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HOCKEY

Governor’s Cup opener goes to UAF, 3-2 over UAA after overtime penalty

by | Nov 16, 2024 | Cover Story, Hockey

The Nanooks celebrate their game winner. Photo by Stephanie Burgoon/Alaska Sports Report

Friday’s game between UAA and UAF fell on the eve of the team’s first meeting 45 years ago. This one ended with an on-ice overtime rarity, a brief OT because of it and a Nanooks victory.

UAF sophomore defenseman Broten Sabo ended the 183rd showdown between the schools with a power-play goal 1 minute, 2 seconds into extra time. The Nanooks won the first game of the 2024-25 six-game Alaska Airlines Governor’s Cup series 3-2 at the Avis Alaska Sports Complex.

“Fortunate for us, we got the power play in overtime and the final shot,” said UAF coach Erik Largen, in his seventh season. “Give credit to UAA. They got down 2-0 and then took over the game for a long time, but we finally got our legs back for a little more back and forth.”

With the win, UAF improved to 4-5-2 and extended its unbeaten streak to six games (4-0-2). In its best home-ice effort of the season and after a 20-day layoff, UAA fell to 1-8-0 and 1-11-1 against its in-state rival since resurfacing from extinction two-plus seasons ago.

The teams continue the Governor’s Cup series Saturday in Anchorage with a 5:07 p.m. puck drop. They met for the first time back on Nov. 16, 1979, when the Seawolves scored a 13-3 victory.

The Nanooks scored twice in the first period. The Seawolves knocked in two in the second. The goalies – UAF’s Nicholas Grabko (21 saves) and UAA’s Greg Orosz (20 saves) – directed the game to OT with strong third-period efforts.

UAA’s Dimitry Kebreau sets up in front of the UAF net while being defended by Kyle Gaffney as Nicholas Grabko looks on. Photo by Stephanie Burgoon/Alaska Sports Report

Then it happened. As the team’s lined up for the 5-minute session of 3-on-3 play, UAA grad student Tanner Edwards was whistled for a face-off violation penalty on the draw. The Anchorage product clearly dropped his stick and hands low to the ice and made a swatting motion towards a teammate. Uh, that’s a no-no.

“Oh, it was a penalty,” said UAA coach Matt Shasby, in his third season. “Our centerman made a poor choice, the referees made the right call, and Fairbanks made us pay for it.”

One of the first things noticed early on, besides UAF going with the safety-vest fluorescent, high-visibility yellow matched with royal blue and white on its uniforms, was the time and space enjoyed by the players. Clearly, neither top-ranked Denver nor Colorado College, UAA’s previous home-ice adversaries, were on the ice.

Skaters had time to think and move with the puck.

Brendan Ross and former Fairbanks Ice Dog Matt Koethe spotted the Nanooks the early lead. Koethe scored his third goal of the season 14 minutes, 36 seconds when an errant puck came off the right-wing boards. The native of Minnetonka, Minn., wasted no time clapping the puck past Orosz.

UAA’s Aiden Westin of Anchorage on the move with UAF’s Caelum Dick in pursuit. Photo by Stephanie Burgoon/Alaska Sports Report

UAA returned the favor in the second. The Seawolves found sustained success on the attack and climbed within 2-1 when junior Conor Cole scored his first goal at 1:06 off a perfect power-play feed from defenseman Dylan Finley. Cole’s second collegiate goal in his 48th game snapped an 82:51 goal-less streak for UAA going to Oct. 25’s 2-1 loss to CC.

Freshman Dylan Contreras tied the game 2-2 with his first collegiate goal at 6:16 of the second. The former Kenai River Brown Bears star from Yorba Linda, Calif., corralled a loose puck in the high slot and whipped a shot past Grabko.

“Dylan really committed himself during these two weeks off and I was really happy with what I saw to give him the opportunity,” Shasby said. “It was something he earned and I’m glad he got his first college goal.”

Each team finished with 23 shots on goal, and both tallied one power-play goal.

UAA’s Dylan Contreras bagged his first college goal Friday. Photo by Stephanie Burgoon/Alaska Sports Report

ONE-TIMERS
  • The most involved and vocal contingent in the house Friday was the UAF volleyball team. Those Nanooks were positioned behind the goal at the rink’s west end and never missed a chance to chant “What’s a Seawolf?” UAF and UAA go another round in their volleyball rivalry Saturday at the Alaska Airlines Center.
  • Friday’s game was the 101st in the college career of UAA senior Porter Schachle (Wasilla). His night didn’t get off to the greatest of starts when he took an embarrassing spill during pre-game introductions. He laughed off the fall with teammates Max Helgeson (Anchorage) soon after, although the Nanooks certainly enjoyed chirping him from the opposing blue line.
  • Don’t think we forgot all you attendance nerds out there. About 1,000 spectators crammed into the AASC for the college tilt. Meanwhile, 1,664 watched the Anchorage Wolverines down the Springfield (Ill.) Jr. Blues 3-1 in North American Hockey League junior action at Sullivan Arena. Plus, Bartlett scored its first Cook Inlet Conference win of the new season, a 5-1 decision over Service in front of some folks at Ben Boeke Arena. The conclusion? Hockey has a way to still bring them out in old Anchortown, despite the Wolverines drawing a season-low crowd in their ninth home game.

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Family of Sponsors

Alaska Airlines | Nicole Johnston | Richard Mize | Advanced Diagnostics, INC | Aktive Soles | Alaska Oil and Gas Association | Aspen Endodontics | Black-Smith, Bethard & Carlson, LLC. | BOSCO's | Coho Financial Group | Continental Auto Group | Don Clary & Judy Besh | Glen Bailey | Invisalign-Ben Ward | JL Properties | Joey Caterinichio & Ja Dorris| Kathleen Navarre | Midas Alaska | Moose's Tooth, Bear Tooth and Broken Tooth Brewing | Perkins Coie - Sarah & A.J. Schirack | R&M Consultants, Inc. | Dave & DeAnne Rand | RE/MAX Dynamic Properties Kevin Taylor | Scott Taylor |Residential Mortgage | Seth Wickersham & Alison Overholt | Taylored Restoration | Korndrop Family Foundation | Arctic Slope Regional Corporation | Replacement Glass | Zareena and Allen Clendaniel | Foley & Pearson | UAA Seawolves | Tony and Carla Slaton Barker | Sportclips Haircuts | Alliance for Support of American Legion Baseball in Alaska | Alice & Gunnar Knapp | Amy and Jason Miller | Burgerfi | Charles Fedullo | Dan Rufner | Darren Lieb | In Honor of James Libby | Seawolf 5th Line | Deb Essex | Don Winchester | Donley Family | Dr. Justin Libby, DDS | Firetap | Harlow Robinson | Jason & Shannon Metrokin | Jim & Michelle Hajdukovich | Joe Alston | Kathie Bethard | Krispy Kreme | Kristopher Knauss | Loren Kroon | Mark and Jamie Johnson | Mark Silverman | On the Border | Pete Robinson | Rick Mystrom | Team Heat | Team Moriarty | The Conway Family | Todd Whited | Moria Smith | In memory of Drs. John & Elizabeth Tower | Peter Pounds | Pete Robinson | Skinny Raven | Multisport Training of Alaska/Lisa Keller | RSA Engineering

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