Hockey stumbles 3-1, splits series with Ohio State
February 12, 2013
Jamie Foland
907-474-6807
A pair of third-period goals proved the difference in the game as the Alaska Nanooks fell 3-1 to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the teams' Central Collegiate Hockey Association series finale on Saturday night at the Carlson Center.
With the loss, Alaska fell to 13-11-4 overall and 11-10-3-1 in the CCHA (6th place), while OSU improved to 12-12-6 and 11-7-4-1 in league play to retake position in fifth place.
Alaska's lone goal was scored by senior right wing and the game's Perani Cup third star Andy Taranto (Woodridge, Ill./Communication) in the first period, while OSU got a power-play marker from Tanner Fritz in the first and even-strength tallies from Darik Angeli and Ryan Dzingle in the final eight minutes of the game.
After a scoreless first period, the Buckeyes opened the game scoring for the second time in as many nights. Alaska sophomore Nolan Youngmun (Anchorage, Alaska/Petroleum Engineering) was charged with a major and game misconduct for contact to the head at 3:57 of the middle frame, setting the visitors up for a five-minute man advantage. The Nanooks and freshman goalie John Keeney (Twin Peaks, Calif./Business Administration) held their foes at bay for nearly four minutes, before Fritz got a wrist shot past Keeney from the left circle to make it 1-0 at 7:55. Dzingel and Craig Dalrymple assisted on the score that gave the Buckeyes the early lead.
Alaska killed off three more penalties through the remainder of the period and Taranto scored his 10th goal of the season as the teams skated four-on-four late in the frame. Sophomore defenseman Michael Quinn (Surrey, B.C./Business Administration) passed the puck to fellow defenseman Kaare Odegard (Red Deer, AB/Business Administration), who sent a crisp pass up the ice to Tarnto in the neutral zone. The assistant captain skated it into the offensive zone and unleashed a heavy wrist shot that beat OSU's Brady Hjelle at 19:34 to tie the game 1-1.
The teams traded chances in the third period but OSU finally broke the stalemate at 12:24 of the third period, when Angeli lit the lamp for his third of the year and the eventual game winner. He picked off a miscued Nanook pass in the Buckeyes defensive zone and skated it through the neutral zone and into the offensive zone before beating Keeney stickside to make it 2-1.
Dzingle widened the gap for OSU 90 seconds later, when he scored his 13th of the year to make it 3-1. Alaska freshman Tyler Morley (Burnaby, B.C./General Studies) fired a shot from the right halfboards in the Nanooks offensive zone but Hjelle's was there to make a pad save. The rebound bounced out to Buckeye forward Matt Johnson, who fed Dzingle in the neutral zone and he carried it across Alaska's blueline before firing the puck underneath Keeney's glove at 14:04.
Alaska pulled Keeney twice late in the period in an attempt to get back in the game but the Buckeyes and Hjelle shut the door the rest of the way. Alaska had a few promising chances, including a break-away by rookie Nolan Huysmans (Ponoka, AB/Business Administration) between the Buckeyes goals near the 13:18 mark that just sailed wide of the left goal post.
For the game, Keeney turned aside Buckeye shots, while his counterpart made 26 stops at the other end of the rink. Alaska was held scoreless in four man-advantage opportunities and killed four-of-five penalties successfully.
The Nanooks head to Sault Saint Marie, Mich. next weekend (Feb. 15-16), when they will take on the Lake Superior State Lakers for the program's final CCHA road series. Friday the teams meet at 7:35 p.m. with Saturday's opening faceoff coming a half-hour earlier at 7:05 p.m.