Nanooks edge Nebraska Omaha, 3-2, sweep series

Submitted by Carla Browning
Phone: (907) 474-7778
11/08/04

The University of Alaska Fairbanks‰ hockey team took advantage of their opportunities in their Central Collegiate Hockey Association game against Nebraska-Omaha at the Carlson Center Saturday evening.

Junior right wing Kelly Czuy (Edmonton, AB/Cranmore-AJHL) scored the tie-breaking goal less than a minute after a key penalty against the Mavericks and the Nanooks protected their advantage for a 3-2 victory and a sweep of their two-game weekend series.

Czuy converted passes from senior right wing Jason Grinevitch (Glendon, AB/Drayton Valley-AJHL) and freshman left wing Kyle Greentree (Victoria, BC/Victoria-BCHL) and beat UNO goaltender Chris Holt at 8:19 of the third period, giving UAF a lead it would not relinquish. The Nanooks were on a five-minute power play after UNO‰s Kaleb Betts was given a major and game misconduct for hitting from behind at the 7:36 mark.

As they did Friday night, the teams matched shutout first periods, with Holt and freshman goaltender Wylie Rogers (Fairbanks, AK/Victoria-BCHL) standing tall in their respective nets.

The Nanooks broke on top in the second period. Freshman center Ryan McLeod (Fernie, BC/Salmon Arm-BCHL) took a pass from freshman left wing Adam Powell (Fairbanks, AK/Chilliwack-BCHL), skated in front of the net and lifted a shot past Holt. The power play goal at 5:08 of the second period gave UAF a 1-0 lead.

Moments later, it was 2-0. Sophomore center Curtis Fraser (Surrey, BC/Vernon-BCHL) cut in front of the net and fired a shot high into the goal to make it 2-0. Greentree and Czuy drew assists.

The Mavericks evened things out in the third period. Scott Parse poked a loose puck past Rogers at 4:39 of the third period to make it 2-1. Bill Thomas and Joe Grimaldi assisted on the play. Two and a half minutes later, Jason Krischuk‰s pass sent Brandon Scero in alone against Rogers, and Scero fired a shot into the net to tie the game at 2-2.

‹In some ways, tonight‰s game was similar to last night‰s game, and is some ways, it wasn‰tŠ said UAF Head Coach Tavis MacMillan. ‹At times, Nebraska-Omaha played well, and we didn‰t. In the first period, we took too many penalties and gave them too many opportunities, and too many chances to score. But your best penalty killer is generally your goaltender, and Wylie made some big saves. I thought our penalty killing was very good. We have a lot of guys who play on the penalty kill who block a lot of shots, and they‰re willing to do whatever they have to do.Š

The Nanooks won their third game in a row and improved to 4-2, 3-1 in CCHA play. UNO dropped to 5-3 and 3-3. UAF will return to action when they visit Lake Superior State next weekend.