of the Junior A squad. “He’s one of those players I see myself talking to for the rest of my life.
“He does everything for us. He makes plays, can shoot the puck, win faceoffs and is good in the defensive zone. He’s on the power play, the penalty kill and does it all the right way.”
The Wolverines improved to 34-13-4 and won for the 18th time in 21 games dating back to Jan. 12. The 34 regular-season victories are the most in Anchorage’s three NAHL campaigns. Minnesota, out of Cloquet, 137 miles northwest of Minneapolis, never made it easy for Anchorage. The Wilderness, winners of three of the previous four meetings with the Wolverines, are battling for their playoff lives in the NAHL’s Midwest Division.
Minnesota (26-21-4) scored at 19:49 of the third with goaltender Nick Erickson pulled for an extra attacker. Beau Janzig’s goal made the Wolverines grip their sticks a little tighter in those final seconds, holding the one-goal lead. The Wilderness gave Anchorage all it could handle and should again Saturday night when the teams complete their regular-season series. Opening faceoff at Boeke is 7 p.m.
Wolverines’ winger Romulus Riego De Dios maintains control of the puck through contact. Photo by Stephanie Burgoon/Alaska Sports Report
“Minnesota is playing like a team that wants in the playoffs,” said Anchorage leading scorer Fedya Nikolayenya, who tallied an assist and goal 11 seconds apart in the first period. “It’s a team that hits hard, forechecks hard. (Saturday night) they’ll come out even harder.
“We have to be ready.”
Nikolayenya turned 21 on Feb. 28 – he’s the oldest Anchorage player. The Minsk, Belarus native and Wolverines captain Bryce Monrean of Anchorage are committed to attend UAF next season.
The Nanooks and all of the state’s NCAA DI fans should look forward to the duo’s arrival in the Golden Heart City. Nikolayenya’s show-stopping ability was on full display in the set-up to Cole Christian’s goal at 12:11 of the first.
With a delayed penalty called on Minnesota, Nikolayenya made a choice to pull the puck out of the attacking zone, opting to re-engage with a full burst of speed from the neutral zone. Keeping ownership of the puck, he weaved through the Wilderness before finding Wolverines defenseman Trent Powell of Soldotna just above the right circle. Powell quickly delivered a cross-ice pass to Christian in the left circle. He rocketed the puck past Erickson for his 17th goal.
Few possess the wherewithal to see a play’s potential the way Nikolayenya did in those moments.
“A (Minnesota) guy was coming my way, so I didn’t want to go through him,” Nikolayenya said. “I heard some screaming ‘go back, go back’ so we could regroup. I had that speed going.”
Ten seconds after Christian’s goal, Nikolayenya pumped in his team-high 26th goal from near the right post.
Fedya Nikolayenya fires one on goal. Photo by Stephanie Burgoon/Alaska Sports Report
“UAF is going to get some uber skill with Feddy,” Walters said. “Speed, strong as a horse, and his stick skill is high end.”
Nikolayenya can’t wait to head to Fairbanks because he loves the cold.
“Uh, no, that was meant to be a joke,” he said. “I’d love somewhere warm, but we’re not playing (DI) college hockey in Hawaii. Thankfully, UAF has a strong program.”
We’ll have to wait and see what impact Nikolayenya and Monrean have at UAF. Over at UAA, former Wolverines Aiden Westin (16 points in 29 games) and Matt Johnson (nine points in 14 games) were trusted commodities this past season for the Seawolves.
Alaska’s NAHL squads can provide something of a boost for the state’s two college programs, which is what junior hockey is all about.
“But at the end of the day, I can’t care which school these guys go to,” Walters said. “I just want to help them get there, right?”
ONE-TIMERS
- The Wolverines should feel pretty, pretty, pretty good with a dozen wins in a row. Now if you’re curious about connective hockey tissue with days of past Anchorage-related hockey glory, the 2005-06 Alaska Aces strung together what’s believed to be a franchise-best 11 straight victories en route to winning the first of their three ECHL (AA-level professional) Kelly Cup national championships. That team also posted a 16-game point streak during the regular season (15-0-1).
- The NAHL Robertson Cup Midwest Division semifinals can’t begin any earlier than April 18. If Anchorage were to finish as one of the division’s top two seeds, it would have “the right to host up to three games” in the best-of-5 series. These final nine regular-season games will help determine exactly who and where the Wolverines will play in the playoffs.
- Of the five Alaskans in uniform for the Wolverines on Friday, Powell was the only one to record a point. The other Alaska players were Monrean, Cole Frawner, Vaughn Makar and Camden Shasby.
- Wolverines goaltender Liam Beerman was credited with 21 saves in his 23rd win between the pipes. The 19-year-old out of Marquette, Mich., is the Midwest Division’s reigning Player of the Week.
Wolverines’ goalie Beerman picked up his 23rd win Friday. Photo by Stephanie Burgoon/Alaska Sports Report